tant, and include the time, duration | nated public official. As the purpose Rhode Island from December to Since the introduction of woman Absent Voters.-The only changes made in the absent voter laws relate to the elections and classes of voters The rapid growth of cities has led to which the laws are made to apply, to a ceaseless migration of voters and to an abridgement of the time from one constituency to another and within which applications for and disthe diversification of industries keeps tribution of ballots may be made. In an appreciable per cent. of the elec- Minnesota, absent voters were autorate on pilgrimages in regions re- thorized to participate in special primote from the voting precinct. To mary and special elections; and in afford these two elements of the elec- Nevada and Vermont in municipal torate the opportunity to exercise the elections, to which Vermont also adds franchise, Idaho and Connecticut county elections. The classes of have provided a method for the regis- voters who may vote by absent voter tration of voters who move from one ballot were extended to include voters precinct to another between registra- who are actually absent, in New tion and election days; while Minne- Hampshire and Vermont; to voters sota, New York, New Jersey, and who are ill, in New Hampshire, South Utah enacted laws enabling voters Dakota and Vermont; to voters who who are unavoidably absent on regis- are physically disabled; in South Datration days to register by mail or kota and Vermont; to students in by applying in person to some desig-college and the wives of male citizens ! who accompany their husbands, in | placed on the primary ballot is not New York; and to railway employees included in the amount as limited by and the members of the immediate law for campaign expenses. Wisconfamilies of commercial travelers and sin requires all associations which railway employees, in Oregon. The advocate, endorse or oppose any party, time within which ballots may be ap-faction, group, candidate, constituplied for and distributed was tional amendment or measure, before abridged in Illinois, Vermont and receiving contributions or making exWisconsin; and Minnesota permits penditures, to file its name, officers, notaries public to act as attesting and the nature and sources of its inwitnesses in the execution of absent come and the purposes of the expendivoter ballots. tures. In Massachusetts, the treasurers of political committees are required to make reports even if no money has been received or expended. Registrars of voters, members of town school committees and library direc tors are exempt from filing their expenses under the corrupt practices act of Connecticut. Voting Machines. By a law enacted in Maine, the use of ballot boxes with mechanical devices for receiving, registering and endorsing the ballots deposited therein is authorized. When voting machines are used in Iowa, the party row beneath the Democratic and Republican tickets must be left vacant. New York requires the appointment of custodians to put voting machines in order prior to each election. Caucuses, Conventions and Nominations.-The Idaho law which authorized the payment by the state of the railroad fare of delegates to the Initiative.—In Nebraska, initiative party conventions was repealed. measures, instead of being printed in Kansas and Indiana provide for the pamphlet form, as heretofore, will be filing of nomination papers by indepublished in all of the newspapers pendent candidates. În Utah, a canof the state, and the secretary of didate who is nominated by a constate has authority to delegate that vention or committee, cannot have duty to the Nebraska Press Associa- his name on any other party ballot. tion. North Dakota prescribed the South Dakota and Montana provide qualifications for signers of initiative for the election of women as well as petitions and prohibits fraudulent men as national committeemen, and signing. In Wisconsin, a constitu- Indiana provided for women repretional amendment providing for the initiative is pending. Recall. At the next election, Oregon will vote on a recall amendment to the constitution providing for the recall of all elected officials, but providing that the vacancies so created shall be filled by appointment. sentatives on all committees. The number of signers on nominating petitions in Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin and Massachusetts was changed and prescribed. In Rhode Island, the city and town caucus law was extended to Woonsocket and North Providence, and in PennsylvaReferendum.-Wisconsin prescribed nia the time for filing nominating the elections at which initiated city petitions was changed. Georgia proordinances may be submitted to a hibits any person from attending a vote; provided for the referendum in political mass meeting or convention school districts having more than 500 unless he is duly registered and qualivoters, on any item, business or sub-fied; all conventions must be held at ject; and proposed a constitutional the county court house and ten days' amendment providing for the referen- notice thereof must be given. dum on all laws. In Massachusetts, in submitting questions to a referendum vote, the secretary of state decides whether or not a question of public policy is involved. General Elections. - With four rather significant exceptions, the changes effected in general election procedure affect the functioning only of agencies already in existence, but Corrupt Practices.