NEUTRAL CONFERENCE FOR CONTINUOUS MEDIATION
March 14th, 1916.
My dear Miss Addams:
You can hardly imagine how overjoyed I was to receive your letter from Colorado Springs, dated February 18th. I am, of course, awfully sorry that you are still not well enough to join us, but, on the other hand, I am happy to know that you have not lost faith in our work and that you are planning to come here just as soon as possible. When I read your letter to the Neutral Conference, everyone applauded.
Your letter was all the more welcome because it came to me while I was in the midst of a tremendous struggle. I had, finally, to come face to face with the proposition as to whether Rosika Schwimmer should any longer continue to exercise the tremendous power she had arrogated to herself, or whether it was not time to make a deliberate stand against dictation by one person. It was not easy for me to move as I did, but I could not do otherwise than oppose her secret methods.
The reason why, to my mind and to that of the great majority of the Conference, she had become unfit to be our leader any longer may be briefly grouped under these heads:
1st -- She told me very frankly that <she> was an absolute convert to Autocracy. [page 2]
2nd -- She assured me and many others that she had lost all faith in human nature.
3rd -- All her work of late was based on the assumption that all things must be done in [secrecy].
Once the decision is made, we all breathe more freely. I think that from now on, we can do really constructive work.
We have just <made> another appeal to Neutral Governments. I am enclosing a copy of it. Perhaps the Governments will not listen, but we will have at least put ourselves on record as having given them one more chance to move.
Meanwhile, another Commission is working on definite proposals for peace, and the preliminary report will be discussed within a day or two.
I suppose you know that my family was stopped, temporarily, at the request of Mr. Ford, but that according to a cable just received they left America yesterday. I do hope that you will follow soon.
With the best of esteem and love,
Sincerely your devoted
Louis P. Lochner [signed]
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