Bisbee Daily Review

2,250,000 Alien Women In U.S. Are Affected By Bill Opening Up Citizen Rights

WASHINGTON, June 20.--To meet conditions which its friends claimed have been emphasized by the women's suffrage amendment, the house today, by a vote of 206 to 9, passed a bill which would open to alien married women substantially all naturalization and citizenship rights enjoyed by alien men. The bill would also permit American women who marry foreigners to retain their citizenship unless they renounce their allegiance as do American men who marry aliens or unless they marry aliens ineligible to United States citizenship.

While the bill produced protracted debate and its consideration consumed the entire day, the proceedings consisted principally of efforts by members to place themselves on record in speeches declaring their insistence upon complete equality of women and men in all such matters. The principles embodied in the bill were endorsed in the last national platform of both the Republican and Democratic parties.

Provisions would be made by the bill to enable alien married women who desire to do so and are qualified, to declare their intention and become naturalized. It has been estimated that there are 2,250,000 alien women in the United States who are not naturalized.

Under existing law, many of these are denied the right of citizenship because their alien husbands had failed to obtain naturalization.

With the declared object of better protecting American citizenship, the bill would permit all alien women to qualify for and obtain naturalization and citizenship upon their own initiative, even though they have American husbands. For the benefit of alien women who marry Americans, the period of residence necessary for naturalization would be reduced to one year.

Among other provisions, the bill would enable a woman who had by marriage lost her citizenship to obtain naturalization and recover her franchise. The bill in no wise affects the status of children.