New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-22
by Ida Hustled Harper.

What Is the game the legislators are
playing up at Albany with the suffragists
The Assembly by an enormous majority
passes the resolution TO submit the amend
ment first cutting out the provision that
the wives Of the present naturaliZed citi-
zens shall themselves have to take out
naturalization papers before they can
vote. Then it goes 10 the Senate, which
promptly restores this provision. Now, If
the Senate adopts the resolution in this
form and sends il back TO the Assembly
and that body refuses to accept it-there
YOU are, The fact that this naturaliza-
ton feature is strongly urged by Assem-
blyman Human and Senator Wagner
both of them i'm the past. and now, avowed
opponents Of giving the franchise 10 wom-
en- seems to make no difference 10 the
suffragsts. They have been persuaded
that it would strengthen the amendment
and so they are ready to accept it,
Even II the women have been misled
it does not seem possible that any legis-
lator who is honestly in favor OF seeing
them win when they carry their case to
the electors will vote for this naiuraliZa-
ton feature as an amendment containing
il would receive the negative vote or every
foreign born man. There can be no ques-
ton whatever that every immigrant
woman should be naturaliZed in exactly
the same manner as immigrant men. but
the federal government has made the
ridiculous law that the moment woman
marries she becomes Of the same nation
ality as her husband. and has always
recognized such wives as citizens in the
fullest sense Of the word.
Where. then. is tho justice or the sense
in requiring these women to take out
naturalization papers in order 10 vote III
New York. the more especially when there
is no such requirement in any other state
where women vote? II is admitted that
wives who have lived here five years may
be as well qualified TO vote &c their hus-
bands. and. therefore. this naturalization
clause is proposed simply to prevent those
women from voting who marry before
they have been here that long.
Present Law Sufficient.
Because Of this comparatively small
number the amendment must take the
almost certain risk of negative vote
from every foreign-born man. The pres
ent election law. which would not be
changed. requires that every voter shall
have been an inhabitant Of tho state one
year next preceding an election 80 this
does away entirely with the contention
that a woman who marries as soon as she
lands would Immediately become a voter.
\ year is as long as many-pcrhapS the ma
jority-of the states require man to wait
for the right to vote after he has declared
his intention Of becoming n citizen; some
Of them require only six months, and IN
others ne can vote for the rest of his
life without taking out his naturaliza ton
papers Not only would the foreign born
wife have to reside in New York "A year
before she became a voter. but this pro-
posed clause says:
"A citizen by marriage only shall not
be entitled To vote until she shall have
made IL appear to the satisfac tion of a
court authorized to- Issue certificates Of
naturalization snat she mas resided with
i'm the United states five years . and
that during that time she has behaved as
a person of good moral character
Thus all wives Of fOrcign-born men,