El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-07-04

country are dlN4uSu III incl JPN
ions as to whether or not they should
have the right to influence legisla-
tive action by means Of the ballot
they all unite in the belief that there
are legislative movements IN Doth the
states and the nation which merit their
beartiest support In every state
there is a legislative committee rep
resenting the club women Whlch gives
attention to the matters requiring &C
ton in that particular state while the
general federation through its legisla-
tive committee endeaTors to secure the
passage or the defeat OF bills which
affect the entire natloh.
At present the subjects IN which the
club women Of the country are most
actively interested include the estab-
lishment of a national children's bu-
reau the placing OF art OBJECTS upon
the free list, the securing OF the Appa-
lachian forest reservation, the health
department bill which may include an
anti-tubercuIosis provision, and the
consideration of means Tor reducing the
death roll of industry by laws which
require greater provision Tor the safe
" of the employees in mines, factories
and other industries The chtldrens
bureau is now established and a woman
is at its head.
The plan of work Of the general
federation provides that three mem
bers of the committee shall be located
in Washington, and they are thus able
to give first hand information as to
the progress and conditions of the ma
tionaI bills in which the club women
are interested. The chairman OF the
committee then passes the work along
to the club presidents throughout the
country by means of circular letters
and other literature and in this way
letters and petitions are sent in at the
time when they will do the most good
In this connection, it should be borne
in mind that the constitution OF the
~ a.r-r-a n oil
the right Of petition. Marriage could
not take this right away from woman
even when she was laborlng under the
disabilities of the common law Letters
to representatives and senators, unless
from personal friends, are apt to be
thrown into the waste paper basket
after a polite acknowledgment but any
petition addressed TO the United States
when presented must be filed and noted
in the congressional record.
Send thousands of Petitions.
During the past two years thousands
Of petitions as well as letters nave
been pouring in from the club women
of the country regarding legislative
measures in which they are interested,
because of notices issued by the gen
eral federation since the last biennial
One of the last of these measures to
secure their interest has been the bill
providing for the abolition of the pols-
OnOus white phosphorus match Gun
women from every state have sent IN
petitions urging the passage of this
bill because this is the last Of the great
civilized nations which has not enacted
some such measure
There is a growing desire upon the
part Of club women to become better
informed regarding matters of lesisla-
tive procedure and il has been recon-
mended that the general federation is
sue a bulletin giving special informa-
ton regarding the best means of IN
Leo 1e1a
publication under prospective consider
alton by the general federation is a
manual which viii give the property
rights of women in the different states,
their public rights as to membership OF
boards Of state institutions, guardian
ship of children and other matters
which affect the child and the family
life. Several Of the state declarations
have such books at their command.
the first having been prepared for
Pennsylvania, chiefly through the ef-
forts Of Mrs. Rudolph Blankenburg, Of
Philadelphia Even in states where
wOman's suffrage has not yet become
a popular issue. club women are real
izing that an interest in legislative
matters is one form Of patriotism and
are becoming more eager in increas-
ing it.
study Political Subjects.
Many of the clubs have taken up the
study Of public legislative policy with
the arguments both for and against
debatable questions in the belief that
increased knowledge and understand
ing of public affairs will tend to create
a keener interest in them. The Chi
cago Womens club was one of the first
to take up this line Of work and It
has carried out carefully prepared
subjects considered have been The
Relative Advantages Of State Rights
vs.. a Central Power The Standard
Oil and Tobacco Decisions Before the
@ n n nr
Natural Resources of All Kinds Includ-
ing the Alaska Fur Industries" and
many other matters pertaining to ma
tionaI legislation. In the study of the
legislative methods of their state they
have considered the effects of party
government in contrast to control by
faction, city government by commits
sion, direct primaries and the short
ballot
The fact that Mrs. Ellen Spencer
Mussey, the chairman of the legislative
COMMITTEE of the general federation, is
now candidate for the office of judge
of the juvenile court of the District OF
Columbia, will do much to concentrate
the interest Of the club women of the
country in legislation for child welfare
In Chicago, Mrs. Catherine Waugh Mac
Collough has held the office of judge
for more than two years, nOtWithStand-
ing the fact that equal political rights
for the women in that state have not
yet come under active consideration
with the growing influence IN FAVOR OF
placing women upon school boards and
boards Of public Institutions comes the
recognition of the fact that there are
many women lawyers in the country
competent to fill the office of judge
and that authority for their appoint
ment is a legislative measure of inter
est and Importance TO the welfare Of
the women and children of the nation.
Urge Civil Service Reform.
An important branch Of work closely
akin to legislative effort taken up by
the general federation is that of the
department of civil service reform
which for more than ten years has been
valiantly working to secure properly
qualified persons to fill all public Of
fees in every part of the country with
out regard to their political aspirations
In some states the efforts of the women
have had such great influence that
every office in the state, including the
janitOrs of all public buildings, the
libraries and even the secretaries TO the
governor and other state officials can
be appointed only after a competitive
civil service examination. The value OF
civil service examinations for the Off
Gals of such public institutions as asy-
lums. prisons. jails and aims houses
is being strongly urged by club women
throughout the country.
In every institution where women
and children are to be placed the need
of the appointment of matrOns is being