FEMALE SUFFRAGE IN AMERICA.

Southland Times, Issue 18818, 11 May 1920, Page 4

FEMALE SUFFRAGE IN AMERICA.

If the hopes of the organisation behind the female Suffrage movement in the United States are realised the amendment to the Constitution, putting the women of the whole country on voting equality with men, will become law within a few days. At the beginning of April thirty-five states had ratified the amendment and only one more consenting State was required bo complete tile ratification of the amendment. It. looked then as if Delaware was to have the honour of completing the roil, but the House of Representatives in that State disappointed the women and rejected the ratifying resolution by a big majority. The next hope that the suffragists have is in Louisiana, where the legislature was fixed to meet on May 10 in a special session at which the amendment was to be voted on. An affirmatory vote by Louisiana will complete the list of thirty-six States required to ratify the amendment, but it will not place the issue entirely beyond doubt, because the ratification by Ohio is subject to a decision on an important point in constitutional law—one that involves the Prohibition amendment as well. It is argued that under the constitution of Ohio a referendum is necessary to confirm any ratitication by the legislature of a national amendment. The Constitution of the United States certainly sets out that amendments are to be ratified by the State Legislatures or by conventions as the Congress may order, but it is argued that the word Legislature, where a State constitution provides for a referendum, includes the referendum as a part of the legislative machinery of the State. The point was first argued in Oregon where it was held by the Supreme Court that the referendum clause in the State constitution was limited to State matters. Washington and Ohio, however, took the wider view and in Ohio last year the people by a narrow majority voted against the ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment. The legal battle, however, is being carried to the higher courts and if the Ohio view is sustained it will mean that the Suffrage Amendment will also have to go to a referendum.