Show ANOTHER BLOW AT WOMAN SUFFRAGE THE recent decision of the supreme court of washington territory against the validity of the woman suffrage law gives aives pleasure to the opponents of comans womans wo mans rights throughout the country we understand the ruling was given unanimously by a full f all for the then women will not vote in that territory and it will tak esome time to test the question of the soundness of this judicial opinion the ruling contained about seven thousand words but the whole question seems to have turned on the word citizen in the organic act of course the legislature has no power to enact anything that is not in conformity with that instrument w which b ich acts to the territory as a constitution does to a state ander under it the legislature le ki slature may provide for the qualifications us ot of voters out but they dudt be t affe the age of twenty one years and cm citizens eizens of the united states or persons above that age who have properly declared their intentions to become citizens there is nothing in the organic act forbidding woman suffrage the court bourt took the ground thattie that the in that act means male citizen 11 and that therefore the legislature had no power to endow females with the elective franchise we have not read the opinion in full fall and therefore cannot attempt to criticise criticism critic ise it in detail but bat the foundation on which it rests seems so shaky that we have small confidence in ahe soundness of the superstructure the term citizens comprehends both sexes A woman born in the united states is a citizen just as aa much as a man the laws ot of the united states declare that every person born in the united states scales is a citizen thereof an alien woman can be made a citizen by naturalization just the same as an man A woman who mar ries rice a citizen of the united states becomes a citizen by the marriage the op organic ganic acts of the territories empower the legislatures thereof to confer the franchise upon citizens or persons declaring before a competent court their intentions to become citizens it looks then to an ordinary mind with common comprehension of the english language that those legisla tures turee may provide that women citizens over twenty one years of age shall have the right to vote two of those legislatures have taken this view of the matter and acted upon it the laws of wyoming giving women the elective franchise have never been brought into legal disrepute and the utah statute to the same effect was always held to be valid it took an act of congress to deprive the women of utah of the right they had held and exercised for fifteen years there is another point worth con this seems to turn uain tile tee intent intention ioa of 0 congress when rhex pang the organic acts of the territory Terri tor orTra the court claims it was to authorize the legislatures to endow maze male citizens only with the franchise but in prescribing the qualifications lor for voters at the first hibst elections in new territories before any legislature slature is formed congress Lell provided provide that every male citizen above the age of twenty rone one persons who have legally de dared blared their intention to in any territory hereafter organized and who are actual residents of such territory at the organization then thereof of shall be entitled to vote at the first election in such territory 11 but in prescribing the qualifications which voters must musi have at all subsequent elections which the legislatures are to regulate by law the word male is omitted evidently with the intent to permit those legislatures to establish woman suffrage if they should so elect when prescribing all the qualifications of voters for the first election congress used the term male citizens 11 but when endowing me ane legislatures with power to 10 prescribe those qualifications SUI subject abject to certain limitations congress simply used the word citizens thus leaving the legislatures to either establish or forbid woman suffrage frage this is the second time that the legislature of washington territory representing a majority of the citizens has enacted a law voted on by a large majority of the members establishing woman suffrage and each time the court has pronounced it unconstitutional the case will now go up to the supreme court of the united states and we believe the law will there be sustained if it is properly resented presented before that judicial body E but t unless it is advanced on the calendar washington territory may mean meanwhile while te be admitted into the union as a state and will then be able to do justly y by its women citizen 3 without blat fear ear of obstruction by a court of federal appointment |