Evening star., 1929-12-01
BY CoRINNE FRAZIER.

TN international scope and general in
terest, the most significant sessions
of the biennial convention of the
i National Woman's Party to be held
in Washington December 9. inclu-
Sive, will be those on Saturday at the
garden hut of the Grace Dodge Hotel,
when the feminists will take action on
q proposed program of international
work for equal rights, including the
corning nationality, which is to be one
of the three topics coming up before
The Hague Conference on Codiflcation
Of World Law next March.
Outstanding international organiza-
tons of women already have gone on
record in support of the principle OF ma
tionality of women, independent of mar
riage, and are preparing proposals to
submit to the international JurlStS. IL
. is expected that the National Woman's
party at its Saturday sessions will vote
to cast its lot of1cially with this group
and will decide upon the presentation OF
a draft convention to The Hague Con-
ference to the effect that laws govern
ing nationality shall not be based upon
sex.
Among the organizations working
toward this end are the international
Alliance of Women for Suffrage and
Equal Citizenship, made up of member
organizations of 43 countries; the In
ternational Council of Women and the
International Association of University
Women. The Inter-American Commis-
sion of Women has framed a more
sweeping and far-reaching proposal to
effect that in the laws on nationality
there shall be no distinction because of
sex.
Miss Doris Stevens. chairman of the
Woman's Party committee on interna-
tional action, will read her report on the
research work done by her committee
in preparing facts relating to the in
equalities in present laws regarding
women's nationality and the recon-
mendationS proposed for presentation to
The Hague conference, designed to
change these laws.
The Woman'S Party recommendation
probably will conflne themselves to the
portion of international law affecting
the citizenship of women as affected by
marriage. According to Miss Emma
Void, chairman of the nationality COM
mittee of the Women'S Bar Association
Of the District of Columbia, and a prom
inent member of the Woman's Party. the
women Of her organization feel that the
logical position of the United States, in
view Of its leadership and the demand
OF its women, is to stand by the spirit
OF the Cable act. To this end. the
women both of the Bar Association and
of the Woman's Party group are ex-
pected to urge upon the President of the
United States and the delegates ap-
pointed by him to represent the United
States at The Hague support of their
recommendation that marriage shall
not affect nationality and that persons
who have lost their nationality by mar
rage in the past shall be able to re-
gain it.
Women in every field of activity,
professional, social, domestic. are thus
drawn into the ranks of those COM
mitted to the principle of nationality
OF women, independent of marriage"
said Miss Void. Although Women's
associations have not been invited to
submit their views at The Hague con-
ference, nevertheless their proposals as
expressions of the views of women on
subject directly affecting themselves
cannot fan to command respect. since
they are based on careful study of
the present situation both as to the
laws and their effects"
The sessions on International actfvi-
ties next Saturday will be followed by
an international dinner at the Willard
Hotel. Among the speakers at the din
ner will be Ambassador Ferrara of Cuba
Senator Capper, Doris Stevens, chair
man of the Inter America Commission
of Women; Olive Stott Gabriel, presi-
dent of the National Association of
Women Lawyers, and Drew Pearson,
Washington correspondent of the Bal
tin1ore Sun. Mrs. Will Irwin will pre-
side.
Other features of the convention will
be reception at the new headquarters
OF the organization, to be known as
Alva Belmont House, in honor of Mrs.
Q. H. P. Belmont, the national presi-
dent. and memorial meeting in honor
OF Mrs. Pankhurst, the British femin-
1st. IN the United States Capitol.
Mrs, Jane Norman Smith of New
York, chairman of the National Coun-
Gil OF the Woman's Party, will preside
at the first business session on Friday
afternoon, at which national work is
to be the subject under consideration
The principal national undertaking of
the Woman's Party is the equal rights
amendment, providing that men and
women shall have equal rights in the
United States and every place subject
TO its Jurisdiction This amendment
was first introduced in Congress bv
Vice President Curtis. 1t is sponsored
in the present Congress by Senator
Gerald P. Nye of North Dakota in the
Senate and by Representative Frederick
Magrady Of Pennsylvania in the House.
Miss Maud Younger Of San Francisco,