April 27th, 1927
Dear Madam:
We acknowledge receipt of your letter of April 27, 1927, enclosing to us a letter addressed to Madame Ramondt-Hirschmann signed by you.
You suggest that the League never had a Treasurer so called except Miss Balch. That she is now Treasurer since no successor has been appointed or elected. We do not believe this to be so. Her incumbency of the office of Treasurer ceased when the League accepted her resignation.
You state that all the League records are at the headquarters at Geneva. Does this mean that the original constitution and the original minutes of the Executive Committee are at the headquarters at Geneva? If so, are they in the custody of Miss Doty?
The report of the Dublin Congress at page 189 describes Miss Doty as International Secretary and Madame Hirschmann as Recording and Financial Secretary. The report of the Washington Congress at page XV contains the following as to officers July 1921 to May 1924;
EMILY GREENE BALCH, Secretary-Treasurer, to December 1922,
COR. RAMONDT-HIRSCHMANN, Assistant Secretary; After December 1922, Financial Secretary,
VILMA GLÜCKLICH, Headquarters Secretary.
At page 156 of the same Congress report, the new officers elected May 1924, the following appears:
VILMA GLÜCKLICH, Secretary General,
COR. RAMONDT-HIRSCHMANN, Recording and Financial Secretary. [page 2]
Will you kindly advise us of the Secretary of your Organization who has the custody of or is charged with the duty of preserving the original minutes of the Congresses and of the meetings of the Executive Committee and of the Constitution.
Your letter states that Madame Hirschmann performs the duties of Treasurer, although your Postscript states that she was never supposed to succeed Miss Balch who was Executive Secretary and Treasurer.
You state that the minutes of the Board in Washington should show Madame Hirschmann's [reelection], although you believe the minutes in Dublin do not. If by the phrase, "Minutes of the Board in Washington" you mean the report of the [Washington] Congress, we have been unable to find any minutes showing the [reelection ] of Madame Hirschmann. At page 156, however, the new officers and the Executive Committee are listed under the caption "New Officer and Executive Committee of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, elected May, 1924." We should like your explanation of this phrase. It is our understanding that the Constitution provides only for the election of the President. If this statement at page 156 means that the League in Congress assembled elected Madame Hirschmann Recording and Financial Secretary, from whom will we be able to [obtain] a certified copy of the minutes reciting the election, and was such election by ballot?
We should like to know who has custody of the original minutes of this meeting, if Madame Hirschmann was elected by the Congress.
At page 48 of the report of the Washington Congress under the caption "Financial Statement," is the following:
"COR. RAMONDT-HIRSCHMANN, Financial Secretary reported that there was still money in Treasury ..."
In the report of the same Congress at pages 175-177, appears the Financial report signed by Madame Hirschmann. At the top of page 175 in the statement signed by you and Miss Balch, it appears that Miss Palthe acted as Treasurer for Madame Hirschmann, Financial Secretary.
We do not believe it to be essential to discover an individual in your organization who bears the title "Treasurer." We believe it will be sufficient on this point if we can ascertain the individual regardless of official title who performs the duties and functions as Treasurer of the League's [page 3] funds. In order to do so, however, we must be furnished with evidence of the appointment or election of such individual.
The difficulty presented in this case will arise in each case where the League is a legatee under a Will. If the League is interested in obtaining funds by Wills, the organization should be changed and so fashioned as to furnish the requirements necessary to take legacies.
We have received this morning, various copies of Executive Committee meeting minutes from Miss Balch, and there is considerable question as to whether eventually the League will participate in the Lauterbach estate. We must be furnished with the necessary data and records to support the claim of the League as legatee. They cannot now, for the first time be devised or created for the purpose of this estate. In general, the person who functions as Treasurer must be identified beyond question and proof of her authority to function as Treasurer of the League must be produced.
We are sending a copy of this letter to Miss Balch.
Very truly yours,
Alexander & Keenan [signed]
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