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Dear Miss Addams
I have just finished reading the accounts in the morning papers of the meeting of the Board last night.
Never before have I felt so outraged, never before so indignant against the power for evil of a dishonest press. Can nothing be done? I feel so impotent against this organized prostitution of public opinion first that I could cry aloud. As I write, I think of one thing I can do. You have the greatest responsibilities out of the Board of any member. I can appreciate how you must at times question whether it is your duty to put your other interests in jeopardy for the sake of the fight for the public school in this crisis on the Board of Education.
I can share a little of your burden in this splendid struggle and you must let me. This is what I am thinking.
Some of the men in this conspiracy against the majority in the Board of Education are plainly wicked enough to do anything. They will seek to injure Hull House and if possible to cripple its support.
My father left me a comfortable fortune. I believe he earned every dollar of his fortune honestly and I know that he believed in fair play. I never earned a dollar of it and I [recognize] that I hold it in trust. I want to and do hereby guarantee that for every dollar lost to the support of Hull House directly or indirectly as the result of your work on the Board of Education for the [page 2] years 1906 and 1907 I will subscribe to the support of Hull House dollar for dollar up to the sum of $20,000. I shall be glad to sign any document your Board would suggest to make this guarantee a legal liability and will if required, deposit in trust ample security to realize this amount.
This is my part in this great fight for a true Public School System in Chicago and you must let me serve with you in this contest.
I have told Raymond what I am going to do and he is happy that I should wish to do it.
Faithfully,
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