The Snowflake herald., 1922-01-20


In the general sense Of the words, is what both
forces do want. But bless you, there's distinc-
tion with difference.
Anyway, congress will be asked to pass equal
rights bill which Is an amendment to the Consti-
tuition. And the women voters are apparently
ffty-f1fty the proposition. 1T least they are
already arrayed in two hostN1 camps. The Ma
tional Woman's party will Fake the offensive. In
the other camp possibly tbs leader is the National
League of Women Voters In this camp also
the National Consumers league and the National
Woman's Trade Union league. And the welfare
organizations many.
Do you remember during the suffrage cam
paign, the women Nho picketed the White House
grounds and went on hunger strikes when jailed
for that picketing? Well, those militant suffra-
gists are the core Of the National Womans party.
After suffrage was secured they voted on the
question of going out Of existence. They decided
to remain In the field and campaign for equal
rights for women in addition to votes for women.
The party reorganiZed. Mrs O. III. P. Bel
mont, woman of large wealth and Of social po-
sition, was elected president She made a large
contribution to the party. 1t has now purchased
the "Oid Capitol" at Washington and renamed
it the WatchtOwer for Women. This watchtower
consists of a of three Old-fashioned, spacious
stone houses This row was used from 1915 to
1919 meeting place for congress while the
capitol being rebuilt after the destructive
visit of the British during the War Of 1872. Per-
haps the watchtOwer may later be the headquar-
ters of campaign for a woman president. Any
way, it is the headquarters of the campaign for
equal rights for
Miss Alice Paul, who has made name for her
self as militant suffragist second to none in this
country, is the dominant spirit Of the National
Woman's party, And this equal rights battle is
her fight.
The National League of Women Voters is the
new name OF the old National American Suffrage
association. 1t is the direct descendant of the
organization formed by Susan B. Anthony, Eliza
beth Cady Stanton and other famous women back
in the middle of the Nineteenth century. 1t has
not approved of militant methods. 1t has always
largely outnumbered the National Woman's party,
of comparatively recent origin. Mrs Carrie Chap
man Gait, a former president and now president
of the International Woman Suffrage association,
is one of it's leaders. Mrs Maud Wood Park is it's
president Miss Jane Addams is vice president
Of the National Consumers league. Miss Agnes
Nestor is president of the National Womens Trade
Union league.
Now both camps agree that the securing Of
suffrage only first step in securing equal
rights for women. The nineteenth amendment
to the Constitution reads thus:
The rights of citizens of the United States shall
not be denied abridged by the United States
or by any state account Of SEX"
So the nineteenth amendment simply gives wom-
citizens the right to vote 1t does not give them
equality with male citizens before the law in the
manifold affairs of everyday life. 1t is exag-
geration to say that both camps consider the
achievement of the vote merely the beginning
Of womans emancipation Both camps hold that
no woman will be really free until every disabil-
ity legal well political, is removed.
To bring about the removal of every disability
the National Woman's party has been campaign
ing to the adoption by the state legislature
Of the so-called blanket bill. This bill is as fol-
lows:
Section 1. Women shall have the same rights,
privileges and immunites under the law men,
with respect to the exercise of suffrage; holding
office under the Government either State local;
eligibility to examination for any position affected
by civil service regulations; jury service; choice
Of domicile, residence and name; acquiring,
trolling holding and conveying property; owner
ship and control Of labor and earnings; freedom
of contract, including becoming a party In any
capacity to negotiate instruments or evidence of
Indebtedness or becoming surety or guarantor;
becoming parties ltigant; acting as executors or
administrators of estates of decedents; custody
and control of children and control Of earnings
and services of such children; grounds for divorce;
immunities or penalties for sex offense; quaran-
tine, examination and treatment of disease.
"And the rights of married and unmarried Wom-
en- with respect to these matters shall be equal.