South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-09-08
WOMEN May RULE
LABOR PARTY OF
BRITAIN, BELIEF
Leaders Smilingly Tolerant of
Lady Astor's Position-Do
Not Take Her Seriously.
RY CI.ARA VOID.

LONDON. sept When ar
rived at the headquarters 81 the
British Labor Party 10 ark party
leaders what they think Of Lady
Astors statement that the Labor
Party "wiI bc the last 90 elect
women 20 Parliament" my question
was received with somewhat kindly
smiles OF amusement.
NO ore really takes Lady Aston
ssrious,y." remarked one leader.
and such a statement Is ridicu-
ious Lady Astor must have forgot
ten that the Labor party was the
only party that pledged itself 70
woman suffrage and carried on
campaign for IL"
Perhaps ] should not have asked
them ~ men will regard Labor's
women representative in Parlia-
ment any more seriously than they
DO LADY Astor. There was some lit
tie embarra ssment on the part OF
r-reryoue. but very stanchlv one OF
two Of them declared that the whole
attitude or men viii change
One Strong Backer.
However. I found when I went TO
see Miss A. Susan Lawrence. one OF
the seven women whom the Labor
party has endorsed for Parliament,
a far more convincing advocate for
The cause Of women IN the Labor
parry.
Why do 7 belong 20 the Labor
Party?" che repeated We'll. first
OF an. because 10 Is the only politi-
cal party that offers perfect equal
itv to men and women-perfect
equality tempered with special
privileges for women" Her gray
eyes sparkied when she said this,
and she brushed back a few strands
Of her soft gray hair as she stepped
back with just a suggestion OF pre-
pairing for a fight that she hoped
would come 70 her.
What special privileges /
asked
The special privilege OF having
every member OF the executive body
or the party a woman. Men never
had that privilege. and they never
will have a. The constitution OF
the party requires that there he at
least four women members on the
executive council We can have as
many more as we elect. But the
men have no clause for even a mini
mum number OF men" Miss Law
renee smiled broadly as she tri-
umphantIy gazed back at me.
And do you think that women
viii ever elect only women 90 I ask
ed her
'Tf they are better representa- I
tives they will-not otherwise"
Can't Divide Interests.
Lady Aston" I remarked. told
me that the women Of the British
labor party are apt TO forget the
interests Of women for the interests
or the party"
1T Is impossible" declared Miss
Lawrence. "to separate the inter
ests OF women from those OF the
Government When women suffer
the nation suffers. and any party
that doesn't understand that has
nothing 10 offer women"
Miss Lawrence has stood In six
elections beginning before the
davs OF suffrage for women. with
school board elections. She is the
only woman member OF the London
County Council. having been sent
there by the Borough OF Poplar as
a labor representative. She is also
a Justice Of the Peace.
No Interest I'm 1918.
reminded her that in 1918 wOm
en- did not vote very generally IN
England.
Well. and II the women didn't
vote as they should have 7 say the
men didn't either No one seemed
20 care about voting In 1918. But
since then we have organized our
womeu's sections OF the Labor
Party in every local IN the country.
We have 500 sections in all. We
hnra faurht Won, On that they ca N