The Washington times., 1917-04-15
Jean ELOTcT
LETTER.
MY DEAR SUSAN:

the d. A. r. were in for a lively con-
gress this year with four would-oe
presidents-generaI Offering themselves
for election. You'd think SO II you
were in town just now. The hotels
are fairly swarming with 'em, with
two candidates, Mrs. Guernsey ana
Mrs Horton, at the willard; MIS-
Squires at the Powhatan, and Mrs.
Lewis at the Shoreham.
Each of them is giving parties in
honor of their own State delegations
and their State delegations are CIV
ing parties in their honor-crush af-
fairs, to which all Daughters, resident
or visiting, delegates or mere lockers
on, are invited. And most of them
are going the rounds OF all with laugh
ing impartiality and for the moment
ready to vote for the one who has
the best eats while the rest of us
. are looking on, highly amused and re-
joicing in a chance to see something
of friends from a distance.
OF course. there are smaller func-
tions-luncheons and dinners to Of
ficers and highly influential Daugh-
ters. And the Congressional women
are more or less entertaining the
leading delegates from their home
States. Though a good deal of that is
being cut out, since the printing Of
that very sensible and patriotic ap-
peal from Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Mar
shall and the women of the Cabinet to
curtail functions" and go in for
economy in food and dress.
Everybody is asking just what
stand the Daughters are going to take
the hfo
Mrs. Story has pledged the organiza-
tion's support to the President and Con-
gress, and expressed its readiness to
help in any way possible. But, after
all, the pledge was expressed in the
usual glittering generalities. And ii
will be up to this Continental Con-
gress to ratify the pledge or not, as
it sees fit. And 1t will be up to Mrs.
Story's successor to carry 1t out, as
she sees fit. So have been wonder
ing how the candidates felt on such
matters as conscrfption and universal
training, and whether they would
come up during this Congress and pre-
cipitate some hot times.
Mrs. Guernsey
No Pacifist.
1 was particularly. interested in,
Mrs. Guernsey's point of view, for
every one seems to feel that she is the
leading candidate-and there have
been rumors that she is a pacifist.
She isn't. The rumor has left her
anything but pacific. "Pacifist moth
ing!" snorted Eliza Denniston of Pitts
burgh, who is.o one of Mrs. Guernsey's
chief lieutenants. And her chief
smiled and added: "I don't quite see
why / have been labeled a pacifist,
except that 1 come from Kansas, and
Kansas has not been very keen about
our getting into this European fight
but, believe me, since we are in, Kan
sas is more than ready. AS for me,
I'm an ardent admirer of Theodore
Roosevelt l wish were eligible to
enlist in his brigade, for 1 certainly
would like TO be able to fight along
side him." Which certainly did not
sound like a pacifist-but it conjured
up some strange visions, too.
Mrs. Squires is perfectly sure the
ID. A. r. will support whatever meas
ures are decided upon. She thinks
that, as the biggest body of women
and one of the most influential. Il
should have the privilege of mobiliz-
ing the women for whatever service
they are capable OF. And she thinks
the organization should and will sus-
pend all other activities to devote 1t.
self to war servicee,
She says that all her folks are
ready to answer the call to the colors
and she enumerated quite q list OF
them, winding up with her youngest
son, just twenty-one. from whom she
has had a letter since her arrival hero
asking her consent to his going into
the aviation corps. She admits that
she aF ret all
wait until after the Daughters' con-
gress. when she was at home, and
could talk it over with him, but. on
thinking it over. decided II was not
for her to restrain his patriotic i'm
pulses, and she wired him to do what
he thought right.
Mrs. Lewis Serene
Amid Fight.
You remember told you weeks
ago, when 1t was not generally
known, that Mrs. James Hamilton
Lewis was to be a candidate for
president general-and later, some
thing OF the "ructions" her unexpect.
ed entry into the race was causing
Well, OF the four candidates, now
that the hour Of fate approaches, Mrs
Lewis is certainly taking things most
serenely. Ever so many of her warm
friends-and / know of nobody who
has more or warmer friends-Iike Mrs.
Matthew Scott. for instance, have
been made quite unhappy because,
having been for months-or even
since the last election, two years ago
pledged to other candidates, they
could not get out and work for her.
But Mrs. Lewis hasn't the least idea
of allowing d. A. r. politics to inter
fere with personal friendships. She
says that her whole idea in entering
the campaign at all was that, being a
rank outsider from both factions, hav-
ing no party affiliations, she might be
able to bring about union and har-
mony.
To return to Edgemoor, the Hard.
jngs are planning to spend most OF
the summer away from town while
the Chilean embassy is established in
their house. Paul n. Warburg, of
the Federal Reserve Board, has leased
the house Just across II ON the Hard
ings-the residence OF Mr.. and Mrs ].
Girvin Peters. 1t is a beautiful home,
and was built originally by Mande-
willie Carlisle, but was never occu-
pied by him. The Peters will occupy
an attractive little cottage on their
place during the five months the War
burgs have their home. Capt. Martin