7 High St White Plains N.Y. May 26th 1920
Dear Miss Addams
I thought Mrs Karsten was to tell you of the decision respecting the office but your last note, this moment received, makes me fear that in the last hours of confusion, when all her attention should have been given to her own affairs, she did not write as she intended to do.
It seemed after a more careful study of our treasury and pledges that we could afford to venture having Mrs Cothren and it was so important that we should do so that with your wire of approval and ↑that of↓ Mrs Lewis and the Boston people and all we could get at, we ventured without a full referendum.
It is not quite regular but it seemed so necessary for the best interests of the Section and I was so burdened with other matters as to make my service in any detail work so very difficult, that for the three months offered by Mrs Cothren it seemed right to try for it.
But of course she should not be burdened with any work of raising the money for her own salary. Mrs Lewis seems to think that she "will bring in money" and that is doubtless possible and probable but should not be in any way a condition of her generous aid at this crisis.
The Mass people have disbanded in old form and indicate willingness to join national bodies and Mrs Cothren will go to Boston to try and get hold of them.
I hope that Miss Abeel and Mrs Holt and the one she sends from Detroit will do something [worthwhile] with the Club women [although] Mrs Mead writes me that she has had a meeting of the Mass. State Fed. and feels that the "Club women are too timid to come out for even a moderate program of internationalism."
Mrs Cothren and I will try to work up all the ends we can.
She is young and vigorous and I wish we could have her for Ex. Sec. as a permanent thing but that is impossible.
We will take care of all the memberships as they have been taken care of and hope that the list will grow during the summer.
Mrs Cothren will do the work of interviewing the Platform Committees of the parties in regard to our principles in the presidential campaign.
With all the "campaign funds" investigation and the rest we may find it [page 2] hard to get a hearing anywhere except of course from the socialists.
I hope you will let me know if you are to be in New York at any time before the summer vacation as it would do us both so much good to have ↑a↓ conference with you, Mrs Cothren and I.
It was a tragedy that Mrs Thomas could not get passage when so much money came in so easily for that service. Mrs Karsten has returned the checks with a delicate intimation that we are a poor but virtuous crowd and there is still room for gifts.
↑Yours with love↓
Anna Garlin Spencer [signed]
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