Salt Lake Telegram | 1940-02-08 | Page 10 | Woman's Group Works for Equal Rights

WOMAN'S GROUP WORKS FOR EQUAL RIGHTS Br GEKKT DICK WASHINGTON Wihlngton to fun of pressur groups trying to get protective legislation for women wo-men in Industry. But the National Woman'! party la working hard to get all auch legUlatlon wiped off the books. What the Woman's party wants to an equal rights amendment to the constitution. This amendment la very simple. It says "men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its Jurisdiction." The fight has been waged since 1923 wtthout much success, but Woman's party leaders are hopeful they ' may get action at this session of congress. Congrestwoman Mary T. Norton, chairman of the house labor committee, says she will vote to submit the amendments to the people. A canvass of members mem-bers of congress shows increased sentiment for the measure. The Woman's party's po'nt is that all protective ' legislation stands In the way of women's equality with men, and that protective legislation such as maximum hours, minimum wage laws, is really restrictive re-strictive in effect. A bitter fight resulted from a clause in the original-wages and hours bill prohibiting women from working at night An army of telephone operators, telegraph operators on night shifts, scrub women in the employ of railroads or other corporations engaged en-gaged in Interstate commerce protested. The equal rights group Joined their ranks and congress abandoned aban-doned its gallantry to the dark-to-dawn women workers. Should the equal rights amendment pass congress, some revision would be necessary In the existing laws of all forty-eight states. In some states, a husband can collect his wife's wages even If the couple are separated. In others, a husband has the management of his wife's property. The embattled equal rights forces resent this particularly, par-ticularly, because, they say, it gives married women the same legal status as children and Incompetents. They consider It an Injustice that women are tried 1 In court by a Jury of men, but In some states may not themselves serve on Juries. In some states the Inheritance laws favor the men by making a father the sole beneficiary of an estate left by his children, unless the child's will especially designates the mother. Some state laws give the father the right to collect col-lect his children's wages, and sue and collect tor damages If ekher his wife or children suffer injury. In one state, women are prevented by law from serving as governor, highway commissioner, or in any high office in state government. The equal rights defenders are hopeful of organizing or-ganizing women voters behind this constitutional amendment next year. If they could, women voters, who In the last general election cast about half the total vote, would constitute an Important pressure group. But they admit sadly that a great number of women who will leave the kitchen or bridge table to vote for president are pretty old-fashioned and persist per-sist In believing that the good old double standard is good enough for them.