Madeleine Zabriskie Doty to Jane Addams, December 19, 1925

WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR PEACE AND FREEDOM

International Secretary: Madeleine Z. Doty

19th. December, 1925.

Dear Jane Addams,

Ever since I heard that you had had an accident to your foot I have been wanting to write and express my sympathy and love, and tell you all that was happening. But this job of being International Secretary is honestly enough to keep ten people going!

First, before I tell you a lot of nice things, I want to give you a brief statement about our finances. We chiefly live as you know by the [500 dollars] or the 2500 francs which you send us every month -- and by the way, let me express my deep appreciation for the prompt arrival of both the November and December contributions. After this you will have a formal receipt. I am [reorganizing] our books a little and trying to simplify them and make them just as accurate but less formal, so that anyone who turns up at the League can see at a glance just what we have on hand and what we are spending. If you think well of it I should like to have an "expert" ↑[auditor]↓ come in two or three times a year and go over the books to be sure everything is O.K. It is always much more satisfactory, particularly if the Secretary has to handle the accounts.

I am also installing duplicate books so that for every penny that comes in we shall have a receipt, one which we send out and one which remains in the office; in the same way we shall also have a duplicate of every penny that we send out.

The accounts as they now stand are ↑[prepared]↓ done by a woman who comes in, who is rather old-fashioned and technical, and you never quite know where you are. I find it much easier to raise money if I can show at a second's notice exactly what we have received and what we have spent.

To come back to the monthly quota you send me, let me give you an idea of how it must be spent: -- [page 2]

[written in left margin] [illegible]

You see that does not leave me much out of your 2500 frcs, and in November for instance our tea bill was an additional 57 frcs. (I am trying to make Fraulein Hattinga reduce the charge for tea). Then there was 123 frcs for two week's food bill for our German friends who worked for me night and day and translated two bulletins into German. Besides this we sent out altogether about [300] letters and 12,000 "Pax Internationale" in the three languages and you can imagine what the postage would be. In other words, we spend something like 30,000 francs [see editor's note]. I will send you a detailed statement if you care to have it. Of course if I had this money all on hand for I should never run into debt under any circumstances; but I feel that it is of vital importance that we do active work at headquarters if we are ever going to make our League grow, ↑and that means we have got to spend more than 2500 frs. a month.↓

I have not had a word from Anna Garland Spencer so I have not yet heard anything about the 50 dollars a month that she was to raise for me and which I hoped to use for stenographic work. It is impossible to get on without [Anne] Zueblin or some stenographer. As a matter of fact it ought to be someone who is competent in shorthand.

But having told you all these problems I am now glad to report that I secured 300 dollars from the Swedish section and about 90 dollars from the English group by the 1st of December; so that my expenses for November and December have been well looked after.

There is no question that we have got to have a budget at least twice the size of our present one if we are to do effective work, but I think little by little I can make the national sections wake up to their responsibility. You will be pleased to hear that [illegible] since I have been in England I have secured from the English a promise of a total of £200 during the year. They are promising me £40 of this within the next month. [page 3] 

Now to report to you about my trip which has been most successful, except that I caught a frightful cold on an unheated train and the unheated English and Irish houses have not been particularly successful in curing it! However I managed to speak at an "At Home" at Lady Parmoor's which the English Group arranged and at which there was a good attendance ↑100 or more↓. Then I had a dinner with Miss Courtney and a long talk; another long session with Miss Marshall and Mrs. Swanwick; a luncheon with Lady Courtney where I met the German ambassador and other important people. After these various engagements I had a week-end with Mrs. Pethick-Lawrence. Then I went to Ireland. I found the Irish group most enthusiastic and eager to have the Congress in Dublin, but I will tell you frankly that it is going to be a big undertaking, because while the Irish have the best hearts in the world they really do not know how to [organize] or get things done exactly, and on time. I think there will be nothing for it but for me to go over two or three weeks ahead with a couple of assistants and just pitch in. 

While I was in Ireland I went to see the Rathmines Hall which seems to be the only available spot at present for our meeting. It holds about 800 or 900 and is about 15 minutes ride on the trolley from Dublin [center]. ↑[written down right margin] It will cost about $250 for 10 days↓. Also I think for our two biggest meetings in the evening we can perhaps get the Mansion House. ↑[written up left margin] [Gandhi] is to be in England and we hope to get him as a speaker. I know you will approve of that.]↓ I went into the question of the housing of the people and there are about six available hotels in Dublin which would accommodate from 20 to 30 each, with prices ranging from two to five dollars a day -- pension rate. Also I think we can get the girls dormitory at Trinity College at a very low rates for some of our poor members. The Irish group is planning to give free hospitality to about 30 people.

The best time for the Congress evidently is fairly early in July on account of the hotel accommodation. The Horse Show comes just after the middle of July and it would then be difficult to get into the hotels. The dates we tentatively arranged were from the 4th to the 14th of July. It is evident with all the business there is to handle that we shall need at least 10 days and of course the Executive Committee should arrive at the end of June in order to have a week before the Congress falls ↑begins.↓

I do not know whether you have been to Ireland recently but it is not of course up-to-date, and in many particulars is rather as we should call it "down-at-↑the↓-heel." The hotels are only according to our standards second and third rate. [page 4]

But the country is heavenly and as it is in the Summer I imagine we can put up with some material discomforts.

