Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-26
W. ]. Bryan's Daughter
AS a Congresswoman
BY CONSTANCE DRExEL.

THE first thing we must do is to
realize that war is not inevitable. Then
there must be a general realization
that q mechanism must be evolved by
which the nations can adjust their
differences through arbitration-and,
finally, we must realize that public
opinion is necessary in order to sub
Stitute arbitration for war. Public
opinion is not a mysterious force. The
problem comes back to the attitude of
ordinary people-your attitude and
mine"
Mrs. Ruth Bryan Owen, new member
OF Congress from Florida, thus inter-
prets her attitude of mind as she takes
her place with the House committee on
foreign affairS-the first woman in the
history Of the country to win that
honor.
She was called upon q few days ago
to fight for her place on that commit
tee and her seat in Congress, as a re-
suit OF a contest brought by William
G. Lawson, her unsuccessful opponent,
against her election as Representative
from the fourth Florida district. He
commended that Mrs. Owen, through her
marriage in 1910 to Reginald Owen, a
British army officer, had forfeited her
citizenship. Maj. Owen died two years
ago.
81 II
It was like the daughter Of william
Jennings Bryan, the great Commoner,
to say 1.-The attitude of ordinary people
your attitude and mine" for she is
not "high-hat" kind of person at all.
She Is simple, frank and unaffected.
She Is tall and distinguished, her frank
ly gray hair smartly cut to follow the
outline OF a finely shaped head. Now
A years of age, she has kept her figure
slender by exercise, mostly horseback
riding, and she pays attention to her
clothes.
why did you want to come to Con-
greSs, and why, IN particular, did you
pick the foreign affairs committee?"
she was asked.
1--WE wanted to come to Congress
ever since was years old, ever since
I was with my father when he came
for his FIRST term to Washington as
Representative from Nebraska" she re-
piled.
look over there" She pointed out
of the window across the beautiful plaza
in front of the Capitol I'VE used to
live in that house and my father often
brought me to Congress with him. Al
though that was long before women
were given the ballot, didn't doubt
that women would some day be elected
to Congress. took the keenest inter-
est in politics. In my fathers early
campaigns and by the time he was
making his third campaign for the
presidency in 1908. was old enough
to help actively and worked as his sec
rotary"
And when he was Secretary of
State?"
IT was not in this country at the
time. My husband was instructing in
the Royal Military Academy near Lon
don, and later was In active war serv-
ice during the period OF my fathers
service in the cabinet. My interest in
foreign affairs goes much farther back.
During my girlhood when I Travelled
with my father and mother, began to
have wider and wider horizon of in
terest. In every country we visited
saw the tnterrelations of commerce
and mutual interest which unite the
nations and at the same time are the
cause of the strains and stresses be-
tween nations which in the past have
caused wars"
Mrs. owen made her first trip with
her father to Canada and Mexico.
Later, she went to Germany to study
music. With her mother she made a
long trip Of almost year through
Italy, Greece, Egypt, Palestine, Turkey,
through the Balkan states to Austria
Hungary, to Paris and London.
1T is fact that war has played an
important part, perhaps the pre-eminent,
in history so far" continued Mrs. Owen.
ITO omit mention of war in our his
tories would be to falsify the records.
but q more correct proportion must be
preserved by giving adequate Inn
portance to the conquests Of science
and commerce. ! believe In adequate
defense until the general acceptance of
court Of arbitration has supplied q
concrete means Of attaining the objec-
tives stated in the Kellogg BRAND
pact"
do you think that women have
particular interest In this question OF
peace or WARP"
Il most certainly do" she replied en-
phatically. while in 90 per cent. I
might even say in 90 per cent, Of the
questions before Congress there Is no