The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-03-29
FOREIGN WOMAN VOTE.
Mrs Sheldon, the Sufrags &, Thigl ks
They EhauI4 omer Their Ballot


Mrs. Lizzie 3 Shell on. who. it Will be
Remembered raad law 50 industriously
IN the state library some time ago. de-
claies the attorney general is wrong con-
cerring the foreign woman vote il To-
peka
~ he is correctly reported" says she,
his opiaion IS that the wife of a for
elgner who has taken out his first nat
uranzation papers only, is not entitled
to vote at municipal elections, although
the law says men who have taken out
their first papers may vote
HE rests his opinion it seems on tie
status Of the wife as to naturalization.
Generally speaking, the law Of the Cit
izenship Of the wife is that the status
of fhe husband is the status of the wife
In he matter of naturalization, the de-
claration of the husband to become a
citizen. if made in accordance with tie
law Of the United States, insures to the
bereht of The wife
Section 216S of the Revised Statutes
Of The United States is to this effect.
When any alien who has complied with
the first condition specified in section
tweuty-One hundred and sixty-five dies
before he is actually naturalized, tie
widow and the children Of such alien
shall be considered as citizens Of the
United States and shall be entitled 10 all
rights and privileges as such, upon tax
ing the Oaths prescribed by law 1t is
clean from this that the wife IS ad-
Varced toward citizenship by the act of
the husband declaring his intention to
become a citizen just as far as he is
himself
as to the qualifications Of the wife if
the husband be living, the supreme court
OF the United States has said that it was
only necessary that the woman should
be a person of the class or race permit
ted to be naturaized by existing laws.
and that In respect to the qualifications
arising out of the conduct or opinions,
berg the wife Of a citizen. she is regard
ed as qualified for citizenship and there
fore considered a citizen That IS to say,
the husbands qualifications inure to her
beredt also. and whatever the federal
law and courts say about naturalization
gees in Kansas.
This opinion of the attorney general
reminds me Of one rendered two years
ago as to the right Of women to vote for
the candidate for judge of the court of
Topeka His opinion was that it would
be Illegal for women to vote for the OH
Ger of this court for the reason that Il
was a township office, and that lie
WoUld be a township officer w hen the
question whether the judge of the city
court was a township officer or not
reached the supreme court Mr.. GODDARD
was rot sustained in his opinion, and the
necessary inference is that the women
had a right to vote for such candidate
while ] think the attorney general
was l1Snt ~ That CASE slu lis suiL1A-le
court was wrong in its decision 1t
shows that the proper thing for the w9-
rner to do. is to go to the polls and o.
fer to vote and, If the vote is rejected,
to enter d protest so that the candidate
for whom they wish to vote many have
the legality OF their vote decided by the
count
II think the attorney general is wrong
in his opinion this time but the supreme
court may not sustain him and the wo-
men may, unnecessarily lose their votes
if they abide BY his opinion.