Utah's Political Women

ütah's political campaign is fairly tmder way and offers an interesting study of practical woruan suffrage. It had been supposed that women wonld not ba allowed to vote until after the adoption of the state constitution which grants the franchise. By a recent decisión in a test case, however, the enabling act is construed to take effect in advauce of statehood, so far as suffrage and one or two other phases of statehood are concerned. Pending the decisión on the appeal of this case to the supreme court women have been registered and are takiug a roost active part in the primarios. They are represeuted on all the committees of both parties, and the recently appoiuted secretary of the Republican territorial comruittee, Mrs Lillie JR. Pardee, is believed to be the flrst woman that ever served in that capacity. The most active workers on both sides so far in the campaign have been women. They complam, however, that the rank and file of the sex are apathetic in rnatters political. Mrs. C. E. Allen, a brilliant woman and remarkable for lier domestic accornplishments as well as for oratorical ability, has commented on this fact pnblicly in a way to attract attention. In a house to house canvass in Salt Lake City she said she had found a great many womiü who did not know whether they were Repnblicans orDemocrats. One womau declared she waa a Democrat, but had always believed in the tariff for protection. Another said her hnsband would do all the voting in her family. Some few, Mrs. Allen said, had treated her as an enemy of the public peace. In too many cases the subject of politics was treated with absolute indifference. One immediate result of this apathy has been the inventiou of a ncw form of social diversion. It is called a "registration tea." The chiof difflcnlty with the women voters is to get them registered. The law does not require a declaration of the voter's exact age, but apparently few women nuderstand this. There seems to be au irnpression also that the mode of registration is cornplicated. To dispel these il losions registration teas have been devised. The guests are unregistered woinen. The hostesses are merubers of the ward or precinct committees. Usually the entertainment iiicludes mnsio and refreshments. A talk on the responsibility of the ballot and the uecessity of registration is a fixture on the progmrame. The talk also inclndes instructions for registration and an explanation of the Australian voting system, which is used in the primarles and in the general elections. The registratiou tea so farhas proved about the only effectual method' of getting the ladies interested in politics, and it is being woiked very triously to tbat