Evening star., 1924-05-11

II
X came to Washington and OBJ
IL tanned cards admitting them
to one of the Senate galleries.
With time off for necessary food and
sleep and visits to the lobby and
Senate office building, they've been
there ever since. And as the time
draws near for the Senate to wind up
its business these women lean a little
further out over the gallery rail and
watch little closer the actions of
the performers below. For any day
now viii see the success or failure of
mission intrusted to them by their
menfolks at home, who sent them to
Washington to accomplish what they
had come near giving up in despair.
Representing the chamber of com
merce of the Isle of Pines, Mrs. Har-
riet Powell-Wheeler, Mrs. Minnie
Drake Heeren and Mrs. Marguerite
Gardner Fetter came to Washington
last winter to do what they could to
keep the Senate from ratifying a
treaty with Cuba which relinquishes
all claim by the United States to the
Isle of Pines. Mrs. Heeren went home
some time ago, but her two compan-
ions have remained to see the thing
through. They've interviewed every
member of the Senate. They've pre-
sented their claims to the President
and to the Secretary of State. They've
interested women's clubs and had
them pass resolutions indorsing theig
stand. They've produced pamphlets
ture wide circulation, and now they
are waiting for the final test For
the treaty, already reported from the
| foreign relations committee of the
Senate, will be called up in few
days. They say the Senate will re-
/ fuse to ratify the treaty-provided
men don't lie." But what a senator
| says to an attractive and earnest lob
| byist in the Senate office building and
what he says when the clerk is calling
Tor the ayes and the noes do not al
| ways agree. The vote will tell the
story.
To Determine Future.
! Meanwhile. these same menfoIks
| at home who sent the women to
Washington are keeping in close
touch with the cable offices on the
| Isle of Pines The decision of the
Senate will mean a lot in determin-
ing their future welfare. If the Sen
ate ratifies the treaty their represent
atives in Washington say they will
sell out for what they can get and
try their fortunes elsewhere. If the
Senate refuses to ratify the treaty
they will set about obtaining legis-
lative determination of the Islands
status. The action of the Senate, one
way or another, will affect from 700
to 10000 Americans-acCordi to
who is counting them. A pamphlet
| favoring the Cuban cause and cir
culated by the Cuban embassy here
states about 700 Americans reside
permanently on the island The
Americans fighting the treaty's ratf-
fication claim that more than 10000
American citizens have made their
homes and purchased 90 per cent of
the property on the island.
The ownership of the Isle of Pines
has been disputed more or less seri-
ously for the last twenty-five years,
| when Spain, under the treaty of
Paris. relinquished title and sover-
eighty to Cuba and other islands in
the West Indies. Under the Platt
amendment to the Cuban constitution
a few years after ratification of the
treaty of Paris Congress declared
that 1.-The Isle of Pines shall be omit
ted from the proposed constitutional
boundaries of Cuba, the title thereto
being left to future adjustment by
treaty" In 1904 the treaty, now
pending, was prepared. 1t proposed
to relinquish the Isle of Pines to
Cuba in return for coaling and naval
stations, and it has been reposing in
certain pigeonholes in the Capitol ever
| since.
! Claims of Americans.
Those who are opposing the treaty's S
ratification have produced documen-