Evening star., 1925-01-26
MOVE TO FIND CURE
FOR WAR ASSA|LED
Acrimonious Debate Marks
Meeting-Legion AuxiI-
iary Not Sponsor.

Cause and Cure of War, which closed
Its sessions here last week, was as
sailed as blatant propaganda" for
the League of Nations in a meeting
at the New Willard Hotel yesterday
afternoon.
Although announcement was made
saturday that the meeting was to be
sponsored by the American Legion
Auxiliary, cooperating with other
patriotic organizations, Mrs. o. D.
Olipahnt, national president of the
auxiliary, today denied that her or
ganization had had anything to do
with It
The gathering. after being ad-
dressed by several speakers, who
CRITICIZED the recent conference from
several angles and warned against
socialistic propaganda everywhere.
was turned into an open forum, dur
ing which charges and counter
charges flew thick and fast
Parley Leaders Criticized.
Mrs. Haviland H. Lund of New York
ana Washington, charged that the
recent conference, although lauded as
a middle OF the road" gathering, had
really been attended by woman dele
gates who were professional organ
lzers, and members of peace organi-
zauons- The whole conference, she
charged, was a "deluge" of propa-
ganda for the league.
Declaring that it was unfair TO call
such a conference conservative" Mrs.
Lund said the leaders had met with a
determination to "foist their opinion.
on the conference"
There is not an atom of democ-
racy," she said. "in a we'll organized
steam roller" Directing most of her
criticism against tho leaders of the
recent conference, Mrs. Lund said
there was mo blame attaching to
those who had been deceived" Women
were urged to study both sides OF the
League of Nations issue before voting
on resolutions
Debate which broke out after the pro-
gram had been thrown open to discus
sion became so acrimonious that Capt
Spencer from the platform begged the
women TO stop batting" one another
and Mrs. William Wolff Smith of the
District Congress of Parent-Teacher As
sociations asked that ''preconceived no
tions'' be not allowed to continue the
meeting in such a spirit as to promote
the very feeling all were trying to pre-
vent
DepIores Bitter Feeling.
Al Jhe helght or the excitement a
woman. rising from her seat in front of
the nall said 1t appeared that the meet
Ing had developed until we are at war
ourselves. full Of strife and anger, when
We should love one another"
DR.. Herbert Adams Gibbons Of
Princeton, n. j., introduced as war
correspondent of the Century Maga-
zine, and an author and lecturer, as
sailed "propagandists" of the League
of Nations, declaring that. although
the people of the United States had
fatty rejected the league in two sep
arate elections with overwhelming e
votes, the propagandists behind the
league were making greater efforts
than ever to get 1t indorsed by large
gatherings, particularly gatherings of
women.
only one side OF the argument"
he said, 'is usually presented at great
conferences such as the one just past"
DR.. Gibbons deplored the "excoria-
tions" OF the Senate and lawmakers
OF Congress which, he alleged, had
come out of the conference on the
cause and cure of war, and said that
it was hard for patriotic, courageous
men in the Senate to be criticized as
small and narrow" He praised the
Senate al on the whole "jolly, fine
lot" of sensible, earnest, devoted
men.
Calls Protests 'Inspired.-
Revealing what he said was pro-
paganda for the League of Nations,
the speaker said a Senator whom he
knew personally had tracked back a
flood of messages he had received in
support of the League of Nations
and discovered that they had come
from people who had never given
the matter much thought, but had
sent the messages because some one
had told them to-"
What the country needed, the
speaker said, was not SO much q sem
timental appeal to the women of the
country as sincere study of the
subject, strengthening of a sturdy
"nationalism." eternal vigilance" and
inculcation both in adults and in the
oncoming generation of love of
country.
Capt. Harold S. Spencer, lately
political officer in the Near East for
the British government. said he had
never seen such "an exhibition of
blatant propaganda for the League
of Nations as he had witnessed as
an observer at the recent conference
on the cause and cure of war.
All of the speakers. with the ex-
ception of two, he said, were either
officials of the League of Nations,
former officials Of the league, or rep
resentatives of organizations who
hoped they would be sent to Geneva.
Prof. James Thomas Shotwell of Co.
lumbia University had been asked to
address the conference on the League
of Nations, Capt. Spencer said, in
spite of the fact that he had had but
recently been defeated in a debate
with Dr. Gibbons, in New York, on
the subject.
British Omcer Criticized.
Brig. Gen. the Right Hon. Lord
Thomson, c. B. E, D. s. o., p. c., who
addressed the first open meeting of
the recent conference, Capt Spencer
characterized as a "fourth-rate SOL
dier, who had been made a peer by
the Socialist government"
Another British speaker criticized
by Capt Spencer was DR.. Alfred E.
Zimmern. The whole speaking pro-
gram at the recent conference, Capt.
Spencer charged, had been arranged
as q doping proceeding, a soothing
proceeding, in which the women were
lulled into a false sense of national
security to the point where they
would say the league was needed
Rev DR.. John ]. Queally, rector Of
the Chapel Of the TRANSPORTATION,
without criticizing so much the re-
cent peace conference, warned against
the danger of Communism seeping
into the churches.
I'VE find Socialistic sermons writ
ten for u.s." he declared; "a very brill
liant young woman, near the Capitol
itself. has already written sermon
for me, If 1 would only deliver 1t sun
day.