Evening star., 1925-05-11
Refusal of Use of Building
Despite Contract Evokes
Warm Protest.
MRS. HARRIS DECLARES
MOVE WAS UNEXPLAINED
Had Given Pledge That Radical
and Pacifist Talks Would
Be Barred. ~

The smoldering fires between the
International Council of Women and
the Daughters of the American Revo-
luton blazed into the open today with
a statement from Mrs. Nathaniel Z.
Harris, head of the American del
egation, who tried to clear the at
mosphere.
The International Council became
aware of the trouble ahead about six
months ago, she said, when use of
the D. A. r. Hall, for which a contract
had been signed, was prohibited and
no reasons given.
Since then, she said, the undercur-
rent of insinuation against the Inter-
national Council has been steadily in
creaSing, coming to climax when
the quinquennial convened here last
week. She blames certain factions
in the D. A. r. rather than the entire
organization.
Agreement Was Signed.
Mrs. Harris said: I'VE first were
given to understand that we were to
have the D. A. r. Hall for the quin.
quennial about three years ago from
an informal conversation with Mrs.
Anthony Wayne Cook. She had not
then been elected president general.
When she was elected the agreement
was made into definite contract, sign
ed with Mrs. Philip North Moore.
We stood upon that. Programs were
printed with the pictures of the Con-
tinental Memorial Hall and distributed
all over the world.
Sometime later 1 called on Mrs.
Cook at her Office. She told me that
we must be very careful not to al
1<,x. Rax nt.Ae.
from the d. A. r. platform. OF
course 1 assured her there would be
none. Such thing was unthinkable
when the character of the women
composing the international council is
considered.
Nevertheless we took special pre-
cautions. We wrote to Lady Aber-
deem and to Fru Backer, our inter,
national secretary, asking them to ex
anime the program carefully and to
have manuscripts Of the addresses or
the program prepared in advance In
order that anything which might be
Objectionable to the D. A. r. might
be eliminated. Anybody who knows
what the International council stands
for knows that there would be very
little likelihood of anything of the
kind, and there certainly has not been
at this convention.
The next we knew was late last
October, when we were told that our
contract for the hall had been
rescinded.
Mrs. Moore and Mrs. Ellen Spencer
Muzzey, both d. A. r. members, at
once. called on Mrs. Larz Anderson,
from whom the communication had
come, asking for an explanation.
Isn't 1t enough that we do not
desire you to have the hail., was all
the satisfaction we got from her.
We were almost at the last moment
in plans for an international conven.
tion, where arrangements cannot be
changed suddenly. Since then our
troubles have mounted steadily. The
financial difficulties we have had in
hiring the auditorium and in other
arrangements, which it was necessary
to change, are we'll known.
| Just what our future action will
be / hesitate to state. We will not
allow the matter to drop where it is.
We have been prosecuted unjustly.
We have had untrue insinuations cast
upon us. am not attacking the
d. A. r. as q body. But I do blame
certain members.
The rights of minorities in culture
and language under government
caused a spirited discussion at the ses-
sion of the council in the Auditorium
this forenoon.
Resolution Passed.
The following resolution finally was
passed, to be interpreted by each ma
tional council as it sees fit:
THE International Council of Won.
en- urges that all our National Coun-
ellis devote special attention to educa.
tional conditions in regions where
groups of different nationalities are
living together, as in districts which
have changed sovereignty or in
frontier zones. 1t urges that in the
schools of such districts the character
and genius of each nation be re.
spected."
This resolution has been withdrawn
from the peace committee agenda as
reported by Mrs. George Cadbury, but
Prof. Marion c. Whitney of Vassar
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