The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1922-11-01
PARTY"
Starts new drive
Demands Absolute Sex Equality in
Federal Service
"BIAs" CHARGE MADE
Organizing Women in Government
aG Departments to Fight for it's
Platform

Washington, Oct. 31.-An effort is
being made by the National Woman's
Party leaders here, who are nearly
all former militant" suffragists, to
start big fight within the govern
1nent civil service for absolute equal
ity of women and men employees, with
regard not only to compensation, but
as to recognition Of eligibility for
positions which are to be filled,
whether by promotion or by en-
ployment of new personnel.
1t is declared by, spokesmen for
the woman's party that hundreds
of women workers in the govern
ment departments here attended
and participated enthusiastically in
n meeting in the party headquarters
when impassioned speeches were
made against the alleged existing
system of discriminating against
women employees of Uncle Sam.
Mrs. Isabelle Gill, one of the sec
retaries of the woman's party or
ganization, is said to have partic-
uraly stirred her audience by call
ing for "an incessant drive" like
that of war workers, to charge the
conditions which are regarded as
giving men the advantage in fed
eral employment. She charged that
gins with the civil service exami-
nations, which, she said she had
reason to believe were stricter for
women than for men, and that wo-
men were being kept out of ad-
ministrative positions and of the
higher-paid places because Of their
sex.
After Mrs. Gill had spoken, tenn
porary organization to inaugurate
the drive or "gar," as some of
them call it. In this temporary
organization there is woman rep
resenting the female workers in ev-
cry department of the government
1T is asserted. The following plat
form setting forth the demands for
which the drive is proposed, was
adopted at the meeting and given
out for publication: :
"We demand that all examinations
in the civil service shall be open to
women on equal terms with men; that
a single register shall be kept Of men
and women from which appointments
are made in order of rating, regard
less of sex, an dthat no new eXamina-
tion shall be held until this eligible
list must be supplemented. 80
"That women shall no longer be
excluded from executive, admins
trative, and high-salaried positions,
and that there shall be no discrim-
nations against women in (a) ap-
pointment, (b) assignment, (c) IT,
tie, (d) promotion, (e) salary.
"That there shall be special
board or committee in every. subdi-
vision of each department and in
dependent organization, of which
women shall have equal represen-
tation with men, to fix salaries
and to pass on all reorganization
appointments assignments, ratings,
promotions, demotions, transfers
and dismissals.
"That there shall be no discrim-
ination against women because of
marriage"
The last paragraph of the plat
form comes into direct conflict
with a policy which has been adop-
ted in some of the branches of the
federal service to discourage the
employment of women whose hus-
bands are also on the government
rolls, I or are elsewhere employed
and capable Of supporting their
wives. There have been instances
here in which whole families have
been on the government payroll in
clerical capacities. Whether or not
the government should permit hus-
band and wife to be on it's payrolls
at the same time is not necessar-
lily a question of sex discrimination,
whatever may be the case as to
the other planks in the new wo.
mans party platform.