WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR PEACE AND FREEDOM
12, Rue du Vieux-Collège, Geneva, Switzerland
September 28, 1927.
Dear Miss Addams,
I am sending you a copy of the Minutes of the international Executive. It was the first one I have ever attended and I must say I was rather painfully impressed by the friction between some of the sections and by the difficulties which this friction makes for me in the work I am just beginning. Madeleine Doty has told you that I would be writing to the members of the Executive. On consideration I decided not to send such a letter because I felt it would only involve me in a controversial correspondence and that I had better get on with my work here and leave the controversy to the sections and the members of the Executive. But I think I ought to give you briefly my own view on some points, especially in the way they affect my own work. You will hear from the American Consultative Members their own view.
Firstly, the League of Nations. I was very much surprised and sorry to find an attitude of indifference and hostility to the work in connection with the League of Nations on the part of our French and German members of the Executive. In the first place it seems to me disastrous that they should have fixed the Executive right in the middle of the Assembly so that this week of meetings and all the work they entail made it impossible in the first place for our Norwegian member, Mrs. Larsen-Jahn, to attend the Committee, in the second place made it impossible for me to attend the proceedings of the Assembly and its Committees. I wished to get in close touch with all this work and to keep the sections fully informed of all that went on and I considered that this would be an important part of my work. I regret exceedingly that it should have been made impossible. Then again the meeting of the Assembly brings [page 2] to Geneva representatives of many international movements and people whom I think it extremely important for me to see. Owing to the Executive meetings I was unable to see such people as Mr. [McDonald] of the Foreign Policy Association, Mr. Lowes [Dickinson], Norman Angell and many others. It was also impossible for me to attend the meetings of many international organizations held in Geneva at this time which I might have got into touch with their doings and reminded them of our own activities. I earnestly hope that September meetings of the Executive will be ruled out in the future. The Consultative Members of the Executive also found this time very inconvenient as they wished to attend meetings of the League Commissions and had come to Geneva for that purpose. They also said, why do we have our Headquarters in Geneva if we are going to ignore the League of Nations?
Secondly, there is this question of the constitution of the international Executive and you will notice that at this meeting we did not even have a quorum. The result was that the Committee was entirely dominated by one section -- the French and Germans who are agreed in their policy but not in agreement with the other sections. This makes a very unfortunate situation the more so as the French and Germans are extremely intolerant and [overrule] the other sections. As you know I have a very great personal admiration and appreciation of our French and German members but I think their intolerant attitude is causing intense annoyance to other sections and is spoiling the spirit of harmony that should be found in our League and might even cause a split. This attitude came out on many occasions in the discussions and I know that it is extremely serious in its effect on the other sections especially the English Section. There is a divergence in points of view but that would not matter if tolerance were exercised. The English have long experience of practical political work, as English women have for a hundred years been members of political associations and have taken an active part in party politics. Perhaps also the English character is more given to conciliatory methods of working. In any case our English Section does active political work, e.g. their work for arbitration has had great effect and will play an important part in the future. But all this counts for nothing with our French and German friends who condemn the English for being conservative though in England they are considered radical. There is also this divergence of opinion as to the right of the international Executive to dictate to National Sections. This right was maintained by the French and German section but is not accepted by the English who think that each section should apply League principals according to the methods it finds suitable in its own country. I do not think there is any good in smoothing over this divergence but think that it had better be thoroughly discussed. The English Section has been so exasperated at the last two or three meetings of the international Executive that I think there is really a serious position. This intolerance again came out with regard to the speeches of Mrs. Swanwick and Mrs. Larsen-Jahn at the [page 3] evening party at the Maison. They spoke to the administration and satisfaction of the audience but the next day Madame Duchêne and Frl. Heymann denounced them in unmeasured terms. These denunciations have been considerably modified in the Minutes. But I was told that I must see that such a thing never happened again. Now apart from my own view of the case, look at the difficulty for me. Am I to prevent Mrs. Swanwick, one of the founders of the League, the president of the British Section and ex-delegate to the League of Nations and certainly one of the best known and most [honored] members of the W.I.L. both within and without our League, from saying what she chooses in our international house? Or am I to prevent Mrs. Larsen-Jahn, president of the Norwegian Section and delegate to the League of Nations, from saying what she chooses? This is an impossible suggestion. I may add that Madame Duchêne had the previous week in connection with the Summer School, organized two public meetings in Geneva in the name of the W.I.L.P.F. at which there were speakers who did not meet with the approval of other sections in our League, ↑Dr. Jacobs↓ e.g. said that the speech of a well known communist who was not a pacifist or a member of our League, would create very great difficulties for the Dutch Section, and again the anti-League of Nations speech of the chairman at one of the meetings was resented by the English members and also by important members of the League of Nations Secretariat. But these members did not denounce Madame Duchêne but they expressed their views quietly and in private and did not deny the right of Madame Duchêne to arrange these meetings. She is not willing to concede a much less degree of liberty to other members of the League.
With regard to the vacancies on the Executive Committee, I feel there again that my position is going to be difficult. I purposely stress my own position because that is what I feel I have to put before you in this connection. You will hear the various views on the case from your own Consultative Members. I took office under the international Executive as constituted at Dublin and I have to confess that is if the Executive were altered so far that it was entirely dominated by the French and German group, I do not believe it would be a tolerable Executive or one under which I could do useful work. The Executive as elected at Dublin included an American, an Englishwoman and a Scandinavian. Owing to the absence of Miss Balch who was in America, and the absence of Miss Marshall owing to illness and her proposed resignation and the enforced absence of Mrs. Larsen-Jahn owing to the date fixed for the Executive and her proposed resignation, this Executive did not represent all points of view. If these places are filled as is proposed, the Executive will no longer represent the various points of view and will no longer be really international and the ensuing friction will be so great as to be extremely difficult to deal with. The only remedies for this state of things that I can see are that the next Executive should include the representatives that have been missing at this one, in particular that Miss Balch should be [page 4] present and that if the vacancies have to be filled ↑it should be done↓ by nominations from the sections as to keep a balance of views and nationalities. That then there be a real discussion on the right of freedom of speech and freedom of action of sections and individuals in the League leaving them to apply principals by their own methods. I think I will not trouble you with minor matters though there are other questions which certainly are important, but these are big questions in our work and ones on which I think you should have all the available views and information. I am sorry to begin my work by writing you a letter containing a rather gloomy view but it certainly seemed unfortunate that my work here should begin with an international Executive at which so little harmony prevailed. I shall just try now to get on with work with the sections asking them for suggestions as to what they want me to do and keeping them supplied with such information as they desire.
There is one other matter which I think ought to be mentioned to you and that is that ↑I feel↓ the same elements in the Executive have not shown the appreciation and good will to the out-going secretary to which she is entitled. It certainly has made a painful impression on me and I must also express my admiration for her devotion to the League and the extremely sweet way in which she takes the opposition that has been shown to her. It does not seem to discourage her from working for the League and I should like to see her disinterested action more appreciated.
Of course we should all love to have you over here but I am not going to urge or even suggest that to you. I think that if Miss Balch will make a point of coming over in the spring, that it will be of the greatest help in establishing harmony and you will of course express your wishes and views in your own way.
I have been so glad to hear from people who have seen you that you are in better health and do hope you will keep well and strong and that we may see you at some future time.
With very warmest greetings,
Affectionately yours,
Mary Sheepshanks. [signed]
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