The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-12-30
Frederic Hasllill's Letter
SeH Determin alton for Women.

ssN + -
washington, b. C.. Dec. u. The
old the6ry that husband and vile
are one peTsOn-and that one Der-
SON Il the man-is soon 70 be
brought Up In congress for Scrp-
tiny and revision.
The American woman has the
vote, barring An unexpected UNI
favorable decision Of the s1pfeme
court, and she Is now trAleang
her guns ON other Discrimination
AGAINST her sex. IN this case the
desired change is that IN Ameri-
can woman who marries IN alien
shall remain an American citizen.
instead OF suddenly being trans
termed into Z Swede. Italian or
Turk, or whatever else her Acs-
band may b.
For years It Was IN accepted
fact that . wife should 80 where
her husband went, have no inter-
ests Of any importance except his
interests, automatically renounce
her citizenship for his, and in ev-
cry way become what the femtn-
ists like to call . submerged per-
sonality. The laws have upheld
this creed, and the courts have en-
forced It 1t apparently worked
smoothly enough 50 long - the
great majority of women stuck =
fancywork, 'poodles and pies.
Occasionally, . woman married
to I foreigner appealed to . state
court for the right to regain her
status as An American. Sometimes
the courts decided in her favor, but
generally against her. Finally, in
1907, congress ended the uncer-
tainty in this particular matter by
federal law. The naturalization
laws also provided that An Ameri-
can man marrying . Mexican girl
thereby conferred on her the full
American citisenship. The new
law added to this decree that An
American woman marrying . Mex
lean, o any other foreigner, became
| q subject Of his country. This net
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 were be-
! ginning to demand place in bus
! mess life, and the limi .ations Get
by the law were impressed forci-
bly, upon them. It was NO use
bringing up individual cases in
court, for the act was unmistakably
i clear. Women affected by the law
i Of 1907 have protested in increAs-
ing numbers ever since it was
written, but nobody paid much at
tention. even during the war, when
q number of American girls lost
their property and their homes and
were in general treated as enemy
aliens. .s
But now, with the power Of the
vote back Of them, women's organ:
izations have begun to work for a
new law.
Both the big political parties
promised Independent citizenship
in their platforms" says one Of the
women politicians. Heretofore
platform promises haven't meant
much. We want proof that things
are different now" fes
Two Ellis Offered,
Two bills have been drafted. one
by Representative Rogers Of Mas
sachusetts, which leaves the citi-
zenship of an American woman the
same after marriage to q foreigner
as before, SO long as she retains
her residence in this country. The
bill also makes It necessary for the
alien woman marrying an Ameri-
can man to take out naturalization
papers if she is to become q citi-
zen Of this country. BY the pres
! ent naturalization law it is impos-
sible for . married woman to take
out naturalization papers. Her cit.
| ikenship Is automatically decided
except in a few instances when
congress has passed special bills
restoring American born women te
citizenship 1t their request fol
some particular reason.
The other bill before congress
! was introduced by Representative
Anthony Of Kansas. q nephew Of
the famous Susan B. Anthony. Rep.
! resentative Anthony's bill would
allow American women now mar.
ried to aliens in the United States
to regain their citizenship bv LEGAL
procedure. For the future. the bill
provides Independent citisenshiE
! for women.
A number of women's organiza.
tons are backing these bills. The
Daughters Of the American Revo-
luton recently passed q resolu.