Evening star., 1926-11-30
WOMEN'S PARLEY
FEARED AS PINK"
Defense Proponents See
Coming Conference as Move
to Guide Congress.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Friends OF national defense and pre-
paredness on land and sea and in the
air view with some anxiety the "sec-
ond conference on the cause and cure
OF war" to open in Washington on
December 5. They believe the meet
ing is timed for the opening of Con-
gress and designed to exercise anti
militaristic" pressure on the House
and Senate. During the Winter, as
usual, those two bodies win consider
and pass the annual appropriations
for the Army and Navy. AS the
mine national womens organiza-
tions' sponsoring the conference
favor peace by international arbitra-
lion and brotherly love rather than
peace by preparedness, authorities
who still place faith in dry powder
and sharp swords will watch the con-
clave with an eagle eye They see
in 1t, however, camouflaged, pacifist
drive.
The announcements Of the confer
ence thus far published give a general
idea Of the subjects to be discussed.
Less stress has been laid on the con-
ference's primary purpose. That pur-
pose is to adopt q program" which
the nine womens organizations In
question have had under discussion
for two years. The program will be
submitted at the forthcoming Wash
ington meeting. The only linking
that has leaked out about the pro
gram" is contaiT.ed In a statement by
Mrs. Carrie Chapman Gait, general
chairman, OF the conference, publish
ed in ne November issue Of the
Arbitrator of New York.
May Move Headquarters.
The statement says:
"I am chairman OF cofnmltIec
composed of nine women's organ1za-
tions. including the largest in the
country and numbering millions In
their membership. They reach every
little crossroads between the oceans.
These women have ben engaged LOT
two wears on a program. IL VIII oe
finally adopted in a conference at
Washington December 5-lO. Propaoiv
its central idea will be arbltfatloii.
The women are trying to ma UNITY
among themselves. No hard-fought
campaign can be won without the
crossroads. Whether these organlZa-
tions will carry on that far IS not
vet decided If they do they viii sup
ply the missing machinery.
Mrs. Cats suggestion as to the
Crossroads" is interpreted as mean
ing an intensive, Nationwide cam
uaign for the conference program,
villages and towns Of the United
States. 1t has been reported to pro-
preparedness groups in Washington
that the National Council for Proven
tion of War, the centra liZed paclnSt
organization, is thinking of transfer
ring its general headquarters from the
National Capital to Indianapolis. Ihe
supposed reason is that the pacllStS
would be nearer the Crossroads geo.
L. nHi WASH
ington because of the 1loosier me-
tropoliS' central location.
Those who favor citizens military
training camps and military training
in schools and colleges are especially
alarmed over the popular effect the
forthcoming Washington conference
may have The Army and educational
authorities who support training are
constantly having to wage a defen-
Sive campaign against those VINO
would abolish the system.
Hold President Is Opposed.
The opponents of training are max
!pe wholesale use OF q casual state
laent attributed to President Coolidge
on that subject last June. They rep
resent the Commander in-chief of the
Army and Navy as at loggerheadS
with his own War Department and
speak of the latter having "unwisely
taken the opposite position a few
months ago without consulting PreS1-
dent Coolidge" A chara cteriStic pas
sage in the news bulletin of the Ma
tional Council for Prevention OF War
reads:
America will not be militariZed II
the President knows it. The young
tinGoes in our military establishment
.-re far 100 aggressive and enthuSi-
astic to take the country with them.
If they had their way, with their
universal draft bills and defense days
they would soon be trying to fulfill
Assistant Secretary Of War Mac
NiderS dream of debating peace to
the world.
The rational council is also issuing
a post card showing q young Ameri-
can Citizen-suldier marching in goose
step alongside a burly and ,helmeted
Prussian guard Of the World War era.
The card IS entitled: rs this education
for a warless World?" Beneath is the
quotation: president Coolidge is op-
posed TO compulsory military training
for school or college students"
Mrs. Gait, who will lead the cause
andcure-o war conference, in the
first statement she has made in Wash
ington on the subject. said to this
writer:
THE affiliated women's organiza-
ttons sponsoring this meeting are not
out to abolish the United States Army
and Navy. We believe In that full
measure of reasonable preparedness
which existing conditions demand. We
do not advocate doing away with ma
tional defense until other nations do
30 In concert and in proper proportion
We are for warless world. but pend
ing its arrival we do not seek to bring
about a defenSeleSS America "
tCUpyrlGht 1885,