The Maui news. [volume] (Wailuku, Maui, H.I.) 1900-current, 1920-04-30

Being the lOurln oil Il series Oh
papers prepared by a committee for
use of the Woman's Suffrage Associa-
tion)
In this subject, one can hardly deal
with those pertaining alone to women
and children, as in the new era that
is to dawn, all laws which affect the
home are Of interest and are to hold
the close attention Of women who will
help to make them.
Before taking up the laws of Ha-
wall, it is of interest to note the
status of women in general as defined
by an early jurist, and which is of
value to know, as it shows what has
been the foundation for laws under
which women have so far been con-
sidered and treated. Sir William
Blackstone in 1869 in his "Commen-
taries on English Laws wrote this:
BY marriage, a husband and wife
become one person in law; that is.
the very being or lawful existence Of
the woman is suspended during the
marriage, or at least incorporated and
consolidated into that of the hus-
band; under whose wing, protection
and cover she remains. " & " For
this reason a man cannon grant any
thing to his wife directly, or enter
into a covenant with her; for the
grant would be to suppose her sepa-
rate existence, and to covenant with
her would be only to covenant with
himself. # # # The husband may
give the wife moderate correction.
For as he is to answer for her be-
havior, the law thinks it reasonable
to entrust him with this power to
restrain her by domestic chastise-
MONT l., tI, .,,,, ,,nIn,o tipp that a
man is allowed to correct his child
rem.
Then our own Congress so far
agreed with him, that in 1865, a law
was passed that provided as follows:
Any woman who is now or may
hereafter be married to a citizen Of
the United States. and who might her
self be lawfully naturalized, shall be
deemed a citizen;
And in 1878 this law became 4
Section of the United States Revised
Statutes.
In 1907 Congress passed a law
which provided THAT any American
woman who marries a foreigner shall
take the nationality of her husband"
and Section 4 of this same law pro
vided THAT any foreign woman who
acquires American citizenship by
marriage to an American shall be as
sumed to retain the same after the
termination Of the marital relation if
she continues to reside in the United
States, unless she makes formal re
nunciation thereof, etc.
AS these laws affect every
in these Islands, it might make them
a little clearer to illustrate with two
anecdotes;
In 1913 a woman who was born in
California applied to the Board of
Election Commissioners in San Fran
cisco to register as a voter. When
it was found that she was married
to a British subject, she was refused
the right to register and had no vote.
This is according to our law as at
present in force.
\ mi interested in educational
work was talking to her Slovak serv-
ant girl about voting. She found that
Mary had been in New York only
four years but had married a natural
lied citizen and at the last election
, she had cast her vote for the Pr
= dent of the United States. At yna-J
same time the educator found an
ether woman, born in the United
States, not married, who owned real
estate and WIG ,f family had been for
generations in that locality, yet she
e.s unable to have any say in the adj
l~inist"atiOn of the affairs of her
own ard state, because in that state
women has no suffrage privileges.
These two incidents point out that
woman should work for; Cd A separ-
te citizenship status for woman so
at a large number of foreign born
zen will not be allowed to eX-
H. : sVT-f ha
.,se they are married to Americans
n~aturalized citizens: (2) To have
tffrage requirements uniform all
or the United States.
ner Things That Should
crest Women
II Equal Guardianship Law.
some states parents do not have
rights over their children; in
states women have no rights at
far as guardianship is on
iced and even if a woman is divorc-
n from a husband who is pronounced
an unfit parent by The court, yet when
the wife dies, the father may be given
The custody of the children and dis
pose OF them in any way he sees fit.
or by will a father may give his child
away, so that a mother is forced to
give it up to other relatives or to a
uardian.
The laws of Hawaii do not provide
equal guardianship; the father is
en precedence over the mother in
control and management of the
Ehild in all respects during his minor
- ity and is the natural guardian of
/. their persons and property. In one
of our laws it provided that every
father may by his last will in writing
-.-s -....Is-. -. .,,,,1f,,a Go,
any OF his children whether born at
the time of making the will or after
wards, to continue during the minority
r. the child, and every such testament
airy guardian shall perform the same
q luties with regard to the person and
estate of the ward as a guardian ap-
pointed by the judge. In this law the
mother is not even mentioned. WO-
Nen should work for an equal guard.