Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 April 1917 — WILL ATTACK SUFFRAGE LAW [ARTICLE]

WILL ATTACK SUFFRAGE LAW

Foes of Act Declare It to Be Unconstitutional. It became known in Indianapolis Monday that plans for attacking the validity of the equal suffrage law passed by the general assembly last winter have been virtually completed and a suit is expected to be filed shortly asking that the act be held unconstitutional. The suit probably will be filed in time for those supporting it to obtain a decision from the Indiana supreme court before the election of delegates to' the constitutional convention in September. * The suit will be filed in the Marion county courts, probably in one of the branches of the superior court, it was said, and an appeal will be taken regardless of the decision of the county court. Attorneys vfho have interested themselves in the action said that the suffrage act will be attacked upon at least two points. The following allegations will be made, it is said: That the act is in violation of the state constitution, in that it permits women to vote, when the constitution provides specifically that suffrage shall be extended only to male citizens. That it is invalid because it distinguishes between native-born and foreign-born women, excluding all those born in a foreign country from exercising the right of franchise and permitting native-born women to vote. Those who are furthering the interests of the action pointed out •tha,t the writers of the present, constitution forestalled the passage of a woman suffrage act by the legislature when, in fixing the qualifications of voters, they blocked Such a statute by making the provision in Article 3 that only male citizens might vote.