Volume LIV
Salem College, Winston-Salem, N. C., Monday, October 16, 1972
Number 9
Women Hold Their Own
in Politics
Mrs. Constance Armitage, President of the National Federation
of Republican Women.
Armitage
Urges
Vote
The 1972 Symposium, “Wo
len in Politics” opened Tuesday
jght at 7:00 P. M. in Hanes
vith the introduction of Mrs.
Constance Armitage, President
Fof the National Federation of
^Republican Women. A tall, hus
ky-voiced blonde, Mrs. Armitage
as an impressive background of
|service in the political arena. She
as been a delegate four times at
le National Republican Con-
fvention, serving three times on
Ithe platform committee. At pre-
Isent, Mrs. Armitage is a member
lof President Nixon’s Advisory
[Council on European Affairs.
|Her extensive travels in Italy
vhere she hved and studied for
jseveral years, and the time she
[spent in Paris, France, make her
veil-qualified for such a task.
Mrs. Armitage stressed the
[fact that American democracy is
|a citizens form of government
and therefore requires citizen in
volvement and a willingness to
[do the work. She commented
[that for every woman active in
politics 250 women remain at
liome baking cookies, attending
PTA meetings, or playing bridge
aedecked in their gauche flo-
very hats. Mrs. Armitage com-
[mented upon the increasing par-
[ticipation of women with college
degrees in governmental offices.
[Over one-half of all college grad-
[uates are working in some capa-
[city with the government. Mrs.
Vrmitage pointed out the impor-
Itance of obtaining a degree,
[stating it doubles the amount
[earned annually as well as open-
jing up avenues into the political
[arena. She revealed the great ad-
Idition of talented women Presi-
jdent Nixon now has working in
[his administration. Mrs. Armi-
[tage said that President Nixon
[even has a computer bank con
taining files on women of train-
ling and ability to locate a re-
jsponsible female when a job op-
[portunity arises. She gave several
I statistics comparing the working
[conditions and salaries of men
[and women. The amount in the
[work force has doubled in the
[last decade and it has been dis-
[covered that women are more
[adaptive to working conditions,
[plus being better persuaders.
■There has been a marked in-
jcrease in the number of women
I doctors, lawyers, and engineers,
[but sadly enough the number of
[women in Congress has de
creased from 19 in 1961 to only
11 this year. Mrs. Armitage ad
mits that some prejudice still ex
ists concerning women in the po
litical world; she thinks women
make the best politicians be
cause they are so idealistic. She
feels America is plagued with an
attitude of cynicism which be
gins as early as the 2nd grade of
elementary school. Women can
recontribute idealism to the
young by serving in Congress.
Furthermore, Mrs. Armitage
laughingly commented, once a
good woman gets in, she can
never be gotten out.
Although no great purporter
of Women’s Liberation, Mrs. Ar
mitage feels strongly that wo
men can lead a second life of in
volvement, and that it is time
for a woman’s contribution.
Forty-eight percent of the elec
torate is female, so we do have
a responsibility to vote - espe
cially those of us who live in the
South. The percentage of wo
men voting in the South is the
lowest of any other section in
the United States. The South
has also become an open field
for either political party, no
longer maintaining a one party
dominance true in its past. Par
ticipation, thus, is made even
more important.
Mrs. Armitage feels privileged
to be a woman in America. The
dedication of her life to the po-
htical arena reveals her appreci
ation of this privilege. In riding
back with Mrs. Armitage to
Spartanburg, I noticed a viva
ciousness that characterizes her
speech whether appearing on
stage before a large audience or
chatting with a small intimate
group. She impressed us with her
extensive ’ knowledge of the
world and of life. We found our-
The Honorable Norma Hand-
loff, mayor of Newark, Dela
ware, spoke Wednesday after
noon as part of the “Women in
Politics Symposium.” Mayor
Handloff, patriotically dressed
in red, white, and blue, opened
her remarks by stating that all
of her campaign staff was under
twenty-two years of age. Sur
prised? It only serves to verify
what Mayor Handloff believes -
we are all the “super-wonder
land” of politics together, young
or old, and politics therefore be
comes the job of every human
being.
This feehng of the together
ness of politics goes well with
Mayor Handloffs definition of
politics, which differs somewhat
from ones in the dictionary. She
defines poHtics as the art of
dealing with people. Mayor
Handloff pointed out that we
all have to deal with many kinds
of people every day. In this
sense, each of us is a politician.
The moral of that story is, of
course, be careful about whom
you call a dirty politician - it
could be your own self.
Mayor Handloff, speaking di
rectly tb the role of women in
politics, firmly stated that wo
men should play a role no dif
ferent from that of men. She
pointed out that because of the
diminishing differences made be
tween the sexes, women are now
able to participate more equally
and freely in politics. Some peo
ple still raise the question about
the emotional stability of wo
men as compared to that of
men. Mayor Handloff said that,
in her personal experience, the
women members of the City
Council in Newark did not lose
their cool as easily as the men.
Mayor Handloff discussed
some of the disadvantages of
being in politics. There is a loss
of privacy. There is the impos
sible task of choosing a right
answer when there are none.
