Evening star., 1924-04-23
UNIVERSITY WOMEN
FIGHT ON RIGHTS BILL
Bitter Controversy Started Over
Amendment Giving Equality
to Sexes.
)ME FAVOR MEASURE
Described as Question of Bread fol-
Workers.

Precipitated into bitter controversy
over the question of an equal rights
amendment to the Constitution. the
third annual convention of the Amer
lean Association of University Wom-
en- at the Washington Hotel rose to
II climax of debate today which re-
vealed some of the leaders among
American women in educational and
professional life widely divided.
Debate arose over report of the
committee on Legislative policies, pre-
of Massachusetts, which proposed
continued opposition to the So
called equal rights amendment that
men and women shall have equal
rights throughout the United States
and every place subject to it's juris-
dictiOn."
Before 4 motion could be made to
adopt the report DIR. NJ. Carey Thorn
as, former president OF Bryn Mawr
College, introduced an amendment
Of the subject by the association for
one year and would prevent the as
$ociation or its officers from taking
any position on the subject during
that time.
After lively debate in which it was
Nariously charged that such pro-
posed amendment would or would
not take the bread out of the mouths
OF women" opponents of the amend
ment moved the previous question"
attempting TO shut off debate. At
noon the association was taking a
prolonged vote. complicated by the
system Of representation on the
previous question.
DIR. Thomas who said she had given
the subject her best thought for many
months, during tour around the
world on which she had discussed the
probiem with the womanhood of
many nations, declared it was the
"Durnlng question of taking away a
woman's power TO support herself by
Legislation sponsored by the class
which is opposed to the competition
OF women in modern life.
Conditions I'm ENGLAND,
In ENGLAND. DIR. Thomas said. it was
tragic to see the way in which
women We're being imposed upon by
the bitter competition of men
we don't know" she continued
but what there might be here special
legislation TO take the bread out of
the mouths of women" In Pennsyl-
vania, she said, where the ten-hour
law and forty-eight- week pre-
vail, i. as a feminist. had to dismiss
the woman janitors. If the ten-hour
law affected the professors In Bryn
alaWr. We couldn't have woman on
the faculty.
Vigorously taking objection to DR..
Thomas and supporting the commit
tee report. Miss Mary Van .Kleeck of
the Russell Sage Foundation of New
York declared the proposed amend
ment would "fasten confusion on all
the statutes containing the word
woman. IT would cause number
less eases to be brought before the
courts, she said, and, in effect, 1--WE
would put moose around the necks
of women in industry"
Dr. Florence Reno Sabin Of wiscon-
sin. speaking in favor of a delay in
consideration, said the proposal of
DIR. Thomas "commends itself to the
geod,. good Judgment of all thoughtful
Mrs. Helena Hill Weed of Connecti-
cut. attacking the committee report,
declared she felt the report presented
perfectly preposterous" position
for the women of the association"
worker in science she declared, My
profession is positively taken away
from me in many states where
women are prohibited from under
ground work. ] ask for just plain
fair play, as an intelligent thinking
woman"
, Ask Teachers' Pay Bill.
The association adopted all of the
legislative policies committee report
up to the proposed equal rights
amendment and went on record as
sponsoring the compulsory educa-
LlOn anu SCHOVl CeuSuS VIII loT tne
District of Columbia and the teachers
salary bill providing for an increase
in salaries for the teachers here"
Reclassification came in for crft-
oism at the hands of the committee,
which branded the personnel classifi-
cation board as a three headed
board"
Among the bills pending in Con-
gress indorssed by the association
were the Sterling Reed education
bill, national physical education
bill by Representative Bacon, amend
ment to the. Smith Hughes vocational
education act providing increased ap-
propriations. a child labor amend
ment, adequate appropriations for the
children's bureau for collecting data
on prostitution and its effect on the
welfare of children, participation of
the United States in the permanent
court of International justice with
the Hughes reservation, and a fed
eral and Industrial home for women.
The program called for reports OF
several committees at the morning
session. Ambassador Jusserand of
France was expected to address a
noon luncheon, and there were to be
conferences during the afternoon and
tonight.
Speakers before the conference last
night included: Mrs. Walter ]. Can
non of Massachusetts. Mrs. Ida Clyde
Clarke associate editor Of the Pictorial
Review; Miss Mary Van Kleeck of the
Russell Sage Foundation and Miss
Grace Abbott, chief of the children's
bureau, Department of Labor.