Evening star., 1939-01-15
Amity Of Americas
Increased al Lima,
Mrs. Musser Says
Luncheon Given by
'Trode Union League
Honors Delegate

nonofS OeIe9ote
The Lima Conference brought the
continents of America a few steps
nearer permanent peace, Mrs. Bur-
ton w. Musser, first returning dele
gate to speak before Washington
audience, declared yesterday at
luncheon given in her honor by the
National Women's Trade Union
League at the Raleigh Hotel.
The conference, she said, really
frightened the bonds between the
Americas.
Mrs. Musser, who also attended
the Buenos Aires Conference in
1896, said great changes had taken
place in Latin America in the last
few years. Latin Americans are
much more friendly toward the
United States, she said.
Other changes she noted were the
trend toward helping the masses
through legislation and education
and the emergence of Latin Amer
ican women from the seclusion into
which tradition and custom had
condemned them"
Equality Declaration Hailed.
The passage of the Lima declara-
ton of women's rights was hailed
as an important step by the Latin
American press, she declared, trac-
Ing the difficulties that arose in
getting through the women's pro-
gram.
The declaration, granting women
civil and political equality with
men, full protection in and oppor-
tunities for work and ample pro-
lection as mothers, she said, was
a composite of three documents pre-
sented to the conference, those
from Mexico, San Domingo and
the United States.
The fourth document concerning
women's rights, presented by the
Inter American Commission OF
Women, was rejected by the confer
ence because it was a convention.
The commissions convention, she
explained, called only for suffrage
and would probably have been
passed as a resolution, but as con-
vention it failed because the dele
gates felt suffrage was an internal
matter for each country to decide.
Discussing the Inter- American
Commission of Women, she denied
that the United States delegation
had wished to do away with the
commission, as, she said, had been
charged.
Predicts End of Squabbling.
It was evident from the beginning,
she asserted, that the commission
must be reorganiZed. The only diff
Guilty was in agreeing what the COM
mission should do.
The formation of a permanent
1nter-American Commission, with
delegate officially representing each
country and the commission report
ing to the governing board of the
Pan-American Union before each
conference, will do away with the
"squabbling and disagreements'
that previously existed, she pre-
dicted.
She laughingly referred to one
conference delegate who expressed
the desire to pass a resolution for
bidding women to come within 1000
miles of Pan-American conference
Miss Mary Winslow, who presided
at the luncheon, read a congratu-
latory letter from Secretary of Labor
Perkins, in which she stressed the
need to foster every effort that in
creaseS good will among the various
American nations.
Miss Mary Anderson, chief of
the Women's Bureau of the Depart
ment of Labor. and Miss Katherine
Lenroot, chief of the Childrens
Bureau, took up the various Sec
tions of the declaration in de-
tail, demonstrating how its pas
sage affected both continents.
Those who joined in paying ver-
bal tribute to Mrs. Musser for her
work at the conference included
Miss Marguerite Wells, president of
the National League of Women
Voters; Mrs. Earl Reynolds, presi-
dent of the National Council of
Catholic Women; Miss Elisabeth
Christman, National Womens Trade
Union League: Miss Elizabeth East
man, Young Women's Christian AS
sociation; Mrs Louis Gutenberg, Ma
tional Council of Jewish Women;
Mrs. Ruth Tryon, American Asso-
citation of University Women, and
Mrs. David Cushman Coyle, Ma
tional Consumers League.