Great Falls tribune., 1922-04-24
WOMEN LEADERS.
DA|MPEN ARDOR
OF FEM|N|STS.
Career Is All Right
but Can't Run Your
Fingers in Its Hair.
Lady Astor Finest
Triumph Is in Life
With Her Children.
BY CAROLINE VANCE

Copyright. 1929. BY The Great Falls Tribune.
Washington, April 23.-The militant
feminist has come in fo- several rude
jolts this week. Danger has been
scented from afar, cold hard unreck-
should forget all their traditional at
tributes and rrerogatives in the climb
for absolute equality before the Law
has had a setback at the hands of such
lowly thing as sentiment.
Here is Lady Astor coming over with
the statement that her greatest tri-
umph in life is her children. Here is
Alice Robertson, spinster congress
woman and successful politician, telling
all her young friends that they should
marry and raise family.
And here is the revealing statement
Of another young woman who says: "A
career is alright. but you can't run
your fingers through its hair" But
Miss RObertsons advice to young
women to marry is not half so senti-
mental as the story Of her vote for the
big navy" in the house this week.
Brilliant and spirited debate marked
the passage of the bill.
Through all the fireworks, Miss Alice
sat quietly and voted yea" in favor
Of the larger navy. 1t might be said
that Miss Robertson voted that way
because her views emphatically do not
coincide with those of women who ad-
vocate complete disarmament Of this
country as an example to the rest
Of the world.
1t may be that she voted that way
because the head of her party, Presi-
dent Harding. so earnestly exhorted
members of the house to sustain the
treaty" navy.
But there still might be another
reason why Alice favors big and
glorious navy.
She takes sentimental pride in the
navy above all arms Of the service.
She stated on the floor of the house
Robertson can still blush furiously in
spite of her 81 years and her public
life):
Il am especially interested in the
navy because when ! was a girl / was
given a middy's button and having never
forgotten the giver, it may be that
thought about and studied the naval
service"
Here the anti-feminists will quote
''love is of mans life a thing apart
'tis womans whole existence" and they
will no doubt predict dire consequences
to the country when great numbers OF
women get to congress as they are
now threatening to do and will vote
for similar romantic and perhaps Ilog.
ica1 reasons.
A rather quaint friendship bordering
Dn chumminess has sprung up between
Miss Robertson and Anita Poitzer. the
little radical feminist and brilliant
lbbyist for the national womans
party. / call the friendship quaint be-
cause Miss Politber is quite young and
Miss Robertson is no longer so and also
because Miss Robertson never has been
in sympathy with radical feminism.
Miss Robertson is fond of admonishing
the ambitious Anita against thinking SO
much Of her career and to ><art think
ertson believes that woman's fame is
the tomb of her happiness and to be a
happy wife and mother is a position
more to be envied than to be president.
The League of Women Voters has
convened in Baltimore this week and
democratic and republican members are
no doubt haunting each other thus:
"Your party has not granted as much |
political power to women as we have
got
The democratic women say:
I'VE have fifty fifty representation |
on the national committee with a com
mitteewoman accompanying a commit
teeman from each state"
The republicans answer:
That's all right, but when it comes |
to possessing real power we have it on |
you. Seven of the Is members of our
executive committee are women"
Its brave bluff the women of both
parties are putting up, but down in
their inner consciousness they are
aware that women are not being
granted power commensurate with the !
number of votes at their command and |
it would not be surprised if before the |
end of the league convention the demo
cratic and republican women got to-
gether to force both parties to admit
women on an actual equality with men
and we shall see the worm that turned
into serpent"
Florence Kelley Of the consumers |
league and Maud Younger of the Ma,
tional Woman's party debated lang but
good temperedly before the Woman's
City club of Washington this week on
the subject of equal rights legislation
Miss Kelley objects to the proposed
legislation on the ground that it will
automatically repeal the welfare legis-
lation for women which the consumers
league san dtoehrs have fought SO long
and hard to obtain. Miss Younger is
confident that the removal of legal
against women will not
interfere with welfare laws. The two
women voiced the points of view that
are causing feminine battle before
every state legislature that has con-
vened this year. The consumers
league, the National Wmoen's Trade
Union league and the League of Women
Voters send lobbyists to every conyen-
ing legislature to combat the efforts
made by the national woman's party to
pass their bill of rights in each state
Mrs. Woodrow Wilson will emerge
from her long retirement to greet the
state committee women
who will meet in Washington April 20.
Ranch Oil Fxn1oe;on