[Clipping: Women's bill doomed, Smothers tells crowd] Part: 1 of 2
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20 A4 he fa11as 4orni Cf e
Women' bil
Smothers tel
AustinBureau of The News
4tJSTIN - A Dallas legislator pre-
dicted Wednesday a bill to establish a
stafe Commission on the Status of
Women "is not going to pass."
The remark from Rep. Clay Smothers
dreiv applause from about 200 women
and a few men wearing "stop ERA" but-
toi4.
Smothers and Sen. Walter Mengden,
R-Houston, are sponsors of a resolution
to rescind Texas' ratification of the U.S.
Constitution's "equal rights amend-
ment."
THEIR AUDIENCE from over Texas
came to the Capitol to lobby for their
prc4,osal
Concerning the "status of women"
bilf-opponent.Smothers said he hopes
to get an attorney general's opinion on
constitutionality. If it reaches the
House floor,-Smothers said "I've got 42
amendments to offer" indicating long
debate.
'the conservative black lawmaker, a
Deniocrat serving his first term, said
his amendments would attempt to
create special commissions on "status
of men," "status of black women" and
other special groups.
Voicing his opposition to special
treatment of any group, including
blacks and women, Smothers assertedThursday, March 3,1977
I doomed,
Is crowd
civil rights should provide only for
"equal opportunity."
"After that, it should take the same
sweat and toil to make it," Smothers
said, with his all-white audience still
applauding.
"I don't need any more civil rights.
All I want is what white people want...
a nice home in a nice neighborhood
and some money in my pocket."
Smothers said he's not "carrying"
the repeal-ERA proposal just because-of
a campaign promise but because he be-
lieves in it.
"This may hurt my chances at re-
election," he said.
Cries of "never" came from the audi-
ence.
MENGDEN TOLD the group the
Legislature or Congress by law can cor-
rect any discrimination- that exists
against women.
"Transfer the authority to the
federal judiciary, and you are effec-
tively removed from the political proc-
ess," Mengden said.
Smothers reported he has sent a tele
gram to singer-television performe
Anita Bryant to come to Texas to cam-
paign for repeal of ERA. He said that
would more than offset the influence
of President Carter in campaigning foray
adoption.I h
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The Dallas Morning News. [Clipping: Women's bill doomed, Smothers tells crowd], clipping, March 3, 1977; Dallas, TX. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1788061/m1/1/: accessed June 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.