New-York tribune., 1920-07-11
at Che Women Voters Got Out Of the Two Conventions

on platform and policies. It makes q
straightforward declaration Of the
situation and its problems. No
promises of a millennium are at
tempted. The plank simply recon-
mends the sound money principles
and pledges the party to a consist
ent attack on the high cost Of living.
The Democratic plank on the same
subject pledges the party to prac-
tically the same purpose, but al
though longer in text is not as
comprehensive and specific in pur-
pose.
Comparative Planks
The woman suffrage plank has
been discussed.
Under the heading, Women in In-
dustry," the Democratic platform
announces:
I'VE urge cooperation with the
state for the protection of child life
through infancy and maternity care,
in the prohibition of child labor and
by adequate appropriations for the
Children's Bureau and the Women's
Bureau in the Labor Department"
The Republicans left out the state
ment about protection of child life
through infancy and maternity care"
much to the irritation of the League
of Women Voters members who at
tended the convention. When the
statement to the effect that the reso-
lutions committee would "be sorry
some day" for overlooking this bet
was sent out by the league I asked
one Republican woman what she
thought about it.
In the Health Program
"Where maternity welfare GEN.
ters are necessary and maternity
care and infancy care are needed
they will be provided for under the
Republican program for health" she
said.
Returning to the Republican plat
form, find that that party stands
for system of physical education
and recommends coordination Of
the work of the Federal, state and
local health agencies. Maternity
and infancy care can be provided
by the health boards, state and
Federal, under the program COM
mended, although they are not spe-
cifically urged.
There are in all seven planks in
the Republican platform directly
OF interest to women. They are
those on the High Cost of Living,
Woman Suffrage, Social Progress,
Education and Health, Child Labor,
Women in Industry and Naturaliza-
tion. In the Democratic platform
there are only three planks which
have any claim to being called
"women's interests" those on the
High Cost of Living, Woman Suf-
frage and Women in Industry. The
plank on Women. in Industry hur-
rledly groups long list of meas
ures for which women have asked
recognition and uses very much the
language in which the women pre-
sented them. It is not so specific
as the planks in the Republican
platform and shows that the men
on the committee grouped these
subjects hurriedly, perhaps as a SOD
to the woman vote, and the Repub-
ilcan treatment of the same sub
jects shows that the committee con-
sidered them with the best view to
working them out.
A Suggestion
IT l might make a suggestion to
the women interested in party prin-~
ciples l should say that it would be
good plan to have Republican
women present the issues desired to
the Republican party and Demo-
cratic women to the Democratic
party, Being specific about such
matters is an asset in putting them
across. The nonpartisan attitude
IS too indefinite. 1t harks back to
the days when coquette played
one man against another, and is not
IN the spirit Of "equal rights"