William Kent to Jane Addams, November 15, 1912

William Kent

Kentfield, Marin Co., Cal. Nov. 15, 1912

My Dear Miss Addams:

As you will doubtless know, I won my fight which was a desperately hard one, beating the Democrat about two thousand and the Republican about nine thousand.

Thank Heaven, I go to Congress absolutely free from even the implication of partisan ties. I hope for much from President-elect Wilson and believe that we can help him on a course which will lead to intense dissatisfaction among the reactionary Democrats and the gang of spoilsmen. I also believe that this sort of union will find Senator La Follette with us and that our Progressive party will become a great institution cutting clear across existing party lines.

I was very glad to have a telegram of congratuations from Senator La Follette, whom I consider the best constructive statesman we have in the country, and with whom I hope to work again.

Like yourself I am enlisted for the war and possibly look at this "first battle" in a different light from some of the Progressives, who, I fear, are carried away by the old exclusive ideas,-- exclusive as far as leadership in concerned. I for one, am not out to forward the personal ambitions of anyone, and know you are not.

I hope you will get into communication with Mr. Crane [page 2] and Mr. Brandeis and some of the other radical adherents of Mr. Wilson and urge with them the necessity of carrying out our legislative program.

I shall not have time to visit you in Chicago, but hope you will find reason to stay with us in Washington during this session. I can well remember when in the first Harlan campaign we forced the municipal platform on Chicago people as opposed to the old irrelevant partisan war whoops and I remember how the idea stuck in Chicago and spread everywhere else. I think we may hope for exactly the same thing in this country. We have gotten the humanitarian issues before the people and they are bound to stay there until recognized.

Yours truly,

William Kent [signed]