The Wilmington morning star., 1942-11-16
BY WEsTBROOK PEGLER
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER

NEW YORK, Nov. 15.-Concerning democra-
cy in the treatment Of the sexes, as he puE it,
Henry Wallace, the vice president, said in Wis
speech to the Congress of American Soviet
Friendship, whatever that was, that it hed
taken the war experience of Russia to demon
strate the completeness of our own failure.
"The average woman tof Russia) does about
as much work as the average man and is
paid as much' he said. Thousands of
Russian women are in uniform, either ac-
lively fighting or standing guard. We in the
United States have not yet in the same way
as the Russians, called on the tremendous re-
serve power which is in our women, but be-
fore this war is over we may be forced to
give the women the opportunity to demon
strate that with proper training they are equal
to man in most kinds of work.
That is Mr.. Wallace's idea of one of the
meanings of democracy. 1t means that women
become soldiers or factory hands and have
the privilege Of performing most Of the kinds
OF work that men do. It is true that in the
United States women are the victims of a
wage differential in most lines of work. That,
however, can be adjusted by raising their pay
without any alteration of the American form
OF government or change in the relations of
the government to the governed. It repre-
sents only faulty operation of the American
oJSsSAAA, AAoI q 4ou1C VI Vic SyStSII 1tScA.
Otherwise women in the United States do
enjoy equality with men. They vote and,
except in few states which cling to old laws,
without the conscious knowledge of their peo-
pie, their property rights are fully respected
and protected.
Indeed, they enjoy special legal protection
as the homemakers and the mothers OF chill
dren and American thought has always i'm
posed on the husbands and fathers a duty to
provide homes and the necessities of life for
their families 1t would seem that in Mr.. Wal
lace's concept Of democracy woman is de.
graded by this legal recognition of her depen-
dency, but the American people will be slow
to emancipate her in this respect
| The enfranchisement of women in the Unit.
ed States, regrettably, has caused no percep.
tible improvement in the political hygiene OF
the country. It is only coincidence, to be
| sure. and the women are not to blame, but
our political life never was more sordid than
it has been under the administration on which
Mr.. Wallace has been one OF the leading
spirits since 1882. One woman senator was
elected by the intercession of the most brutal
and dangerous politician in all our history,
Huey Long, who was a dictator of Hitlerian
stripe. The ladys career has been otherwise
undistinguished, one way or another Another
woman was sent to congress by the Frank
Hague machine Of Jersey City which has
been denounced, in season, by Mr.. Wallace's
party as horribly corrupt and utterly anti.
democratic monstrosity, but out of season has
enjoyed the most agreeable and profitable
recognition from his party. third lady has
been serving as cabinet officer of Mr. Wal
/ lace's administration since 1882 and has been
. a negative figure at best.
There is disagreement as to the quality ot
Mrs Roosevelts contribution to American 90.
litical and social life. But contrary to Mr..
: Wallace's theme, Mrs. Roosevelt has been
. amazingly active, whereas the wife of the
dictator Of Soviet Russia has no public ex.
: istence at all. American women frequent our
saloons, they 60 about unattended, they have
) educational opportunities equal to those o,
men and in the matter of employment are
hampered only out of consideration for their
physical deiecacy. Some Of the restrictions
, may be unreasonable, but it is hardly m ~.