-Texas provides add nothing of consequence to the that the amount of money which a electoral facilities already provided candidate pays to have his name for by law. to 1. Laws enacted by Minnesota, | the furnishing, care and preservaOregon, South Dakota and Wyom- tion of election supplies; authorizing ing provide that the names of the voters who need assistance to select candidates for President and Vice- near relatives instead of election offiPresident shall be printed on the bal- cials and affording assistance lot along with the names of the voters who cannot read the English presidential electors. language; perfecting the laws con2. A constitutional amendment concerning recounts and election conferring full suffrage on women was tests; creating additional voting preadopted in Missouri by a vote of cincts; and providing for the ap175,580-152,713, and a similar amend-pointment of additional election ment is pending in Rhode Island. clerks in certain cities. The Wis3. In Oregon an amendment to the consin law providing for the proviConstitution was adopted by a vote sional appointment of election offiof 184,031-48,645, which provides that cials with a hearing as to their qualipersons who cannot read and write fications was repealed. the English language cannot vote. 4. Utah provided for double election boards in districts having 200 or more voters; one set of officials acts as receiving judges and the other as counting judges; when a ballot box contains 20 ballots, it is delivered to the counting judges and the count is carried on while the ballots are being cast. Both sets of judges join in making the returns. Primaries. The only extension of the primary during the year was to the judge of the superior court of Cook county, Illinois, and to Pender and Montgomery counties, North Carolina; and the only exemption was Randolph county, North Carolina. Existing laws were amended in detail concerning the withdrawal of candidates, the filing of application of candidacy and objections to certificates The laws making detailed changes of nomination, the filling of vacancies in general election procedure provide occurring after the primary is held, for the method of marking, the the method of certifying non-partisan printing and form of ballots, pre-judiciary candidates, the method of scribed the number to be furnished canvassing the vote and arranging to each precinct and for the destruc- the names on the ballot and providtion of the ballots after the election; ing that the names of candidates may requiring election officials to post the appear on only one party ticket. In result of the election in the precinct Nebraska, no candidate is certified as soon as the count is completed; unless he receives at least 5 per cent. providing where the report of the vote of the vote cast by his party. cast shall be filed; prescribing the ties which may use the primary in method of canvassing the vote; in-Nebraska are those which cast 5 per creasing the compensation of election cent. instead of 1 per cent. as forofficials; providing that all persons merly of the total vote; and the who are within the polling places at ratio in Nevada was reduced from 10 closing time shall be permitted to per cent. to 5 per cent. In New Jervote; fixing the date of elections sey, the date of the regular primary and designating the hours when the was changed from the 4th Tuesday polls shall be kept open; adjusting in September to the 3d Tuesday in the general election law to cities hav- June, and in presidential years from ing home rule charters; providing the 4th Tuesday of April to the 3d for the division of cities into wards Tuesday of May; and the date in where wards have been abolished by Montana was changed from the 70th home rule charters; prescribing to the 91st day before election. changes in the form of election no- Oklahoma adopted a provision, aftices; poviding for the election of fording a first, second and third non-partisan candidates; devising a choice of candidates at the primary. method by which a voter who moves Arizona voted upon and California from one town, city or ward to an has proposed a measure providing other prior to the election may retain that the person who receives 51 per his legal residence; providing for cent. of the primary vote is the only Par DIVISION IV THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT CHANGES IN THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION PROFESSOR AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY The Child Labor Amendment, pro- | than a fourth of the States, was unposed by the Congress, June 2, 1924, paralleled, and caused a growth of was not well received by the states, interest in proposals for the clariand before the end of January, 1925, fication and modification of the proviit had been rejected by more than sions of the Constitution relating to one-fourth of the states, while only its own amendment. three states had ratified it. One Wadsworth-Garrett Proposal.-The state, which ratified it, subsequently only such proposal to be discussed on rescinded its ratification. Thus there the floor of the Congress during the was no prospect of any early regula-short session of the sixty-eighth Contion ratification of the amendment, gress was the so-called Wadsworthand it was clear that it could never Garrett amendment. This amendbe ratified unless some of the reject-ment, originally introduced into the ing states should reconsider and re- sixty-seventh Congress, proposes verse their action. Nevertheless, the advocates of federal child labor refused to abandon the fight, asserting that they would continue their efforts until the proposed amendment should become part of the Constitution. a substitute for Article V of the Constitution, under which the following changes would be made in the exist ing practice: (1) The members of at least one branch in each of the State legislatures which may ratify a proposed amendment to the Federal Constitution must have been elected after such amendment shall have been proposed. (2) Any State may require that ratification by its legislature be subject to confirmation by popular vote. (3) Until three-fourths of the States shall have ratified a proposed amendment, or more than one-fourth shall have rejected it, any State may change its vote. However, the Congress took no action on this proposed amendment prior to its adjournment on March 4. This rejection of this proposed twentieth amendment by more than one-fourth of the States raised a number of interesting questions. (1) Is the Department of State called upon to proclaim the defeat of an amendment in the same manner that it proclaims ratification of such a measure? (2) If such a proclamation were issued and if a sufficient number of States to change the result subsequently reversed themselves, what would happen? (3) If a State Votes to ratify an amendment, then changes its mind and votes against Hill Proposal.-January 3, 1925, it, which action is valid? (4) How Representative Hill of Maryland inlong may the States be allowed to troduced a bill, designed to clear up vote one way or the other, or both some of the doubtful points in the ways, on an amendment? The situa- amending procedure, pending action tion, resulting from the rejection of on the proposed Wadsworth-Garrett the child labor amendment by more amendment or some alternative meas |