↑Letter sent to Miss Balch & Mrs Hull↓
July 29, 1927.
My dear Mrs. Spencer:
Thank you so much for your very kind and frank letter of July 22nd. I hope I may see you in the Fall so that I may talk over with you in person some of the points raised in your letter.
In regard to the membership fees, however, I might explain briefly that your suggestion, in one form or another, has been brought up over and over again both at Annual Meetings and to the Board, but Miss Addams is the strongest defender of the present system and vigorously opposes any change in it.
With regard to the membership for both men and women, I agree with you, but again the International ties our hands. I do believe, however, that there is a certain value in a feminine organization as such since we share so much with the many man-run groups such as the National Council, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, The Foreign Policy Association, etc., and enjoy so fully their [cooperation].
With regard to this office, I am sure no one recognizes more quickly than I do how the National work is limited by so small a staff. Your suggestions for the kind of office we should have surely is not a lack of vision on the part of our Board but a lack of funds. Also, I fear I disagree with you on the relative value of our branch offices. I am far more interested, of course, in the National program, but I [page 2] realize that Mr. Libby's work, the work of the F.O.R., of the Committee on Militarism, as well as our own, could not have half the weight were these offices not available for their use. New York has so many National organizations that it is not a very good example of the value and need of such groups as one finds in "The Provinces."
As to the functions of this office and its personnel, you make a suggestion which has been voiced at various times by different members of the Board, namely that my ability as an executive is mediocre and that my contribution to the work can best be made in the field with a first class executive here. Perhaps that is the best plan for the W.I.L. But to be perfectly honest, I must tell you that under no circumstances would I agree to go into this field, as a field worker unless this office were under my direction as its executive. I know that any value I may have in the field is because of my control of this office and its work. This point of view, I know, is difficult for one to understand who is not intimately "on the job" here, but with regard to this point Fred Libby agrees with me absolutely and without reservation. ↑We hope to have an assistant secretary here this next winter.↓
I think it is regrettable that work gets "hung up" when I am in the field, but this also occurs in the National Council Office. A dozen times this winter work has been held up through three and four Associates. Secretaries were in that office, until authority could come from [Mr.] Libby in the field. When the last Nicaraguan difficulty arose, for example, Mr. Libby was on his vacation and so nothing was done by his office. I am not criticizing the National Council for this. I am merely trying to show that not only does our office here but every other office so organized inevitably suffer in this way.
It comes down, I think, therefore, to a choice of values. Perhaps, for the W.I.L. a reorganization of this office on the lines you suggest is best. If that is true, I am so devoted to the W.I.L. that I would gladly [resign] and do so without [any sense] of resentment or injustice. I only know that my value to the organization would cease under this other system.
I am sending you with this letter my report for July which goes to the Board, because I believe you may be interested in the work we are doing now.
I do hope when you see Mrs. Hull that you will tell her very frankly of your concern about the types of person needed as an executive here. I am going to send on your letter both to Mrs. Hull and to Miss Balch for I know that they will be glad to consider the kind [page 3] and constructive criticism of one who is such a dear friend of the W.I.L.
By the way, we are having 5000 reprints made of Mrs. Catt's open letter should you want some to send to [misinformed] friends.
Very Sincerely yours,
Executive Secretary
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