A father at the present time can expatriate himself under the law. An American mother. however. cannot. Now. it is a peculiar kind of inequality that amounts to a paradox in our citizenship and naturalization laws. and. manifestly. if we permit men and women to sit in legislatures. on school boards. in the House of Representatives. and in the Senate of the United States on terms of equality. is there any reason why this body should withhold from women the right to transmit citizenship. to expatriate themselves. and to give to their offspring all the benefits that they might at the present time derive from the father? It adds nothing to an aggravated immigration or naturalization condition. It simply equalizes the status of men and women who are nativeborn or who enjoy citizenship in this country. Having made this statement. if my good friend the gentleman from Ohio still insists upon his objection. it will be quite all right. but I do want the Membership to have a definite concept of the purport and object of this measure.
Keywords matched
naturalization immigration