Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-08-22
MANY MARYLAND
/ WOMEN BLOCKED
|, FROM FALL VOTE
Law Bars Those of Voting
/ Age Coming to State
I Since 1902.
Special Dispatch to The star.

SRECAaA DisphtCu 10 IHc f'Soi.
BALTIMORE. August 21.-Woman
Residents of Maryland who have come
to, this state since 1902 and who were
of voting age at the time of their
arrival here will be barred from par
ticipation in the presidential election.
although the suffrage amendment has
given thousands of other women the
ballot
This is the informal opinion ex-
pressed by Attorney General Alex
ander Armstrong, who brands the 1902
registration law as an 'obsolete and
absurd measure" that should be re-
pealed. 1t requires a man coming
into the state to declare his intention
of becoming a voter one year before
he. becomes legally entitled to vote.
Mr.. Armstrong declared today that
he saw no reason why women should
not stand on the same footing with
men as regards the registration law
1t will bar from the polls thousands
of women who have come to this state
through marriage to Maryland men.
or who were brought here by their
families, to make the state their per-
manent home.
Alien Women Are Barred.
However. this is not the only meas
ure that will virtually diSinfranch1Se
a great number of women. The nat
uralization laws will prevent thou
sands of alien women from voting.
A feature of this phase of the Ques-
tion is the fact that there are very
few alien women who have become
naturaized since coming to this coun-
try other than through marriage to
an American citizen or a naturalized
citizen. Naturalization bureau officials
here say that the ratio of naturaliza-
ton papers taken out as compared
between the male and female aliens
is about to 100. Alien women will
have to comply with citizenship laws
first before they will be allowed to
vote.
In reference to the state law At
torney General Armstrong is Of the
opinion that the 1902 measure, which
requires voters to declare state
citizenship intentions a year before
voting. is almost too obvious to re-
quire an opinion. In fact, the law was
brought very forcibly before him in
his own department. While discussing
the matter he found out that the wife
OF his assistant. Allan II. Fisher.
~oufQ Oc " sOl6 uisOSI H. L.
Fishers wife is New York woman.
They were married in 1919.
We'll doesn't the fact that she's
married to me-" asked Mr.. Fisher
with a wink, give her the right to
vote this fall?"
1T certainly does not" replied Mr..
Armstrong. Women will have to
stand on the same level with men in
this matter. The law is very explicit.
There is no chance of any woman
voting because she happened to marry
q MARYLAND resident. unless she was
resident Of this state when she be-
came of age.
VIII Challenge Votes.
Commissioner of immigration Bertram
n Stump pointed out that except where
a woman becomes Of age after her AZ
rival in this country or marries a nat
CraEzed citizen. she is called upon to
comply with the same naturalization
procedure as men, her husband
served three years in the Army or Navy.
obtained an honorable discharge, and
thus received citizenship papers three
months after leaving the service, she
VIII be entitled to exercise citizenship
rights But it is contended that many
such soldiers have been Indifferent to
such an opportunity.
immigration officials have found that
alien women are slower to understand
the laws and language Of this country
than men. 1t was perfectly possible,
they declared. that many foreign-born
women who have even taken an active
part in the suffrage movement have
never become naturalized and will thus
be barred from the ballot until they
comply with our naturalization laws.
The general impression exists that
both parties will be Just as active as
possible to challenge every female vote
that might not be IN accord with the
obecting politicians.