I suggested on your behalf that you would probably like to stay with Miss Mary Smith if she came with you, at one of the best hotels -- probably "The Hibernian." I am sure you will be much more comfortable there than in a private family, though of course they are only too anxious to extend hospitality to you. But you have to count on the fact that if you do stay in an Irish family, breakfast ordered at 8.30 a.m. is likely to be served at 9.30 a.m.!

Of course the Irish group is not at all equipped as yet. I told them they that it was essential that they raise the money and at least get a desk and ↑in↓ an office and a stenographer four months ahead of the Congress. We also made out a plan of how they could raise money and they are now going to speak before the men's Rotary Club and other such [organizations], appealing for funds. They were very anxious to know what we could do in the way of finances and I said I would try and make a special appeal to the national sections. The Irish doubted if they could raise more than 500 dollars or £100 altogether, and their Hall for ten days will cost half of that.

If it were not for the great benefit that I think it will do the Irish group, I should doubt the wisdom of having the Congress there, but there can be no question of what it will mean to them. If we all put our shoulder to the wheel perhaps we can pull it off. I have secured a promise from the English group that they will try and help us. So much for my visit ↑and↓ about the Congress.

I am returning to Paris on Monday morning and am to have a day there with Madame Duchêne. We are now planning to have an Executive Committee meeting in Paris on February 6th. I have secured a promise that Miss Bennett and Mrs. Kingston will come from Ireland, and [Catherine] Marshall and Miss Courtney are to attend from England, and practically all the other of the Executive members I think will be able to come, except I suppose for Miss Balch and yourself.

At this Executive Committee meeting we will try to thresh out the object and lay low that obstacle to harmony, and also work out the agenda for the Congress. I hope you will at once send me any suggestions that you care to make. The majority vote so far, and I think there is now no question about it, is that the subject shall be "The Next Steps towards Peace" and each national section has to send in under that subject two or three points which they feel are the vital things to undertake to bring about permanent peace to their country. [page 5]

We are holding the Executive meeting in Paris because Madame Duchêne agrees with me that we must do what we can to strengthen the French section, and we thought it would be good to have the French section meet all the Executive members at one session.

I do not feel a bit satisfied to have the International pay the French section money for its work. It seems to me a bad precedent and a bad way to carry on work. If anyone looks at our books (which I wish to keep open to everyone) it looks gives the appearance of forcing propaganda on France. I have already spoken to Madame Duchêne about this and have offered my services in raising money in France. She has agreed to give me the names of people whom I can see and I am planning to spend a week in Paris on February 6th and raise money, if possible. I wish we had money enough to send an [organizer] through France. I feel sure there is plenty of peace sentiment outside of Paris.

I trust you received the November and December "Pax Internationale" without undue delay. Perhaps you would like to see the French and German edition? When I return to Geneva I will see they are sent to you.

I could keep on writing indefinitely -- the work grows so rapidly. Before I left Geneva I met the 21 international [organizations] (Red Cross, Suffrage Alliance, University, etc. etc.) who have headquarters in Geneva and whom the Quakers had called together. We are now planning to (i.e. the representatives of those 21 international [organizations]) meet monthly and pass joint resolutions and work jointly with the League of Nations where possible. I think we can do something very effective in this way.

This is a very long letter and I must not take time for more now. But it brings all sorts of good wishes for the New Year and much love. I was sorry not to get a Christmas letter or even a card off to you but I was too busy with all I had to do.

Affectionately yours,

Madeleine Z. Doty. [signed]

↑I had a cable from Dorothy Detzer telling me to hold up the Dec. "Pax" until I heard from her. But it had already been shipped 4 or 5 days before the cable came -- Beside the "Pax" has now become an International publication & cannot [illegible] ↑be guided↓ by demands from the U.S. It has got to come out regularly. The ↑ [illegible] English↓ copy goes to a half dozen countries beside the U.S. & so cannot be edited just for [page 6] the U.S. If D. D. had had experience she would realize that if there are one or two items such as the U.S. address on rear page or the statement "entered as second class matter" ↑which are essential for the U.S.↓ she could take the 7000 copies to a printer & he could have these things put on in an afternoon. It is difficult enough as it is to get out 3 additions French, German & English without getting out too different English forms. I'll do my best to make the U.S. copies conform as nearly as possible, but I do hope D. D. isn't holding up the "Pax" because of a slight thing like the above. In the Dec. issue I put in an appeal for International members in every one of the 7000 copies so if they are sent out in ought to bring results.

One thing that may be the difficulty, is that D. D. got out a Nov. "Pax Special." But the arrangement when I left ↑the U.S.↓ was that she was merely to get out an Oct. news sheet telling of the change to an International paper & I was to move heaven & earth to produce a Nov. Pax. As you know I did this -- and it was a struggle -- so I guess D. D. will now have to face her blunder & send out one issue of "Pax" with special postage ↑as there are 2 Nov. issues.↓ You see unless D. D. [does get] the "Pax" out regularly we will lose both our postal rights and the month payment of the American Fund. Because I feared D. D.'s capacity to meet difficulties I took the liberty of sending the "Pax" to our 900 U.S. International members direct. Sorry to trouble you with this but it is pretty important, perhaps you would be willing to send this letter on to Miss Balch -- it would save writing her a long one. The members of the Executive are all for our Summer School [written up right margin] so that is O.K. Madame [Jouve] approves & French & German will attend instead of having a school of their own.↓