Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-12-08

ems pngnt ana are taxing
up the cudgels for them.
President Johnson is
certain, also, to continue the
late President Kennedy's
strong support Of the Com
mission on the Status Of
Women. the carrying for
ward of whose detectives Mr..
Kennedy assured in one Of
his last executive orders.
CThe order set up an inter
governmental cabinet level
committee and a citizens
advisory committee to carry
on
Mr.. johnson has been an
enthusiastic booster of the
commission from the begin
ming. In fact, Assistant
Secretary Of Labor Esther
Peterson gives him credit for
"prodding me to- get the
commission set up sooner
than I otherwise would
have"
Interest Shown
The then Vice President
continued to show his inter
est in the commission in
various ways. He gave a
party at his house for the
group after their first meet
ing. Later. he delivered one
Of the most moving and sig
nificant addresses at a COM
mission-sponSored conference
on employment opportunities
for women. When the COM
mission made its final report
to President Kennedy in the
White House East Room in
October, Mr.. johnson and
his wife, Lady Bird, both
1 were there.
Mr.. Kennedy laid the
groundwork effectively" for
the commission and now ut
could not have fallen into
better hands" than Mr..
Johnson's, sums up Mrs.
Peterson, who was executive
vice chairman of the COM
mission. MRS. Eleanor Roose-
welt was chairman until her
DEATH.
Mrs. Peterson. Democratic
National Vice Chairman
Margaret Price-who Incl
dentally has been asked by
President johnson to retain
her post, as have the other
National Committee officers
and other leading Demo-
cratic women think the new
President will do well by
women.
Woman Conscious
I'm my years Of lobbying
on the Hill, before I was In
the administration, he was
the one person UP there with
whom I worked who never
made me conscious that
was a woman" Mrs. Peterson
recalls. "He always dealt
with the issue at hand. As
long as you knew your stuff
he. treated you seriously and
earnestly"
That kind Of attitude,
De ocratic women feel,
means that the new Presi-
dent won't veto a woman
Just because she is a woman.
They don't want a quota Of
jobs for women, they stress.
They Just feel sit can't be
true that there are as few
qualified women as both
party's appointments some
times would make you think"
The new Presidents admit
ration for women as "doers"
(his wife's world goes way
back. Some think he got it
watching his wife and his
mother. both remarkably
able women.
Mr.. Johnson frequently
tells audiences that his first
Senate victory, which he won
by only 81 votes, was "all due
to Lady Bird"
AS he tells the story, with
pride: "One day Lady Bird
said to me and the men help
ing me, Now, you all have
made enough of a mess of
this. We're going to take
over"
Won by 81
She thereupon organized q
group Of her women friends
to help her ring doorbellS
and make phone calls, the
story goes. And since we
only won by 81 votes, it.:
pretty clear that Lady Birc
did It," he concludes.
The new Presidents atti.
l tude toward women vii
inevitably be contrasted with
that Of the previous admins.
tration. Democratic womer
sometimes have felt the!
were being overlooked by thu
i New Frontier - a viewpoint
| the Republican Nationa
1 Committee has been happ!
1 to fan.
II Mrs. Clare Williams, outgo
\ ing vice chairman Of tn
Republican National Com
II