Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-11
WOMEN, VOTING 10 YEARS,
SEEK FULL CITIZENSHIP
First Decade of Suffrage Finds Feminists
Pushing Ahead Into All
Unconquered Fields.

In the matter of remedies for these
remaining disabilities of women under
the law, the women's organizations
have taken two Numerically opposite
courses. The National League of
Women Voters phrases its policy under
the slogan, Specific bills for specific
Ills" while the National Womans
Party prefers to wipe out all discrim-
nations under a blanket amendment
to the Federal Constitution, guarantee
ing to women complete equality with
, men under the law in all human re-
lationships.
This would be the twentieth amend
ment, and in the womens world is
known as the Lucretia Mott amend
ment, named for the pioneer Quakeress.
This proposed amendment reads as
follows
Men and women shall have equal
rights throughout the United States
and every place subject to its juris-
In addition to these two Nationwide
determinations still remaining against
women-in the matter of jury service
and nationality-the feminists find In
many States countless small disabilities
under the law. They involve such fam
lily relations as guardianship OF chill
dren, marriage and divorce; such prop
erty rights as in real estate, inherit
ance, dover and curtesy and the right
of contract.
The League of Women Voters in a
survey in 1927 pointed out as examples
Of these disabilities:
I'm seven States the common law
rights of dover and curtesy still sur
vive. No State by law accords to wives
any portion of the family income, ex-
cept such as they have earned outside
the home, and in six States the hus-
band also takes her wages. In no State
may a wife collect for services per-
formed In the home.
"In AZ States parents inherit equally
from deceased child. In only 10
States does a wife share equally with
her husband in the child's earnings,
and there is no State in which the wife
is entitled to voice in the choice of
family home or in which there is
joint headship in husband and wife,"
Controversy Of Future.
No survey of the woman movement
would be complete without contem-
plation of what promises to be the
great controversy of the future. 1t has
been rumbling around for more than 10
years and appears to be no nearer So
luton than in the beginning. This Is
the controversy between the proponents
of protective legislation for women and
JllOSS VIII II1dultd1Il Illdb oO-SdAkC0 P1O-
| lection reacts as discrimination
The League of Women Voters is the
champion of the protectionist theory
| and the National Won1an's Party Of the
opposite. The idea that women needed
| votes in order to enact laws which
would protect women and children in
| industry was one OF the many argu-
ments advanced in the early days OF the
| ct,fF ropanoi0nc Qf1d III npTSigtG in
| the minds of thousands OF women, but
the opposition appears to be growing.
The Women'S Bureau of the United
States Department Of Labor, quoted In
1927 after an investigation of this con-
troversial field, said:
"In the employment Of women in in
dustries and In stores legislation limit
ing their hours of work to 48 and SO
hours weekly does not hinder their adj
vancement. It reduces their hours. 1t
also reduces the hours Of men. 1t oc-
casionally results in increases in the
number of women employed. 1t does
not close occupations to women to any
appreciate extent. It does not result
in decrease in the number Of women
employed and it does not decrease
wages"
The anti-protectionists, however, ar
que that If, for example, women are
forbidden to work at night employers
are more likely to hire men for such
Jobs, and the women will be prevented
from free competition in their search
for a livelihood They demand that
restrictive laws apply alike to men ana
women. Under the so-called protecdlVe
laws are three groups, those providing
shorter hours e. e., the 48-hour week.
for women in industry, the proh1bltion
Of night work and the minimum wage.
Other Battles Foreseen.
Assuming that all these left-overs in
the realm Of equality are soon wiped
out. what is there left for the woman
movement of the future?
The feminists themselves gladly chorus
that they hope to be able to function
then as citizens rather than as women.
They turn their eyes eagerly TO the
coming battles on the subject OF peace
and prohibition, as well as all the
familiar political and civic problems.
ut is a great pity that we have to go
on working to get these equalities under
the law" said Mrs. Clarence M. Smith,
former chairman of the National Wonl-
ems party, ''but it seems to US that until
we secure equal recognition under the
law, we cannot go ahead without being
restricted. That is the only remnant OF
the woman's party idea left In this
country. I cannot imagine any other
uals which would unite women. or divide
them against men, in political party
Of their own"
Suffragists are sometimes inclined to
mourn the passing of the good old days
and to regret that there will never be
another cause like votes for women"
There will never be again. they believe,
the enthusiasm, the devotion, the emo
ton which for time fused so many
women into one SiSterhOOd.
This is probably true. The suffrage
movement was only one element in the
general process of woman's enancipa-
ton from outgrown conventions In the
educational, economic, social and polit-
ical world In all these fields women
may now function freely as individuals
and need very little the support Of sex
solidarity. Whether they run for Con-
gress or open brokerage Offices or paint
or bring up children or explore the
jungles, the young women of 1880 are
ready to go 1t alone"