Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-12-30
Self Determination
For Women
By Frederic J Haskir

oision Of the Supreme Court, and she "
now trimming her guns on other discrinni-
nations against her sex. In this case the
desired change il That an American
woman who marTiea an alien shall remain
an American citizen, instead Ut suddenly
being gtransfnmed into Svede, Italian, or
Turk, or whatever else her husband may
be.
For years. Il was an accepted fact that
wife should 90 where her husband went,
have no interests of any importance
exeept his interests, automatically re-
nounce her citizenship for hrs, and IN
every way become what the feninlsts like
20 call submerged personality. The laws
have upheld this creed, and the courts
have en- forced it. II apparently worked
emoothly enough so long ~ The great
rsoiorjty of women stuck 10 fancy work,
poodles, and pies.
Occasionally n woman married ~
foreigner appealed 20 State court for the
righf to regain her status rs an American.
Sometimes the courts decided in her favor.
but generally against her Finally, IN
1907. Congress ended the uncertainty IN
this particular matter by n Federal law.
The naturalization laws already crowded
that an American man marryInga Mencan
Qirl thereby conferred on her the iull
American citizenship. The new Law added
tp this decree that an American woman
marrying a Mexican, or any other ioT-
| eigner became a subject Of his country.
| This act Of 1907 was in accordance With
| common law and most Of the State courts,
/ and Congress doubtless thought that the
/ controversy was settled forever
/ But even then, women we're beginning
| n demand a place in business life, and
1 the limitations set by the law we're m
pressed forciblg upon them II Was no use
! brir gipg up individual cases IN court, for
the act was unrnistakBbly clear. Women
affected bv the law of 1907 have protested
IN increasing numbers ever since u was
written. but nobody paid much atten-
ton even during the wpr, when number
of American girls lost their property and
their homes and wert in general treated
as enemy aliens
But now, with the power n the vofe
back of them, wonen's orEarizafiors g
have begun to work for a new Law
Both the big POLITICAL parties prom
sed udependent citizer ship IN thor
platforms, says ore q the worneT .sln
promises haven't meant much We want
proof that things are different now
rwo BILLS OFFERED
Two bills have been drafted one by
Representative Rogers of Messschuse'ts
yVhich leaves the citize- ship of an AnerI-
can woman the same ~ p marriage % p
foreigner az before lon 81 she retains
her residence in this couatry. The hll
also makes il necessary for the alien
woman ma-rylng an American man n
take out naturalization papers II she y 70
become a citizen Of this country. By the
present naturalization law il IS impossible
for married woman % take out natural
ization papers. Her citizenship = auto
rnaticalfy decided. except IN q few IN
stances when Congress has passed SPECIAL
bills restoring American born women 70
citizenship 1t their request Tor some
particular reason
The other bill before Congress was IN
tr0duced by Representative Anthony o'
Kansas, a nepheA Of the famous Susan =.
! Anthony Representative Anthonys bill
would allow American women now mar
red 70 aliens Z the United states 20 re-
gain their citizenship by legal procedure
For the future. the oil provides lndeEen.
dent citizenship f1r women.
4 number Of women : organizations arr
backing these bills. The Daughters d
the American Revolution reeently passed
a resolution favoring the passage Of on
Of them.
The National Womans = Party : alsS
interes ted in the proposed eforIn. mt 4
its convention IN February. however, th'
party cannot take up any new activities
It's reason for existence was 20 work 70
the suffrage amendment, and u VIII d
for the convention to decide whether tn
Darty is 20 be dissolved, or Tor what AIMS Z
| viii exist n the iutme
The National League for Women Voters
another body VII organized for women
assistance II poi tical matters, las tAAeI
I'D the cudgel for independent cItIzenshil
for women. This league IS sponsoring 81
bills IN the interests OF women. ana ths
Rogers citizenship bill i one Of the SIX.
The lea ue does no knO when Con
gress will get TO these bills. There ~ reasOl
70 believe that Congress VIII 10 lttl
besides settle apEI OF rlatlOns and routn
matters at the present session But e
memberlng how long IL took to Get m
suffrage amendment through, the wOmel
are not dis couraged. They have NOR
forceful argument in the vote than the.
ever had ia tears, smiles, or simple az
pealS to the congressional sense Of fal
plav. A new citizeush law viii come
They know. that What they are trying .
do IS 10 hasten the last days cf the oil
determinations which work harnshlp ant
sometimes suffering on Amerlcan-boll
women.
INTERNATIONAL MARRIAGES
The existing discrimination, SO tar q
! citizenship Is concerned, affects onl
married women, but there have been
great many of these. No one seems q
know exactly how many American girl
marry foreigners. 1t has been estimate
that since the war 10000 alien wome
have become Americans by maTryln
American men. There is. no doubt.
similar number Of American women VIII
have lost their citizenship III the sam
period, many OF them unwlhngly
Inez AIilholland Boissevain, the %el
known suffragiSt, was one Of a numbe
of women refused permission 70 praotic
law in New York because her husban
was Hollander, and therefore she wa
| also The restriction hare is not peoulia