But Mayor Handloff believes the
rewards gained from serving the
people of your community far
outweigh the disadvantages. The
rewards must indeed be great for
Mayor Handloff. She is serving
her fourth term as mayor and is
presently running as the Demo
cratic candidate for the State
Legislature in Delaware.
Mayor Handloff, not ham
pered by ponderous notes,
freely discussed her experiences
and ideas. (She said that she felt
that her frequent departures
from prepared texts were more
revealing and inspiring for her
audiences.) The ideas she pro
fessed and the experiences she
has had were culminated in an
exciting talk about the role of
"We must organize political
ly, legally, as students, and every
other way,” asserted Martha Mc
Kay during the October 11
morning session of the Women
In Politics Symposium at Salem
College. Speaking in the drama
workshop to a moderate-size
crowd of students, faculty, and
visitors, Ms. McKay urged wom
en to join together to fight a-
gainst discrimination of women
in government, both national
and state, in jobs, and in educa
tion.
The aim of the N.C. Women’s
Political Caucus, Ms. McKay
said, is to create a political pow
er block, thus removing the de
pendence of women on a party
boss. Women’s issues will come
first, the party and the candidate
second. “We are no longer going
to crochet bumper stickers!”,
she said, to the delight of the
audience. Women will become a
vital part of politics and govern
ment and will “play the power
game” as effectively as men.
However, Ms. McKay clearly
stated that the Caucus does “not
support candidates because they
are women”, but because they
are qualified women.
The Equal Rights Amend
ment to be voted on by the state
legislature next year is the main
concern of the Women’s Politi
cal Caucus. The amendment, if
passed, will give legal protection
to women against discrimina
tion, especially in jobs. Citing a
working woman’s median in
come as $4467, Ms. McKay gave
examples of how equally quali
fied men and women seeking
employment are invariably cat
egorized by sex, the man almost
always obtaining the job.
Education and training op
portunities should be granted to
women as well as men, stated
Ms. McKay. Day care centers
should be provided for the con
venience of student or working
mothers, and a Fair Employ-
meht Practices Commission
should be established in N.C.
When women are free, men
are free, asserted Ms. McKay.
In the present situation, “the
oppressor is as chained as the
oppressed.”
* * * *
“It all costs money,” Ger
trude Lotwin, Chief of the Assis
tance Standards Branch of the
Dept, of HEW, said of the Public
Assistance program.
Following Ms. McKay in the
Wednesday morning session,
Miss Lotwin took a different ap
proach to the symposium from
Ms. McKay. Rather than discus
sing how women can unite to be
an influential part of govern
ment, she discussed the aims and
needs of the welfare program
and how she, as a woman, func
tions in her job with the HEW
Dept.
Those qualifying for public
Assistance must be over 18,
blind, and needy; permanently
and totally disabled and needy;
or a needy family with depen
dent children in which one par
ent is absent by death or deser
tion. “Need” is defined as the
poverty level, which is an in
come three times the amount of
money spent on food.
“How much would you give
to a poor family?”. Miss Lotwin
asked the audience. Figures were
thrown out, but criticisms of
over-expenditure of tax money
by the welfare system predomi
nated. Most seemed to agree that
the poor should work for the
money given to them, that they
should be taught to buy what is
really needed instead of purchas
ing “luxury” items, and that the
welfare department should have
some system of regulating what
is bought with welfare money.
Listening to the complaints
attentively. Miss Lotwin pointed
out the fallacies to each. Asking
the poor on welfare to work is
asking those who are the least
trained, the least educated, and
in the poorest health to take an
eight-hour-a-day job of poverty
level payment, she said. It was
noted that most welfare recipi-
ients are mothers with depen
dent children who must not only
hold a job but cook, clean, shop,
and help with school work.
“You know what they’re really
saying when they won’t work?”.
Miss Lotwin countered,
“They’re saying ‘I’m dead
tired’ ”.
Studies have shown that the
low income person manages
money better than the middle
income person, said Miss Lot
win. “People have the right to
spend their money as they see
fit.” The HEW has no right to
govern personal lives.
The principle concern of the
welfare system, Miss Lotwin
stated, is the children. They
must not be destroyed by their
unstable family life. “It is a nat
ional problem”. Miss Lotwin
said. “We need fresh ideas. Brave
ideas. People who are unafraid
to spend money.”
selves talking about everything Mayor Norma Handloff and the
from the youth vote to deer role possible for other women
hunting with a 40 lb. bow. Mrs.
Armitage is tmly a remarkable
woman whose personality ^ is
marked by many interesting
facets. Prom a professor of art
history at a small private boys’
school to national political
prominence with the presidency
of the Woman’s Federation of
the Repubhcan Party is a gigan
tic and somewhat awesome step.
Yet, it can only give inspiration
to a girl from' an equally small
and private girls’ school to the
Presidency of who knows, may
be the United States.
Info
Dr. Cornelius Troost will
speak Thursday, October 19, at
1:15 in Shirley on the subject of
pornography. Prior to coming to
Salem, Dr. Troost worked with
the County of Los Angeles on
various court cases concerning
pornography. His talk will deal
with his experience in these
cases, and the laws and penalties
relating to pornography.
Miss Gertrude Lotwin chats with Lee Booth