Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-05-30
GERMAN WOMEN
ARE ACTIVE
IN POLITICS
NeU German Ambassador, Dr..
WiedfeIdt, Talks on
Subject.
BY CONSTANCE DRExEL.

Ing, the other day report or German
women's political activities is timely.
1t Is impossible 10 quote DR.. WED
| feldt, who succeeds Count Won Bern
storff hero because he does not care to
be interviewed for publication. He is n
| tall nan with gray hair and goatee,
an agreeable manner and a smiling out
| look on life through his spectacles. He
receives visitors introduced by Baron
| Won Thurman In front room in the
much dcnuded German embassy. AS the
| furniture there before, belonged to the
| Bernstorffs, not much has been replaced,
aud what there is. is very simple.
The new ambassador speaks perfect
English as does his wife, it was said
She has not come over, as DR.. Wiedfeldt
! is going back later to fetch her. There
is one son who, at the age of H., In
1915. ran away from his preparatory
school to enlist in the war. He fought
at the front in Russia, Italy, France and
| Belgium. but was one Of the fortunate
ones to come out almost uuscathed. He
has now resumed his interrupted studies
and Is at a German uniNersit.
| So much for background Having been
Il
the Krupp's business to become ambas
sador to America, Or. Wiedfelt confessed
he was not as intimately acquainted with
! politica "details of Berlin il he had
come from that mlieu.
| But II seems that there are now about
twenty Ave women members in the Ger
| man Reichstag. and that on many things
they all stick together, regardless of par
| ties Like most of the European parlia-
ments, the German Reichstag has six or
| eight political parties Of about equal
| strength Each one Of them has women
members seated In parliament.
7 II seems that the 9th Of April was
| womans day Of first order In the German
/ Retchstng Two mos important womans
/ questions were dealt with, the first of
which was the question Of woman Jurors
and magistrates After the report ~ the
committee on laws, which was given by
the leading spirit Of this whole matter,
| DR.. Elizabeth Luders. NJ. p. very IN
| teresting and lively discussion took place,
| In which members Of all parties joined.
! and. With one exception. strongly spoke
In favor OF the bill
Amongst others he minister Of justice.
| Professor Radbuch pointed out that II
was brought In 10 improve Jurisdiction
because 1T would replnce the old men
| law by n new human law The Govern
ments bill originally had Included
right Of exemption for all women. the
committee confined this right to mothers
Of little children. and the Reichstag
went still further by concedng n special
women's right OF exemption only for
nurses and midwives.
So In its las, form the bin provides
for exactly the Same conditions for men
a,, tt,rA Flr,k%
striction, moved BY the Conservative and
| Liberal parties and carried against the
votes Of the socialists-that ono of tho
| two magistrates shall always be a man
tho bill then was carried in the second
| and third reading by an overwhelming
| majority.
| The important womon's question which
| raised a long and rather stormy debate
! In the Reichstag on April 9 is reported
| In tho May number OF the International
| London, and just received In this office.
| It seems much further removed from our
own questions under discussion than that
OF women Jurors. but 1t Is perhaps all
the more pungent for that very reason.
Tho report Is signed by Frau Marie
Strltt, a former vice president OF the In
ternatfonal Woman Suffrage Alliance,
who was sent as tho official delegate OF
vention OF the alliance in Geneva and
says:
Though women members OF NIL part
ies-and women only-spoke On tho
question Of the unmarried motherhood
Of women In public service which took
place under discussion Of the budget 10
the home minister. It was not treated
from woman's. but from party political
standpoints. IN accordance with the re-
spectivs parties world views.
while the conservative and Catholic
women were afraid that Illegal mother
hood OF women in public service would
further free love and lend to the de-
struction Of tho family, nnd therefore
claimed disciplinary measures for such
mothers, the socialist speakers protested
against this opinion and against the
double moral standard for man and
woman functionaires.
"a motion OF the Democratic party.
referred by DR.. Gertrude Banner, was
handed over to the law committee; that
rho matter shall not be regulated In gen
eral. but that the individual instances of
illegal motherhood aud fatherhood shall
be examined. md eventually mny give
reason for disciplinary measures
Tint the French national is not en-
tfraly asleep In the matter of participa-
tion Of women in politics already cstah-
/ lshed in so many other countries is evil
dent from the news the French Senate
will discuss the question beginning May
30--H Il doesn't change its mind again
about doing so.
However, tho premiership of Poincare
should help a lot. The writer was pres
emit at an interview between group Of
French and allied women during the
peace conference Mt the Elysee Palace
when Poincare was president. Both he
and Madame poincare came out squarely
for woman suffrage then but as president,
Poincars was little more than an orna
ment as he had little power From the
meagre news received on this subject
since his premiership, however, French
suffragists have received some assurance
of help and therefore it Is within the
realm Of possibility that step nearer
woman suffrage in France may coon be
taken The French suffragists are affili-
ated with the International Woman Suf-
frage Alliance and well known to Amer
lean women who have attended European
suffrage congresses.
Coming down to brass tacks nearer
home, President Samuel Gompers Of the
American Federation Of Labor has Just
forwarded letter to the 100 men and
women who have been invited to par
ticipate in the anti-chid labor confer
ence to be held in the American Fedora
tion Of Labor building on June /.
He writes that Representative A. 7. |
Volstead has called meeting Of the !
House Judiciary committee, of which he
Is, chairman, for 10 o'clock Thursday, !
June l, to hear arguments on proposed