The Washington herald., 1920-06-11
LATIN WOMEN
THREATEN BOLT
English and German Speak
ing Causes Rift Among
Sufraglsts.
PROTEST MEETING HELD
international Alliance, Suf-
frage Convention, Averts
Split.
PROTEST MEETING HELD
BY CONSTANCE DREXEL
Public Ledger ServiceD

Geneva. June IO-"If the Eng
lish and German speaking women
want to run the international al
lance we will get out and form
one of our own" was the attitude
of the Latin nations for several
hours in the suffrage convention.
In fact the delegation from
France. Italy. Spain and South and
Central America called meeting
to discuss the subject while sec
tional conferences were going on
Tuesday.
Peevishness began at the big
public meeting for women men,
bers of Parliament when 1t SEEM
ed as If everything was British or
German with the little 'Scandina-
vian countries thrown in. None
from the Latin countries except
Justin Godart. the official delegate
of France, spoke at all. But as the
women of the other nations say
How could we help it, since none
of the Latin countries have woman
suffrage not to mention women
members of parliaments?"
The French also have been peeved
because so much English is spoken
at the meetings, a language which
the German and Scandinavian and
also the eastern women know thor
oughly, while the French speak
only their own language for the
most part. OF course translations
are made after each speaker but
Mrs. Gait presides in English and
all the translations. as they must
be done on the spur of the mo-
ment, necessarily are briefer than
the original arguments. Hence the
FrenchS Spaniards. Italians and
South Americans felt little out
of it but they decided against
breaking away and the rift passed
off pleasantly.
India Is Anti-British.
However a difference in the point
of view came again yesterday in u
long discussion of the future aims
of the alliance. The women oil
Great Britain and the domiri ons-
with the exec ption of India. have all
had the vote for months o" years.
The women from India are
strongly ant:-Bi itiSh GEd 1t has
been some surprise that they are
allowed to sTeak 80 freely by the
British delegation v hich made most
Of the arrangement for the cor
vention. This il certainly an indi-
cation of the british desire for faii
play and is much apprC ciated. The
women of Scandinavia and the Ger
man-speakine- Countries, if one may
include Aus: ria. HI ngary, Czecho
Siovakia and PtlanG. all achieved
their. political lights. Hence they
were anxious to enlarge the SCOPE
of thu alliance which, heretofore
has beer working Only fer woman
suffrage The Latin countries want
ed tho alliance so to continue uEtl
their countries were enfranchised
but one may HAPPILY state that 4
cornprontisc was attained and every
Nhsdv apparel tiy sGtisfieG.
The new constitution is not yet
formed but ii has been decided the
alliance henceforth shall work for
the full civic economic and social
rights of women.
VIII Debate League Next.
Considerable of the future of the
alliance has been referred to COM
mittee and the next big topic to
come before the full Congress will
be the controversial question of the
league of -.atioI.s.
An interesting arrival is DR.. Daisy
Robinson. of the United States Pub
lie Health Service, who was rushed
to the convention on the steamship
France by Surg. Gen. Cumming. She
wears a very distinctive military
uniform and everybody wanted to
know who she was.
D,,hI Taslu Co