Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-08
j. s. WOMEN PERIL
HAGUE CONFERENCE
Demand Nationality Question
BE Deferred or Ameri-
cans Withdraw.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

n4 FhEDEhIC WILLIAM VILE.
At London, the five-puwer naval con-
terence is about to break up because
Of dtssension from within. At The
Hague the. First World Conference for
Codiflcation of Interna..vhx- Law may
collapse within a few hours on word
from Washington that the American
delegation is prepared to withdraw un-
less the question of the nationality of
women is. left. over for a subsequent
conference.
That tense situation has arisen be-
cause OF the transfer to The Hague
Of the question of equal rights for
women" the issue of which the Ma
tional Woman's Party is the chief
protaeontst in the United States. Faced
by the imminent peril that the con-
ference may adopt an international law
code making nationality distinctions be-
tween men and women, groups of women
arranged to wait on President Hoover
at the White House To-Day They de-
sire that he insist upon poStponement
of the whole question. If the confer
ence is unwilling to defer action, the
women want the President to order
Americas spokesman at The Hague to
bolt the conference and come home.
Crisis Reached in Week End.
Matters boiled to a crisis during the
recent week end. On Saturday the ma
ttonality committee of the conference
adopted four articles of a proposed con-
vention on the nationality of married
women. All the articles represent Bit
ter disappointment to the women from
various parts of the world, especially
America, who modified at The Hague
to press their claims for complete
equality in status with men. The leader
of the American forces on the confer
ence ground is Miss Doris Stevens Of
New York, chairman of the Inter-
American Commission of Women.
The equal rights" principle, for
which Miss Stevens and her co-workers
are battling, commands the support of
a powerful group of United States Sen
ators, with whom the fate of an even
tual code treaty would rest Their
views are typifed by the attitude Of
Senator Borah. The chairman of the
foreign relations committee states that
he is absolutely opposed to the inclu-
sion in the proposed world code OF any
nationality clause discriminating against
women" Other, Senators who have
pledged themselves to oppose rattflca-
ton of a discriminatory code include
Pittman. Caraway. Fess, Capper, john
son, Connally, Bratton, Sheppard, Ship
stead, shortridge, Stephens. Wheeler
and George.
Final Vote Starts Tomorrow.
The final vote in plenary session on
the launching of the world code is ex-
pected to begin at The Hague tomor-
row. The point the women's delegation
will press with President Hoover IS that
opinion on the nationality issue Is 80
divided that time Is required to clarity
1t. The American delegation, with the
approval of the State Department, In
troduced a resolution recommending to
the various governments "the study OF
the principle that in their law and
practice relating to nationality there
shall be no distinction based on sex,
with particular consideration OF the IN
terestS OF children involved in the ap-
pEcation of that principle" The ma
The argument On behalf Of the
American delegation was made by Mrs.
Ruth 3. Shipley, head of the passport
division Of the State Department. Act
ing Secretary Of State Cotton Is con-
WINGED there will be no international
agreement on the nationality issue as
Is almost hopeless disagreement on this
question Between the nations of the
world at the present time" he declares.
Secrecy and Haste Charged.
It is for this reason that President
Hoover Is being urged at the eleventh
hour to order the American delegation
to quit The Hague. The "intolerable"
articles adopted last week are described
as of League of Nations origin. The
United States had nothing to do with
their preparation and the Senate is
said to be in total ignorance of their
contents. Another criticism directed
against The Hague proceedings, in gen.
eral, is that they have been conducted
in secrecy and haste. The conference
assembled March IS and is on the verge
of adjournment. The interval Is assailed
by the equal-rights-for-w leaders
as far too brief for the launching of so
important matter. a. q world code.
The burden of the women's fight at
The Hague has fallen upon DR.. Cru
chaga, the chief delegate of Chile, re-
memhered in Washington as the former
Chilean Ambassador to the United
States.
(copyrisht, 19sol