Show WOMEN CITIZENS A query with regard to the ship hip of women has hais been submitted to ahe be as aa follo follow wt does a woman born in a foreign land become a citizen of the united states by season of her marriage to a citizen the question to la one that has bad caused discussion of at late owing to 40 the anticipated casting canting of ballots by the women it was waa thought by some that so BO for far as her qualifications quail fixations ficat ions as ae a voter were concerned the wife of a citizen did not stand in the same position as oue who was native born or naturalized but that her status would be considered con eldered apart from her marital relations rela tlona in this event it was wa argued that women of alien birth whether rb ether or not they were wives of elt izear would have to be naturalized to in order to exercise the elective fran blae ahloo those who took toek this position phaltion argued that the former use of the ballot in this territory by women not naturalized but yet wives or of citizens woo was based on the express provisions ol of the territorial st aute not on the national law and therefore was not applicable to the present situation an examination into the law and court rulings on the case however bo wever confirms the view that the inquiry submitted should be an in the affirmative the pro provision vision of the old territorial low jaw on the was itself basel base ou the rule labij down in the national enactment and court decisions and the tame came general practice with ahiah the people of utah were familiar prior to the disfranchisement of the women by the edmounds tucker law of 1887 may be expect ej to prevail under the equal suffrage Puff rage clause or the constitution of utah gutib in addition to careful investigation tie the question was submitted to leading attorneys tt orneys independent of political affiliations the reply to in each cast cas being the same after the matter was looked up it was cited that in the case of kelly vs ve owen et at af a reported in volume 7 wallaces reports a of can oases adjudged in the supreme court of the united stater the ques question tiou of woman citizenship was directly pawed passed u upon pa a justice field delivered the he opinion ai of the court in which it is said the osiss oase turns epou the construction given to the second sect section loit of the act of congress gre of february 10 1855 which declares that any woman who might lawfully be naturalized under the ibe existing laws married or who shall hall be married to a citizen of the united states snail abal b be deemed and taker taken to be a citizen As we construe this ibis set act it con conferee feres the of citizenship upon women married to citizens ot of the united states if they are ot of the class of persons for whose naturalization the previous acts of congress provide 1 l the terms who might lawfully be naturalized under existing laws only I 1 limit the application of the law jaw to free white women the previous naturalization act ex existing isLing at the time lime only required that hat the person applying for the benefits should be a free e person and not no an alien enem enemy Y it follows irom from these views view that the he widow and the two sisters were clil zens of the united states upon the decease of the abe inte intestate tate husband the widow and margaret kahoe became such on the naturalization of their respective husbands and ellen owen became such on her marriage this was in 1870 and the rule there laid down has ban been uniformly adhered to by the courts in recent cases it has been held that it if an american Ameri citizen goes to a foreign land and marries and rears a family there being no renunciation of citizenship the wife and children are citizens of the united states although they may never have been in this country one of 0 the latest decisions upon this question is in the noted blythe erse ease passed upon in california in 1892 on abe be same subject sod and passing directly upon the qualifications of voters the supreme court of illinois in the case can of aralts vs Beb Beh reported in the abe ills says flays that whenever a woman alien born who might be naturalized is in a state of marriage to a citizen whether bin existed exalted at the pea pas age off of the tee set art or of congress of february 10 or before or after the marriage she ane becomes by that tact fact a citizen mot alai and this oitt citi zenshin is oot not lost by the subsequent J oath of her husband and her afier wards marrying an alien by the aulidge referred metter matter appears to be settled fettled beyond all con troverse tro versy the united sast statue supreme 4 court Is i quite clear upon the question quentio il 11 inthe in the case of kelly va owen above referred to te laying down the rule thra the act of congress Cou grege of february to 10 declares claree dc I 1 that any woman who might lawfully be naturalized under the exist g laws lawe married or who rhall be married to 10 a citizen of the united states shall be deemed and taken to be a citizen confers the privileges of upon women married to citizens of the united it they are of the clime of per pons fone for whose naturalization the pro aoto acts of tong Uon greeB reps provide the court instates that the terms married 0 or who ball be marr married iod in the act do in not at refer to the time when the core cere mony of marriage Is oele celebrated braW but to te a ette of marriage and that bat they mean that whenever ft 01 woman who uder previous acts acta might be natural iced I 1 la in a state of marriage to a citizen be beoo beco meby mesby that hat fact a citizen also aleo his whenever it ex ests to confers upon her the koblect of the met was w to allow the olti alti of ef the he I 1 wife to follow that of her bar husband without the necessity or any application for naturalization oh her part the bourt le definition thus given is so BO explicit as a to leave no room for doubt of the effect of the law the wives of citizens are themselves thema elvee cief zeno |