The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-06-04

What tile Wo,,,sn Want.

washington, D. G.. June LII III
conservative politician WAs
alarmed Ct the woman sn6rage
azasndmsut, his hair Will doabtr
leas UtAnA UPRIGHT q the latest pro.
gram planned b. the fsminists q
America.
Fighting for one right" at .
time 10 proving too slow for The Ma
tional Woman's party. 90 y NJ
decided to concentrate all o. ~
strength on one big issue, and make
that issue cover everything. The
result 10 . bill to be presented 20
congress which woum remove q
once all legal and political diScrim-
nations against women.
Similar bills are TO be introduced
into the state legislatures. This Will
serve to arouse interest In the pro
ject throughout the country. It Will
also give the women OF the states .
chance to try getting state laws en-
acted without waiting for congress
to act.
The bill is mot quite ready fol
presentation, but action has been
started In half . dozen states. Mas.
meetings are being held. and thu
war cry is being sounded. The
women will entar IL arena wei
prepared.
It is probable that the national
bill will take the form Of al
amendment to the constitution. Ar
ordinary law, the woman's part,
realizes, could easily be modified OF
repealed at any time by congress
whereas repeal OF constitutions
amendment requires approval o.
three-fourths of the states. Will
the women voting, a repeal OF
women's rights amendment wouk
be practically impossible.
The women's bill OF rights Il
being drawn up in fool proof styl'
by experienced lawyers. When tn,
last comma and phrase 10 satisfac
tory it is to be turned over to Sen
ator Curtis Of Kansas, and Repre-
sentative Tess of Ohio. who hav
agreed to introduce the bombshel
/ to their fellow legislators.
| What the women want is a gen
eral decree that no discrimination
are to be made against women be
fore the law. Limitations regard
ing women are noted by most Of d
only in isolated instances. But tn
National Woman's party points GU
that every woman is at a disadvan
tage at some time because Of tn
Nth century ideas Of woman's In
feriority."
Thus they show that the woma
in business who attains to q
executive position is rare. and
reach such q position she mus
show phenomenal ability. In tn
factories women are paid less tina
men for the same work as a mat
ter Of course, while the woman VIII
applies for position in the govern
ment, aside from an ordinary clerk
ship, is apt to find that the line q
work in which she is skilled is nc
open to women applicants. or els
it may be that the position is ope
to women only when men are nc
available.
| The woman at home gives he
services as housekeeper and COO
without pay, while her husban
holds the net earnings Of the dc
nestle corporation.
A woman who marries a ma
from another state is apt to los
her privileges as resident of he
native state. More than this, in
number of states she loses contrt
over her property, as 1t passes int
her husbands hands.
] If woman becomes interested
government and politics she find
that she is permitted to vote for me
candidates, picked mostly by mel
The important boards and commi,
sions that decide how the people
money is to be spent have n
women members. And so it goes, tt
woman's party points out, in ever
phase Of life.
Miss Elsie Hill, chairman Of Il
National Woman's party, believe
that the country is ready for
wholesale change in its attitude t.
ward women, and that the presel
congress may put the equal righ1
bill through.