OCR Text |
Show MORMON WOMEN TO VOTE. The Mormnns have made a forced march on the Geniiles of Utuh Territory Terri-tory t hat perplexes tbem not a little. The Gentiles have no politics but opposition op-position to Mui moni-uj; they know nothing else than this, and tbey care for nothing else This is the common platform upon which all of them stand. I'heir power and influence are steadily incieat-inn through the federal authority author-ity which i hey wield, and the Mormons were forced tocontemplHteat me when ihe Gentiles, by iheirsteadily increasing numbers, would be in the accndency. unless they eould manage to reinforce rheir strength by a new accession This they lately diJ; the Territorial Legislature passed an act on the lliih of February. 1S7U, extendinc the light of .-uffrage to women. This act provides pro-vides that "every woman of the age ol twenty-one years, who has resided in this Territory six months next preceding preced-ing any general or special election, bom or naturalized in the United States, ir who is the wife, widow or daughter of a native born or naturalize d citizen of the United States shall be entitled to vote at any election in the Territory." This law doubles the Mormon Mor-mon voting force, at once, and seriously serious-ly discourages the Gentiles; for while many Mormone have several wives; and some of them several daughters, the Gentiles are generally scarce of both. They are preparing to contest the cou siitutionality of the net, because it gives the right of suffrage to women who are not naturalized citizens. Ua der it a foreign born woman, may vote, six months after her arrival in Utah, provided she is the wife of a naturalized natural-ized citizen. But this attempt to invalidate in-validate the law will probably fail; under un-der the constitution of Missouri, persons per-sons not naturalized, but who have de clared their intention to become naturalized natu-ralized may vote, and no one, we bo-lieve, bo-lieve, ever proposed to dispute the mnRtitutirnaliiy of this provision. Missouri Republican. |