Oct 26/27
Dear Jane Addams,
I am here at Dorothy Detzer's desk having arrived last night after a night in N.Y.C. with Miss Wald. I was delighted at how well and vital she seemed.
I talked with her about the Geneva situation. It looks to her very grave, the more so that she was quite unprepared for it. She thinks that Miss Doty and Miss Sheepshanks will [illegible] believe that Madame Duchêne was playing [mind?] politics, getting the meeting called when members int'd in the L. of N. could not be present, rigging the membership of the Ex. Com by getting in L G H & Y H [etc.] Now I don't believe that nor do I much think Miss Sheepshanks [page 2] or Miss Doty do. It appears to me that if any places ↑were↓ to be filled these two (L G H & Y H) were the only two with any legal claim legalistic priority and that it is the chances of war that they happen to strengthen those who hold certain views.
Did you receive a long letter from me (of 17 pp. or so) giving my first [reading?] before Miss Doty's last letter or Miss Sheepshanks letter forwarded to you, reached you? I have not heard that it reached you but you may well have been waiting to hear first from me before answering it.
I found Miss Wald's idea had been that I ought to go over promptly but when she [said?] ↑that↓ M. S.'s letter spoke of the spring and that M. Z. D. prepares to sail for home in November she came round to the view that I had better wait anyway till M Z D. came.
I will try to go whenever it seems best to you [page 3] to have a meeting and I should like to go [illegible] early enough, when I do go, to talk with Madame Duchêne and our London friends before hand. the meeting.
Miss Wald seems to have understood what a really entirely irregular thing ↑and even an intentionally irregular one↓ had been violently "put over" by the Fr. & Ger. members and that you, & me over here, should not permit it, but should "face it" and deal with it.
It does not strike me quite like that. It was a difficult situation & too the way out looked different to different people.
Constitutional Aspect
It is quite true that there seems to be no provision for keeping up the numbers of the Ex Com when vacancies occur.
But as a quorum that is ↑codefined as↓ one more than half of the Ex. Members [illegible] ↑then even↓ if all the members but 3 should be filled I take it 2 would then [page 4] constitute a legal quorum so that we are under no obligation to fill vacant places which we have no [legal] ↑constitutional↓ way of doing anyway.
Therefor on second thoughts I should favor you and me stating our position in that sense viz.
that we urge Miss Marshall & Madame Larsen-Jahn to reconsider their resignations. If they do not we must have shall have they do remain we have a board of 8 & the plus the Pres., & 5 are quorum. If they resign we have a board of six and President, and 4 are a quorum. If Cath. Marshall resigns ↑it is true that↓ there is no English member, but we never undertook to give representation to national Sections and most of the Sections have no member on the Board ([though] none is so important as the British is without one).
But the British can always have [Consultive] members & at one meeting a year they have the same rights as Ex. Members.
I think this should be case at the next [page 5]
I think Miss Wald also had the impression that Miss Sheepshanks was ready to resign out of hand almost. That is not the impression I get from what she says nor my conception of the way she would be capable of acting. I gather that she feels that the situation is different from what she had supposed and that if no workable solution is found she may feel she can do no good staying on.
I feel that the most fundamental difficulty at present is one of the spirit brought to our common work. I don't mean this in any sentimentalizing sense of "little children be good." But I think it is essential that the Fr. & Ger. members should get away from the idea that we can survive in any effective sense if we have constrain one another to unacceptable tasks undertaken against our will and judgment under the yoke of a majority vote.
On the other hand I can well understand the feeling of the others about the English view [page 6] that we should decide nothing (of importance) except by a unanimous vote.
I think that this must be got over and perhaps can be. We are not shut up to these two alternatives. I went to see Mary Follett hoping she could supply me with a handy statement of the philosophy or act of joint action that she & her group are the "Inquiry" group are trying to work out. She referred me to Mr. Sheffield and I had [a] int'g talk with him. Result the sort of report I want does not exist but he will try to get it written! (When?).
I should like to try to get this idea into the minds of our French and German friends. [page 7]
Constitutional Situation
I have been looking this up. Apparently there is no provision for filling vacancies in the Ex. Com. between Congresses. On the other hand there seems to be no need of filling them for the sake of securing a quorum since a quorum is defined as one more than half of the Ex. members so that if death or resignation reduced us to 3 we should still have a constitutional quorum to operate with if we could get 2 together!
Therefor on second thoughts I suggest
1) that we state that it appears to us that [illegible] Ex. Com had no constitutional right to vote to fill the vacancies, actually or in case Cath. M. & Mrs Larsen persist in resigning
2) That you should urge both of them to reconsider and to remain on the board even if they cannot often get to meetings. This has the disadvantage that it if it is one that the quorum is then 5 instead of 4 as it would be if they both resign. [page 8]
It is true that if Cath. M resigns there is no British member on the Board but we that is their misfortune. We never undertook to give representation to Sections on the Board, and most of the Sections have no Board members (though none so important as the British are without one).
It is to be noted however that in any case the British can always send 2 Consultative members and that once a year they have the same rights as Ex. Com members. If the feeling is right it is not very important whether my vote or [illegible] say that the British want & think & leave the decision to the others. But if it isn't right and we are going to try to [illegible] to have people trying to force policies on others against their will then we shall have (I think) to call only one Ex. Com. meeting a year and then all Nat. Sections will have their two votes.
Am I right in thinking that the next meeting will be one in which the Consultative members do vote? [page 9]
Isn't it fine that the money for the delegates to China is raised & that Edith Pye is really going? [page 10]
Lauterbach Bequest
Of course I entirely approved your letters to K. and Alex. giving wording of your calls to Mm Ramondt and speaking of the vote authorizing us, to on this side, to incorporate ↑a↓ trust (I am not sure if I am using just the right term).
In N.Y. I telephoned yesterday and talked with Mr Class of K & A. They are pleased that Mm Ramondt's affidavit should be now on its way over.
But I was much disappointed to find how uncertain he is of whether or not the Surrogate will O.K. the arrangement agreed on. There is a decision by a (lower) court very much against us.
I think we ought to know say in six weeks, anyway.
Incorporation
(over)
I enclose letter to Mrs. Thomas which gives the situation. [page 11]
I just hate to inflict these long letters on you and am ever yours affly E G B.
Comments