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Jane Addams — Part 1
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The name of the organization became The Women’s Internationa)
League for Peace and Freedom, and che headquarters was changed to Geneva
to be near the League of Nations. Emily Greene Balch was elected International
Secretary and Jane Addams, who had been International Chairman, was made
Jnternational President. She continued in this office until her resignation in
1929, when she was appointed Honorary President.
A Yew months later the Woman’s Peace Party held its annual meeting
and voted to become the United States section of the reorganized body. From
here on this brief outline will confine igself chiefly to the United States section.
The story is one of unremitting fabor for many principles, and of translating
them into governmental action. The most important of these we shall try to trace.
In April of 1920 the United States Women's International League met
again, and found itself at variance on the League of Nations question—that is,
on whether to support the existing Lezgue. This continued for some years, the
W. 1. L. declaring its hope for “a League of Nations which renounces economic
and military coercion.” Finally, at the annual meeting in 1927, recognizing the
League as likely to continue in its present form for some time, the W. I. L.
woted that it “desires to see the United States enter the League of Nations,
providing only that it does so with the nnderstanding that the United States is
exempt from any obligation to. . . join in exerting military pressure.”
Points set forth in 1915 and still maintained by the W. I. L. include:
education of youth for peace: measures to remove the economic causes of war;
total and universal disarmament; pacific settlement of international disputes and
establishment of legal machinery for such settlement. In 1920 we first enunciated
our stand against military training, and in 1922 against lynching.
The aftermath of the war brought many calls for help: the terrible
famine in Europe; and in the United States the fever of deportations, the
conscientious objectors and other political prisoners still in jail, the curtailment
of constitutional liberties. Pan-American relations demanded attention, for
American imperialism in Haiti and San Domingo still continued, and Mexico
was in the turmoil of a new government.
The third International Congress in 1921, held in Vienna, discussed
education and the problems of minorities and passed a resolution that, since
class struggles as well as national confiicts were evil, the members should strive
to transform the economic system ix. the direction of social justice.” This
declaration received much sensational comment and many wild accusations.
The Washington Conference on Limitation of Armaments, in 1922,
enlisted the energies of the W. I. L,, as of American pacifists generally.
Apparently their influence was felt by the American delegates. Later in this
year a W. I. L. Emergency Conference met at The Hague, calling for revision
of the Treaties and for an internationa! economic conference. It is interesting
to note that the French section protested with the others the Poincare policy
of French occupation of German territory.
In 1923 much work was done in the United States to spread information
on the provisions of the National Defense Act. An analysis of this Act was
published by the W. 1 L. and widely noticed.
The following year Washington was chosen as the seat of the fourth
International Congress, to which delegates came from twenty-two European
countries. At the close the European women were sent on & tour as far as
St. Louis in a train called the Pax Special. They visited twenty-three cities
holding meetings and making speeches. The fifth International Congress took
place in Dublin in 1926, adopting an excellent statement of objectives.
During 1925 and 1926 especial attention was given in the United States
to the problem of economic ‘and financial imperialism. We were successful in °
1925 in having drafted and introduced into both houses of Congress a resolution
aimed against economic imperialism (Sen. Con. Res. No. 22, 1925, and Cen. -
Con. Res. No. 15, 1927.) This bill was especially devised to prevent the United -
States from becoming involved on behalf of citizens’ investments in foreign :
The W. I. L’s standing protest on the Haitian situation found concrete
expression when, in 1926, we sent to Haiti a committee of six—including two
colored women—to study conditions there, Their recommendations were pre-
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