Evening star., 1938-12-26

a.
his congress was
going to do something for a better
law for female labor protection. She
didn't even know that this President
had no congress, but that didn t
cramp her style. She made the same
speech she would have made at
home.
When she was through, the Presi-
dent told her how glad he was that
she had come to South America and
expressed the hope that she would
have good time here. She went
away baff1ed that he had not fol-
lowed her lead about women labor.
He laughed when he told of the in
cident afterwards.
Women and Peace.
Mostly the theme OF the women
lobbyists is peace. 1t was the first
thing for which they began to lobby
when they arrived. Then Doris
Stevens, representing the Inter-
American Committee of Women,
started war with Mrs. Elsie F.
Musser. one of the United States
delegation. The welkin rang with it,
the Hotel Bolivar buzzed about it.,
and the American delegates NUT
tered oaths over it. 1t had a semi
official status for two reasons: Mrs.
MuSSer is delegate, and Doris Stew
ems had secured a resolution giving
her work an international status at
the meeting of the Pan-American
Congress in Cuba.
Both she and Mrs. Musser at
tended that congress as fellow lob
byists and put on good fight. They
met at the Buenos Aires Conference
and did the same thing, so that by
the time they started in at Lima,
their feud had become well known
They carried it to every one from
Secretary of State Hull down to
the humblest and hardest worked
assistant secretary. They scorched
each other. Sunday I learned that
they had suspended hostilities, Miss
Stevens having promised Mr.. Hull
to drop the quarrel at least for the
time being.
Delegates Impatient.
Mabel Vernon, very agreeable
and able woman, is here with a
good sized lobby representing the
Peoples Mandate for Peace. She
is trying to get resolution from
the congress indorsing peace, which
Is all she wishes to accomplish.
The members of our delegation
are growing impatient not only be-
cause of the time these women are
taking over an issue upon which
everybody is agreed, but because
they are being misinterpreted by
some of the Latins. This congress
is declaring war in four languages
upon the totalitarian governments
of Europe. 1t is using aggressive
words and talking about the i'm
portance OF a common movement
for self-defense. Into this atmos-
phere comes lobby of American
women emphasizing the theology
of peace at any price, and to the
Latin mind it looks as though there
is a conflict of purpose in the United
States over the totalitarian states.
The most talked of delegate in the
congress is Rosalina Coelho Siboa
Miller. The United States dele
gates get on speaking terms with
this elaborate nomenclature by
calling her Rosa Linda" Her last
name derives from her husband, a
working newspaperman rep
resenting in all South America a
press service from the United States.
No Feminist.
A few days ago she attended a
meeting which had been called to
listen to some women's petitions for
various resolutions touching femin-
Inc matters. During the meeting,
Mrs. Miller, who is a brilliant lin
guist and a good speaker, went after
her northern American sisters with
scornful acrimony, declaring with
considerable self satisfaction that
she was not any kind of feminist
for which she thanked her God. She
did not believe in special laws for
women and different laws for men
upon humane subjects. She wanted
men and women to be taught to
live harmoniously together under
the same laws. She let it out dur
Ing her speech that she is anti
United States and disposed toward
Fascism
She is a brilliant dresser as we'll
es talker. Her speciality is hats, and
it is said she has a new one for
every day. Personally I think she
does better than that
I sat near her table at luncheon
Saturday. She got up frequently
to visit delegates at other tables.
Once she left the room and won
dered why she hadn't finished her
lunch. She came back in a few
moments. She had gone out wear
ing a tall hat built on the general
plan OF a stocking cap, with COM
plications. She came back wearing
a -brimmed panama.