The Ely miner., 1923-03-02

er made a proft-so long, in fact,
that agriculture trembles on the
verge of bankruptcy in Minnesota.
That fact makes the farm influence
the one all powerful influence in
the Forty-Third Legislature of Min
nesota. The fate of every contro-
verted matter is determined by what
the farmer thinks about it. 1t
makes no difference whether the
issue be rural credits, capital pun
ishment, more schools for the cities,
or county fair in st. Louis county.
The farm bloc renders the decision.
AS one persistent candidate for
oratorical honors in the senate puts
it: "We are not here to bring more
laurels to your feather beds; we
are here to put few feathers in
the farmers's straw ticks. When
the legislature adjourns in the lat
ter part of April, it is quite likely,
for all this classic declaration and
despite all the farm .bloc's high en-
deavor, that not a single feather
will have been added to the farm
er's straw tick, for the farmers
economic distress is not to be solved
by politics or by laws; but, in the
meantime, the farmer will continue
to be the dictator of legislation.
Women the Real Lobbyists.
Next to the farmer, the women
tell US what to do. Not even Labor
is so active in influencing legisla-
tion, at this session, as are the
ladies. Out of 1913 members of the
house and senate only four are
hr1f fhncA
having lot to say about what
bills shall become laws. 1t is not
of them, however. that we speak
it is rather of the League of Wo-
men Voters, the w. C. T. u, the
American Legion Auxiliary, the
Council of Jewish Women, the
American Association of University
Women, the League of Catholic
Women, the Housewives Union, the
Women's Welfare League, the Reg.
istered Nurses Association, the Wo.
mems National Party, the Young
Women's Christian Association
is to these and many other organ.
izations of women that we refer
| These organizations are exceedlngl,
active. They maintain persistent
| political activities in the twin cities
Their lobbyists are daily on the
| floor of the house and senate cham
| bers, they swarm in the corridor.
and you meet them everywhere in
the capitol. Every day in every
way they are more and more il
evidence. Next to the farm bio.
it is the woman's bloc that is de
termining the character of the leg
islation in Minnesota in 1923.
The Women's Bill of Rights.
| Strange as it may seem at first
sight most of the women's organiza
tlons mentioned (said to represent
more than 10000 Minnesota wo
mem and most of the women lob
byists in the legislature this winter
are determined opponents of the
so-called 'women's bill of rights"
Among other things in it's favor
there are two powerful argument.
for the women's bill of rights
Miss Myrtle Cain, one of the ladie!
from Hennepin, sponsor of the bill
in the house reputed a radical o1
radicals and undeniably an attract
i've and interesting girl and Mis-.
Anna Politzer, national Legislative,
chairman of the national women:
party and as pretty and as clever
as they make 'em.
The Women's ''bill of rights" aim.
at one. legislative stroke to max,
men and women political equals il
all things whatsoever. 1t is ais,
known as the blanket" bill O,
equal rights and is designed to con
fer on women all the rights
privileges and immunities" nov
enjoyed by men in political life
While the national women's party il
strenuously backing the blanke
bill OF rights, all the other organ
lzations we have mentioned ar.
"ferniest" it to women, and the,
have organized for active opposition
Leading the fight against the blan
ket bill is the Minnesota League o.
Women Voters which declares tha
equal rights must be had for wo
men but that they can be. secured
only by means of a specific Law
for each specific right. Among tn,
laws designed to protect women
all or some of which might be in
validated by the blanket bill Of
rights, says statement of the
Minnesota League of Women Vot
ers, "are practically all of the meas
ures which the women of Minnesota
have worked to secure. They in
clude the mothers pension or county
| allowance law, the obligation OF
the father for the support Of hi.
illegitimate children. penalties fol
the desertion of wife and children
the minimum wage for women. the
limitation of hours of employment
for women, the statute which for.
| bids the lifting of heavy weights
by women in foundries, and the
exemptions from jury service which
apply to women only" A blanket
bill of equal rights for women is