Hannah Clothier Hull to Jane Addams and Emily Greene Balch, January 21, 1925

January 21, 1925

My dear Miss Addams and Miss Balch:

You have heard ere now that [we] voted to withdraw from the Council of Women. I have wanted to write you some details ever since the Board Meeting.

On Sunday afternoon after the Mass Meeting Mrs. Moore met for an hour's conference, Mrs. Post, Mrs. Mead, Mrs. Lewis and myself. Mrs. Moore was very sympathetic and as kind as she could be. I had no idea at that time that our Board would be willing to resign. We had all been having a growing feeling that we could not do it as a matter of principle. I knew that all the younger members of the Board felt this way.

We asked Mrs. Moore what would be the constructive things we could do to help her out of her difficult situation in case we should not resign. Her reply was immediate and definite: "Help us to get that appropriation from Congress," and when she knew that Senator Borah had spoken for us last spring she begged us to see him for her.

Well, as the interview went on I felt what I had never realized before, that the whole scheme of the National Council of Women, and of its possibility for usefulness has been outlived. Furthermore, I felt that I could not [conscientiously] help in seeing Senator Borah to bring about an appropriation from Congress.

When we left Mrs. Moore, however, she was sure we would not withdraw, but in our conference together afterwards at Mrs. Post's home, Mrs. Post, Mrs. Lewis, Mrs. Mead and ↑I all↓ myself commenced to believe that we should resign, and the morning found us all the more persuaded. Mrs. Post reported to the Board our interview with Mrs. Moore, and the rest of us made additions. Miss Addams' letter was read and the paragraph from Miss Balch's. [page 2]

The whole atmosphere gradually changed: from a determined decision to remain in the Council, with which the members of the Board came down, to a united feeling that we should withdraw. Of course, we had much discussion, but on very high, and ↑may↓ I say? spiritual grounds.

It was proposed that we should utterly ignore the fact of the Council not wanting us, but put our withdrawal on the ground of our convictions, ↑as↓ expressed in the letter. This letter was put in final shape by Mrs. Post and Miss Doty, and some additional points were decided upon that could be handed to the newspapers in explanation. I am sorry that the papers, as usual, omitted the letter, and printed some of the points in explanation, and attributed these to Miss Addams. (Poor Miss Addams!)

We decided to make our resignation public ourselves, because Mrs. Moore was to go the next morning to the Committee of the House about her appropriation, and we know it would surely be out after that. We wanted to avoid as much unpleasant publicity as possible by giving it our ourselves.

The result of Mrs. Moore's interview she does not know yet, but Mrs. Potts was there in flying colors, out to abuse us with long manuscripts and exhibits of photographs of letters and our literature, and had all sorts of misleading information etc. Mrs. Moore got a copy for us, and Miss Doty has taken it to New York to see whether we could take action about it.

Mrs. Moore has been perfectly splendid, and I think I can venture to say that she is having a liberal education herself. She is staying at the Women's University Club, and I see her frequently. She finds she is having to meet great opposition and criticism, simply because she has on her hands an international meeting. She is surprised to find that we are not her only problem.

There are lots of little things I would like to tell you, but cannot in a letter.

The conference on the "Causes and the Cure of War" is very interesting and in earnest; a great deal of "A. B. C." in the discussions but the program is good. I was asked last week to be a delegate by both the League of Women Voters, and the Association of University Women. I accepted the latter. There are a number of our women in the conference. Mrs. Mead spoke splendidly last night. Mrs. Spencer is here today.[page 3]

We miss you both very, very much.

We are thinking of St. Louis for our convention. Do you approve? Will Miss Addams be willing to give some thought to possible dates when it might suit for her to be present?

Things at the office are going well, and Miss Rankin is getting splendidly started with dates ahead. She is attending the conference.

Affectionately yours,

Hannah Clothier Hull [signed]

[Encs.]

↑P.S.

I am ashamed of the way this letter reads, but I dictated it and now find it very [scrappy].↓