Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-06-28
Illinois Armageddon
In Women's Rights

to be the Armageddon OF American
women in the legal battle to remove
the chattel restrictions that still
hedge Uncle Sans $4,000 900 nieces
with q thorn-barrier OF inequality.
The day when the right Of citi-
Zens Of the United States shall be
denied or abridged by the United
States or by any state on account
of sex Is at its sunset. You may take
the word OF Mrs. G. p. Fowler,
chairman Of the legal status COM
mittee Of the Illinois League OF
Women Voters for that.
New Legal Deal
And with the dawn Of another
day, there1l be a new legal deal all
the way around, and a new deck Of
privileges under the law!
Women of this state have started
off the battle by pushing through
the house Of representatives a bill
permitting women on juries, sub
ject to a referendumin 1880. Here
tofOre. there has never been a refer
endum vote on this subject in the
United States. those common
wealths allowing women Jurors TO
serve having settled the matter BY
court decision.
But let Mrs. Fowler have the
floor.
The Nineteenth amendment to
the constitution Of the United
States. giving women the franchise.
neither directly nor indirectly re-
moved all desirable legal inequali-
ties between men and women" said
MI. Fowler. In many states. for
instance. IL does not operate to
make women eligible or liable for
jury duty.
Jury service was open 10 women
in three states before 1920. Since
that time. by new state statutes or
by construction Of those already eX-
listing. women have been made iu-
rors in Is states and the District OF
Columbia. OF the 21 state laws pro-
viding for women jurors. nine are
compulsory: in two states there are
special eXceptions-for nurses-and
in the other 10 states and the Dis
trict Of Columbia, service is permis-
sive.
The Illinois legislature has pass
cd the women on juries' bills, and
it's up 10 the women OF the state
TO see that the referendum makes
effective their years Of work 10
achieve this success. If Illinois adj
mitS women as jurors, 1t will mean
the call TO arms Of the women Of
the nation"
But Illinois women aren't out to
change their status and that of
their sisters in the other AZ states
OF the union in the matter of Jury
service alone. Their grievances are
many. and the remedies they sug-
gest drastic. The fight is on. and
their position is TO strike hard while
the iron is hot.
Mrs. ElrOd Speaks
At this juncture, it might be best
to recognize Mrs. Rena Elrod, men,
Der Of the Illinois legislature from
the twenty-fifth district in Chica-
20. and a leading figure in the
League Of Women Voters.
There is still much TO be done
to remove the barrier of women's
inequality in the law" she declared.
Why. in the state Of Oklahoma
women r still ineligible to hold
major state offices, such as COVER
nor, lieutenant governor, attorney
general. state treasurer and the
like. In spite Of the herculean ef-
forts OF women leaders in the va
rious states. one word still bars
women from becoming governor Of
Wisconsin.
According to federall aw. a wom-
an citizen loses her citizenship by
marriage TO an alien ineligible to
citizenship, while the converse is
not true. A man may marry a
woman ineligible to citizenship
without loss Of his status as a citi-
zen.
"a woman who marries q natur-
allied citizen loses her citizenship
through continued residence ont
side Of the United States Cafter two
years in a foreign state Of which her
husband IS a subject. A native
horn male citizen. however. married
70 an alien woman, does not lose his
citizenship through continued resi-
dence in q foreign country"
About laws affecting family rela-
tons, Mrs. Elrod has this to say:
An equal guardianship law has
been passed in 80 states. although
in II Of these it is provided that
in case Of dispute the fathers au-
thority shall prevail. In the rest
Of the nation the fathers guardian
ship rights are unquestioned.
"One-third Of the states in the
Union provide that the wife shares
equally in the children's earnings
with the husband. There are eight
community property states in which
the husband has control Of the
community property during his life
time. but in four Of these states
the wife must join in a conveyance
Of real estate. In these states. hus-
hand and wife have no interest
whatever in each others separate
estate. OF the remaining 40 states.