The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1943-01-26
BY ADELAIDE KERR
Alp Feature Writer

The first legislative measure
laid before the 18th Congress, i:
one of vital importance to every
woman in the world.
1t is a proposed amendment
to the Constitution giving the
women of the United States equal
rights with men.
Though it is not a new proposal
it was introduced this year with
the biggest Congressional support
it has ever had - 40 representa-
tives introduced it in the House
and FL Senators will sponsor its in
PRODUCTION in the Senate It is Of
fered as a corollary to the 10Th
amendment (Which gave women
the vote) and is simply phrased in
10 words: Men and women shall
have equal rights throughout the
United States and every place SUBJ
ject to its Jurisdiction"
The amendment has raised legal
questions which have divided the
opinion of Women's organizations.
Backing it strongly are the Ma
tional Woman's Party, which
sponsored it, the National Fedora
ton of Business and Professional
Women's Clubs, and Is other ma
tional organizations. Opposing it
are the Young Women's Christian
Association, the National League
Of Women voters, and various
other organizations napd labor
groups, h.. 10 cu'cl
ran. The Arguments Pro
Anita Pollitzer, chairman of
the New York City Committee of
the National -Woman's Party,
sounds her groups chief argu-
ment:
MANY people believe that
when the federal suffrage amend
ment was passed women got their
rights. But the suffrage amend
ment gave women only the right
to vote. Now there are more than
1000 determinations under the
law which affect women in differ
ent ways in different states.
when we first began to work
for equal legal rights for women,
we worked on specific bills to cure
specific ills. But we learned that
after we got a bill passed improv-
ing the condition of women, the
next legislature could overturn
it. We found out that the only
permanent way to make gains for
women was an equal rights amend
ment."
The Arguments Against
Rose Schneiderman, Secretary
of the New York State Department
of Labor, voices labor's objections
to the measure: I'VE have worked
for certain laws such as the mini
mum wage law for women which
we think gives women more equal
ity than a blanket amendment
The equal rights amendment viii
cancel these because it would be
construed that women shall no
have any legislation men do no
have"
Lena Madesin Phillips, New
York lawyer and President of the
international Federation of Bust
ness and Professional Women:
Clubs, answers labor's attack
with:
Nothing as important and fal
reaching as according Womer
equal rights under the law coulc
come without considerable con
fusion and perhaps some tempo>
airy injustice. But the principle J
right. If this amendment destroy
the minimum wage laws, we ca
pass new ones for both men an
women"
Judge Dorothy Kenyon, NIeN
York lawyer and former Judge c
the New York Municipal Cour
objects to the equal rights arnend
ment, on. these grounds: 3ullH
This aniendment u would tax
away the power to enact protee
tive legislation and. that powe
should always be preserved.
Besides there is no parallel 70
this legislation" she said. 81
would hand ovre an enormou
field of personal relations to tn
federal government. The fedora
government has no jurisdiction i
the field of domestic relation,
The law of domestic relations is
matter for the state alone. TIL
judges will have no standards t
guide them"