River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1922-01-12


In the general sense of the words, is what both
forces do want. But, bless you, there's distinc-
ton with difference.
Anyway, congress will be asked to pass an equal
rights bill which is an amendment to the Consti-
tuition. And the women voters apparently
ffty-ifty the proposition. AT least they are
already arrayed in two hostile camps. The Ma
tional Woman's party will take the offensive. In
the other camp possibly the leader is the National
League of Women Voters. In this camp are also
the National Consumers league and the National
Woman's Trade Union league And the welfare"
organizations are many
Do you remember during the suffrage cam
paign, the women who picketed the White House
grounds and went on hunger strikes when jailed
for that picketng? Well, those militant suffra
gists are the core of the National Woman's 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 was reorganized. Mrs o. III. r. 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 "Old CapitoP' at Washington and renamed
it the Watchtower for Women. This watchtower
consists of row of three odfashioned, spacious
stone houses. This used from 1915 to
1919 as meeting place for congress while the
capitol was being rebuilt after the destructive
visit of the British during the War of 1872 Per-
haps the watchtower may later be the headquar-
tiers of campaign for 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 suffragst second to in this
country, is the dominant spirit of the National
Womanis 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 its leaders Mrs. Maud Wood Park is its
president Miss Jane Adams is a vice president
of the National Consumers league. Miss Agnes
Nestor is president of the National Women's Trade
Union league.
Now, both camps agree that the securing OF
suffrage was only a first step in securing equal
rights for women. The nineteenth amendment
to the Constitution reads thus:
1.-The rights of citizens of the United States shall
not be denied or abridged by the United States
or by any state on account of sex"
So the nineteenth amendment simply gives
en- citizens the right to 1t does not give them
equality with male citizens before the law in the
manifold affairs of everyday life. 1t is no exag
geration to say that both camps consider the
achievement of the vote merely the beginning
of woman's emancipation. Both camps hold that
no woman will be really free until every disab
ity, legal as well as political, is removed.
TO bring about the removal of every disability
the National Woman's party has been campaign
ing secure the adoption by the state Legislature
of the so-calIed blanket bin. This bill is fol-
lows:
Section /. Women shall have the same rights
privileges and immunities under the law men,
with respect TO the exercise of suffrage; holding
office under the Government, either State or local;
eligibility examination for any position affected
by civil service regulations; jury service; choice
of domicile, residence and name; acquiring, con-
trolling holding and conveying property; owner
ship and control of labor and earnings; freedom
of contract, including becoming party in any
capacity TO negotiate instruments evidence of
Indebtedness, or becoming surety guarantor;
becoming parties litigant; 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;
inmunities 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.