The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-10-07
Birmingham ObserOes MoOing
 Week; Many Changes Made
WHAT THEY KNOW
 ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION

The executive committee of the National League Of Women Voters ] held a three-day session at league
 headquarters. September 22-24. w hen
 the meeting was called to order on 1 Saturday, tte president, Mrs. Maud
 Wood Park. said she thought it would be well to Ego to school a few min utes on the constitution of the United
 States" Constitution Week, of course, | suggesting this We are the one or 1 ganization Of women in this country ! whose principal object Is the political l education of women. It would be l interesting to know how much we. the officers, know about the consttu ] tion, she said.
 1 Immediately the member of the committee who has a pocket in every dress produced therefrom q diminu- tive edition Of the constitution and said, If you want to know anything about it. ask me" Not fair looking
 in the book" cried another member while two more of the officers calmly brought forth constitutions from brief eases or hand bags. Mrs. Park, not to
 be outdone, went to the bookcase and put her hand on a bulky volume con taining the constitution. It was evil dent that access to the document was easy. )
 How many of you can quote the preamble?" asked Mrs. Park. Three l hands went up.
 Ask me about the thirteenth. ! fourteenth and fifteenth amend
 ments," suggested the members from
 the south, T shine on those."
 Gan anyone tell me what the six i teenth amendment isT' was the next question.
 answered Miss Elizabeth Hauser, | league secretary. That is the one | providing for the income tax, but we 1 always expected it would be thes one that would enfranchise women. For years and years, under Susan B. An thony, we worked for what we called the sixteenth amendment" Little did we dream that the income tax, the
 direct election of United States sena- tors and prohibition would get in
 ahead of us. l used to go to the
 capitol with Miss Anthony and"
 Come now, no reminiscing," inter-
 rupted Miss Belle Sherwin, the first vice president, and don't make your answers so personal"
 q like being personal" retored Miss Hauser, tits so much more interest ing"
 These two Ohio members of the committee are very frank with each other. Miss Ruth Morgan, the peace
 maker international and otherwise, came to ths rescue with, 70 what's the constitution between friends any way?'
 One member wanted to tell about | the transcendent importance of the first amendment, because it guaran- tees free speech, free press, free as-
 semblage; another insisted upon ex- plaining that tn order of succession to the presidency is not in the con stitution at all, though 1t was so generally reported as being when MT. | Coolidge succeeded Mr. Harding. She wanted to talk on the difference be- tween basic law and congressional enactment. Another asked for a dis cussion on whether 1t Is a wise provision that it should be so difficult to amend the constitution.
 It was too evident that the mem
 bers of the executive committee of the League of Women Voters are all
 most disgustingly well informed on
 the document and Mrs. Park dis missed schooH' abruptly and turn
 ing, took up the aGenda for the meet ing, saying, NOW we must get to work '"