, 1921-07-30

cided to concentrate all of its
strength on one big issue, and
congress which would remove at once
all legal and political determinations
against women.
Similar bills are to be introduced
into the state legislatures. This will
serve to arouse interest in the project
throughout the Il will also
give the women of the states a chance
to try getting sac laws enacted with
out waiting for to act. The
bill is not quite reAdy for p~resents-
ton. but action has been started in
half a dozen states.
1t Is probable that the national bill
will take the form OF an amendment
to the constitution. An ordinary law,
/ IL pointed out. could easily be modi-
fed or repealed altogether at any time
by congress-; whereas repeal OF a con.
stitutlonai amendment requires ap
prevail of three-fourth of the states.
With the women voting. a repeal OF Il
womcn's rights amendment would be
practically impossible. 1t IL realized,
OF course. that the adoption OF a CON
stitutional amendment is no small
task, Is its ratification. like the re
peal OF an amendment, would require
affirmative action By sc states.
The women's bill OF rights Is being
drawn up in fool proof style by ex-
pcrienced lawyers. When the last
comma and phrase Is satisfactory it
: to be turned over to Senator Curtis.
Of Kansas. and Representative Fess OF
Ohio. who have agreed N introduce
the bcrbshell to their follow legisla-
tors.
What the women want Is a general
iecree that no Determinations arc to
be made against women before the
: law. Limitations regarding women
are noted by most OF us only in iso
lated instances. But the Nationa
Noman's party points out that every
woman is at a disadvantage at some
time because OF the eleventh century
ideas of women's inferlority.'
- Al a Disadvantage.
Thus they show that the women in
business who attains to an executive
position is rare. and to reach such u
position she must show phenomena
F; ability. In the factories women are
paid less than men for the same work
as a matter OF course. while the won
an who applies for a position in the
government. aside from an ordinary
! clerkship, is apt TO find that the line
OF work in which she is skilled is not
open to women applicants. or else II
may be that the position is open to
women only when men are not avail
able.
The woman at home gives her serv-
Ices as h~ousekeeper and cook without
pay. while her husband holds the net
earnings Of the domestic corporation.
A woman who marries a man from
another state is apt to lose her privi-
leges as a resident of her native state.
Moro h a this. in a number of states
she loses conrol over her property. as
1t passes into her husbands hands.
IL a woman becomes interested in
government and politics she finds that
she is permitted to vote for men can.
didates. picked mostly by men. The
important board and commissions that
decide how the peoples money is to
be spent have no women members.
And so IL goes. the woman's party
points out. in every phase OF life.
Believes Country Ready for Change.
Miss Elsie Hill. chairman OF the Ma.
tional Woman's party believes that
the country is ready for a wholesale
change in its attitude toward women,
and that the present congress may put
the righs bill through.
Our traditions OF what a woman's
limitations should be-" according to
Miss Hill. date from the eleventh CEN
fury when the common law was rec
ognized in England. This decided that
woman was inferior to man. and so
ciety has been guided by the decision
ever since.
Even after the American colonies
broke way from England. the states
held to the tradition of the inferior.
ity OF women and only where a state
has modified some particularpoint,
have we departed from it.
Some states have recognized WON.
ems ability in some matters, other
states have made concessions along
entirely different lines. To take n
instance. New York gave married
women property rights in 1s4s, and
the majority of the states have fol
lowed suit.
These changes show that the com
mon law is not the infallible guide ii
was aiken for. II a woma mis- cap
abe OF managing her property in one
state. why should a woman of another
state be less competent? And IL a
mother Of an illegitimate child is made
by law solely responsible for her child.
why should the married mother nave
no legal control at all over hers?"
Establish Statutory Standard.
To bring these Illogical laws up to
a consistent intelligent standard would
be a reasonable step. Miss Hill THINKS
A general law giving women equal
rights with men would result at first
in a great many test cases before
the courts. as there would he techni-
~calities To clear up. But the advo-
cafes of the bill see n oreason to fear
that there would ne any real confu-
sion.
There are two points on which the
feminists depart Slightly from their
standard for strict equality. First.
they do not ask that women replace
men in the work for which they are
not physically suited. For instance
while they demand AN equal oppor.
! unity 70 rwomen in civil E~oVernnsnt
they dV not ask that si1s be ssnt tt