New Britain herald., 1916-08-05
MOMENTS RIGHTS

tuition of the United States we come to Article XIV, Section l. of which says: "All persons born or naturallzed in the United States, and subject to the
 jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside"
 Under that ruling citizenship is be- slowed upon women born or natur- a1ized in the United States.
 Now, someone asks the question, if the Constitution of the United States confers citizenship on all women born or naturalized in the United States why does it not grant them the right to vote? Especially why does it not do this when the fifteenth amendment of this same document which admitted the colored people as voters, speci- fiCally states that "The right of citi- zens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on ac- count of race, color or previous con- dition of servitude?
 The answer to the foregoing ques- tions is first given in the working of the fifteenth amendment Negro wo-
 men at that time were not given the vOte-nowhere in the constitution can there be found either an expressed or an implied power cOnferring on women the right of suffrage. The con- stitution as it was originally framed when women were not recognized Tn the world politics except insofar as their right of protection by the state was concerned. So, under our own constitution, they were never given the right to vote. Except where lndlVld- ual states confer on them this right there is no way in which women can
 be made voters in every state in the union unless there is added an amend ment to the Constitution. To do this will require the action of both Houses of Congress, or a convention must be called for proposing amendments on the application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the states in the union. If in either case such an amendment is proposed, according to Article V. it shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several states or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress-
 Public policy in the past has de- creed that women be excluded from participation in governmental affairs. Before the adoption of the Constitution a woman was looked upon in some of the older countries as chattel. Grad ually the restrictions upon her life were removed until today she enjoys in the United States practically all property and many civil rights. She is no longer looked upon as the in
 women in this country enjoy more rights under the law, in some states, than men, except in the right to vote. The day of her emancipation in this sphere, too, is rapidly approaching. Already twelve states have conferred the suffrage on women, and many more arc preparing to follow suit. Whether or not national suffrage will 1 be extended to women by an amend ment to the Constitution of the United
 States is a question which time alone
 will answer. In all probability the 1 individual states will be left to decide l the issue until some two thirds of
 their number have passed on it. Then ] 1t will be an easy matter to get the amendment passed by both Houses of 1 the nations Congress. When this l happens the women of the United
 States will enjoy more freedom under
 the law than the women of any other l country on earth.