The Day Seattle Suffrage Died

The recent decision by the Supreme Court of Washington Territory has declared the woman suffrage law invalid. The court’s decision is not based upon the merits of the case itself, but upon a failure on the part of the legislature to strictly follow the provisions of the Organic Act. The title of the law as passed was simply 'An Act to amend section 3050, chapter 238, of the Code of Washington.' This, of course, does not in any way express the real object of the bill, and its failure to do so, according to the rulings of the Supreme Court, renders it void. The question was brought before the court in the case of the Territory vs. Helson. Helson was convicted of an offense in Pierce County, and Elwood Evans, his counsel, carried the case to the Supreme Court. He took exceptions to the right of women to sit as jurors, a number having been on the trial jury by which Helson was indicted. This exception brought the question of the validity of the statute directly before the court, and it has been declared to be invalid. Of course, the immediate effect of this decision will be to make the qualifications of voters what they were prior to the passage of the amending act. The broader effects, however, are extensive. It is certain that a vigorous effort will be made to secure a re-enactment of the law at the next session of the legislature. The defect in the law, of which it has been declared invalid, can easily be amended, and as soon as the legislature assembles it will find itself confronted by the suffragists.