Evening star., 1938-02-08
WOMEN DEN0UNCE
AMENDMENT. PLAN.
FOR SEX EQUALITY.
"SentimentaI Feminism" Hit
by Mrs. Pinchot at Sen.
ate Hearing.
LOSS OF PROTECTION
FOR WORKERS FEARED
Dean G. Acheson Warns of Con.
fusion in Reconciliation With
Laws of States.

Women are getting along all right
without Federal legislation to make
them equal with men. members of the
sex today told Senate Judiciary Sub
committee considering sex-equality
amendment to the Constitution that
Is being urged by the National Wom-
ans Party.
Appearing as one of the battalion Of
opposition mustered by the League of
Women Voters, Mrs Clifford Pinchot.
wife of the former Governor of Penn
sylvania, raped the proposal as ''sen-
timental feminism." and told the sub
committee that in the days OF the
suffrage fight, the National Woman's
Party had uncanny ability to get on
the front pages-but after all, front
pages are not votes"
Mrs. Pinchot. an active worker in
the cause of labor, repeated the argu-
ment Of other witnesses that the
amendment would destroy protective
legislation" designed to improve the
Ot Of working women.
Determinations Largely Gone.
Mrs. Edith Valet Cook. an official of
the Women Voters, said the out
standing and obvious legal discrimina-
tions against women have, with few
significant exceptions, been removed" j."
and that most of those remaining ARE
IN the realm of domestic and family
law concerning which there is no gen.
eral agreement as to precisely what
change would be desiramle"
I'VE beliee that women, through
the vote, now have the means of COR
recting laws that are discriminatory
against them whenever they agree that
they are in fact discriminatory and
that they favor making changes in
laws that affect thei roWn status with
precision and care rather than through
some glittering generality about equal
rights" Mrs Cook said
Acheson Sees Confusion"
A couple of mere men" also came
into the hearing, Dean G. Acheson,
former Undersecretary of the Treas
ury. declaring such an amendment
would lead to incredible confusion" :"
as efforts were made to reconcile un-
der it conflicting State statutes.
For instance, he said, all but IA
States now require a husband to
support his wife. Now, he queried,
would this support be waived, or would
the wife be required to support her
husband?
Senator Borah, Republican, of
Idaho, who with Senator Burke, DEM
ocrat, of Nebraska, conducted the
hearing today, wondered at one point
In Mr.. Achesons testimony if the
amendment means that women have
the right to work in dangerous places
equally with men," and then COM
mented:
ut seems to me that We are trying
20 do what God failed to do
Legal Aspects Touched.
James Oliver Murdock a former
legal adviser to the State Department,
also discussed the legal aspects of the
proposal and said that lit would open
the flood gates of litigation through
out the country"
Pending for IA years, and dormant
for the last five. the Townsehd-Burke
resolution to submit the proposal to
the States came up for hearing yes
terday by the subcommittee, which in
. day-long session heard vigorous
condemnation of the two-sentence leg
islation:
nd ch ,01
rights throughout the United States
and every place subject to its juris-
.diction.
Congress shall have power to
enforce this article by appropriate
legislation"
Attack Is Launched.
The attack was launched in a final
move to stave off a favorable report
by the Senate Judiciary Committee,
which is to vote on the proposition
next Monday. The opposition came
almost entirely from labor and re-
ligious groups, which declared for the
principles of removing specific civil
liabilities which handicap women, but
asserted the blanket legislation"
would have the effect of destroying
protective legislation built up in the
last few years to aid women in in
dustry.
That this would be the effect was
the belief emphasized first by Senator
Wagner, Democrat, of New York and
then re-emphasized by score of other
witnesses.
"Unholy Alliance" Charged.
From Miss Pauline Newman of New
York City. member of the State
Minimum Wage Board, and represen-
tative of the National Womens Trade
Union League. the committee heard
the charge that proponents have
formed sort of unholy alliance with
the vested interests"
Miss Anna Neary of Baltimore, an
organizer for the American Federation
Of Labor, declared that she had been
identified with the labor movement
for Fl years, and that she has never
had an offer of assistance or co-opera-
ton" from the National Woman's
party for improving the lot of working
women. She said the A. F. of L.
opposed the legislation,
Mrs Louis Gutenberg of Washing
ton, speaking for the National Council
of Jewish Women, said that organiza-
ton believes in correcting specific dis
elimination against women by specific
legislation.