Evening star., 1937-05-03

T0ASK MEDIATION
IN NSPAN|SH STRIFE
Women's Peace League Also
Calls for Withdrawal of
Foreign Troops.
0NE-THIRD CUT SOUGHT
IN ARMS EXPENDITURE
Hallgren Assails Defense Policy
OF U. S. as Preparation for
New War Abroad.

PRESIDENT Roosevelt was asked to call
Tor mediation of the Spanish civil war
and for immediate withdrawal n,
foreign troops from Spain in resoIu-
tlons adopted today by the Women's
international League for Peace and
Freedom at the closing session of a
four-day annual meeting at the Wash.
ington Hotel.
An immediate reduction of one third
IN the budget of all nations for arma.
ments was advocated by the league in
another resolution. The President wa,
asked to initiate action 10 prohibit the
shipment of iron or other raw ma
terial which might be used for military
purposes to any nation which might
refuse to make the reduction. Another
resolution was adopted requesting all
nations to prohibit the shipment of
munitions and arms or armed forces
to any faction in a civil war or to any
nation engaged in war.
Hallgren Hits National Defiance.
Mauritz Hallgren, author of The
Tragic Fallacy," told members of the
league that national defense in the
United States is not defense policy,
but is preparation for another war
abroad" He declared that it is the
paciflst who is the true patriot"
Mass organization of labor and agri.
culture, together with such organiza-
tions as the league, is necessary to
bring adequate opposition to bear
against military preparations, he said.
In other resolutions the league re-
quested the temporary lifting of pro.
visions of the newly enacted neutral-
lty law to permit the sending of food.
clothing and medical supplies to Span.
ish war sufferers; advocated admin
istration Of the Civilian Conservation
Corps by the Interior Department,
commended the Senate for its civil
liberties investigation, and recon-.
mended study by Congress Of cooper
atives "as means of expressing the
technique of non-violent social read
justment"
The league denounced the marital
status section Of the economy act as
"a grossly repressive measure re-
sembling those laws in Fascist Ger
many and Italy which have dismissed
women from government positions
and barred them from participation
in public affairs" and voted to sup
port the Celler repeal bill.
New Board Elected.
The new Board of Directors Of Is
members, including five from the Dis
trict of Columbia, was elected and will
hold its first meeting this afternoon.
Washington members are Mrs. Bertha
McNeill, Mrs. Faith Ward Libby. Mrs.
Ernest Gruening. Miss Dorothy Deter
and Miss Elizab beth Christman. Among
the other members of the board are
Representative Caroline ODay of
New York and Mrs Helen Taft Man
ming daughter of the late Chief
Justice.
Following its closing session the
league held a special ceremony IN
commemoration of the signing of the
Rush-Bagot treaty which dSarmed
the United States at the Canadian
border. Mrs. Gruening presided at
the ceremony. which took place at
the tablet erected two years ago on
the site of the former British Lega-
ton, where the treaty was signed in
1917.
Among those participating we're
Mrs. Hannah Clothier Hull, interna-
ttonal president of the league, and
Representative Nan Honeyman Of
Oregon, who was the principal speaker.
Representatives were present from
number of international peace organ
izations and from the Canadian Lega-
ton and the State Department. There
was music by the Navy Band.