The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1945-08-10
Observations
Women Work in
Junior Role of
Married Team
By HELEN EssARY

bg HELEN A-S1EARA
After / had listened TO 10 or is
senatorial speeches on the San
Francisco Charter, a most disquiet-
ing idea popped into my benumbed
brain. To wit:
The number Of influential women
in Washington Is steadily dimin-
ishing. Imagine at such a time as
this--not one woman in the Senate
OF the United States! Are women
losing their public influenceI
Unhappy thought. And q pro-
found one, too, If you want to in.
Quire into the causes OF this fem
inine retrogressiop Too profound
an inquiry to pack into a column
OF 700 words-or less.
Somebody should do some first.
class research on this theme: Is the
number of influential women in
Washington steadily diminishing?
And IL so-why?
There are nine women In Con-
gress, OF course. Stalwart, intelli-
gent, good-looking females. all Of
them.
Let's gallop down the list in the
order OF official seniority-Mary
Norton, Edith Rogers, Jessie Sum-
ner, Frances Bolton. Margaret
Smith, Clare Luce, Helen Gahagan
Douglas. Emily Taft Douglas and
Chase Woodhouse. Representative,
active, effective. you say?
Granted. enthusiastically. But
despite this snappy showing OF fe-
male brains and success, II you look
at the record. as some people use
the phrase. you will find in Wash
ington few other publically import
ant women.
This is an era of team work.
Husband and wife plugging along
together as a team.
Few are the women, aggressive
and influential In their own right.
Yet you can pick a score or two
OF aggressive and influential teams.
Begin at the top: President and
Mrs Truman, Secretary Of State
and Mrs. Byrnes. Secretary OF the
Treasury and Mrs. Vinson, Attor-
ney General and Mrs. Clark. Secre-
tary OF the Navy and Mrs. Forces
tai. Senator and Mrs. Vandenberg,
Senator and Mrs. Taft, former Am
bassador and Mrs. Joseph z.
Davies.
Take the distaff side OF the
teams: Smart good-looking wom-
en-, all OF them. But careful and
adroit players-down OF self in the
interest OF the team. There is
probably no more powerful women
in the United States, financially.
than Marjorie Davies. Yet. ofaci-
ally, she is Joe Davis wife.
could cite you many more. Let's
think a moment. . Senator and
Mrs. Joseph Ball, Senator and Mrs.
Ralph Brewster, Senator and Mrs.
Connally, Justice and Mrs. Stanley
Reed.
Skipping to the business scene,
i jump to the Charles II. Tompkins
Co., one OF the most alert construc-
ton companies in the country. Mrs. Z
Tompkins (Lida) is recognized as
an important member of the firm.
Yet she plays her part diligently
as the wife OF Charles H.
On business letters addressed 20
her as a member OF the firm she
signs her name IL. II. Tompkins"
in order TO avoid over-emphasis Of
her own role.
You will md team work at the
head of the Official and industrial
parade in the capital now. Indeed.
you'll have trouble remembering
women who are individually i'm
portant.
Obviously, my piece today is a
thesis that needs a much larger
treatment than | can give 1t. I'd
like TO hear the trend back to the
home explained by social workers
and psychologists.
For of all eras In which women
should have shown themselves IN
dependent, self-assertive. spectac-
ularly successful, competitive pro-
fessionally. now is the moment.
Millions OF men have been abroad
fighting. The field OF opportunity
for women has been saying. in
green lights, "Go," Got"
But have women gone ahead as
separate personalities; II you
count the example OF Washington
as significant, the answer is def
nitely: mol"