POLISH RECONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION, INC., Mr. WILLIAM BULLOCK, Director General, American Victory Union, New York, N. Y. DEAR SIR: In answer to your letter inclosing a copy of United States Senate bill No. 4972, and asking if the Polish Reconstruction Association (Inc.) approves the possage of the measure, I would say that the Polish Reconstruction Association (Inc.) is very glad to join the list of those organizations advocating the bill. Very truly, yours, ELIZABETH L. KING, Secretary. WAR CHILDREN'S RELIEF FUND, Yes, we emphatically favor Senate bill 4972. See our attached appeal, which we sent to 1,200 newspapers on January 28, 1917. WAR CHILDREN'S RELIEF FUND, National Chairman. Mr. WILLIAM BULLOCK, AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, 150 Nassau Street, New York City. MY DEAR SIR: The Secretary of the American Library Association, Mr. George B. Utley, has sent me a copy of your letter to him of December 5. While under our constitution matters defining the policy of the American Library Association must be passed upon by its council, I have no hesitation in saying that personally I am heartily in sympathy with the objects of the proposed law, I am of the opinion that such a law is highly desirable, and, in fact, necessary. With one detail I do not find myself entirely in agreement. I think the proposed monthly report will involve a rather uncomfortable amount of bookkeeping. If such statements were made quarterly to the Department of Justice, or some other agency of the Government, I think the end in view would be obtained with less necessity for frequent reports. May I ask, by the way, why the Department of Justice is picked out as the one of the executive departments to receive such reports? It seems to me that either the War or the Navy Department would be a more natural channel for such reports. Very respectfully, WM. W. BISHOP, President. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Mr. WILLIAM BULLOCK, Director General American Victory Union, 150 Nassau Street, New York, N. Y. DEAR SIR: Permit me to acknowledge receipt of your favor of November 25, in which you inclose copy of United States Senate Bill No. 4972, designated to regulate the collection and expenditure of money raised for the use and benefit of armed forces of the United States and of its allies. I have read the bill very carefully and personally see no possible objection to it; in fact, am of the opinion that its passage would be a very wise and desirable measure. I am not, however, in a position to speak officially for the American Library Association, but shall be glad to present the matter for the consideration of the executive board, the governing body of the association, when that body meets, which will be some time the first half of January. May I ask you to send me a dozen copies of the bill, if you can spare that number. An official expression from the association as a body can not well be obtained until the next annual convention, some time in the summer of 1919. I am sending copy of the bill to the president of the association, as I am sure he will be interested to see it. Very truly, yours, GEO. B. UTLEY, Secretary. AMERICAN VICTORY ASSOCIATION, 150 Nassau Street, New York City. New York, December 13, 1918. DEAR SIRS: The Sun Tobacco Fund believes that statute regulations of all such charities and movements as are covered by the United States Senate Bill No. 4972 are necessary to the protection of the public, not only against swindlers, but visionaries and incompetents. Yours, very truly, E. WARDMAN, Publisher. NEW YORK, December 13, 1918. Mr. WILLIAM BULLOCK, Director General, American Victory Union, 150 Nassau Street, New York City. DEAR SIR: Your letter of December 11, 1918, to Mrs. Edward P. Fowler, in regard to The Fatherless Children of France (Inc.), has been referred to me. I beg to say that, acting as secretary and counsel for The Fatherless Children of France (Inc.), I advised Mr. Cromwell that, in my opinion, that society was not a society organized for philanthropic or benevolent purposes in connection with the armed forces of the United States or its allies, and therefore was not covered by the provisions of the bill which you sent to me; and that, under these circumstances, it did not seem proper for The Fatherless Children of France (Inc.), to express any opinion in regard to the bill. It may be that I am mistaken in this opinion; but whether I am or not, I can safely say that the board of directors and the executive committee of The Fatherless Children of France (Inc.), welcome any step in the direction of proper supervision of charitable organizations, especially those collecting funds during the existing period. I think, however, that if the proposed bill which you inclosed in your letter should be held to apply to The Fatherless Children of France (Inc.), or should be made to so apply, it should be so amended as to remove certain features which, as they stand at present, would cause great injustice to the society and its beneficiaries. For example, for our society to file between the first and fifth days of each month a statement of the moneys collected by it during the preceding calendar month, with the names of the contributors, and the items disbursed on account of the expenses of collecting and distributing such moneys, would be not only practically impossible but would cause an amount of unnecessary expense which certainly ought not to be imposed upon us. I think, if I could have a conference with you, I could explain fully our situation. Perhaps you are not aware that all moneys collected by our society go to the fatherless children of France without deduction of any expenses, except those exacted by the French Government for sending the money through the mails by registered letter, and that the collections are made by some two hundred-odd committees situated in all the different parts of the Union, and are forwarded to the central office here for shipment abroad only when the amount has reached a substantial figure. Furthermore, each one of these local committees itself raises the money to meet its own expenses. These figures and the names of the members of the board of directors of the society seem to me to make such reports as your bill requires not only unnecessary but very burdensome in this case; and, perhaps, in such an interview as I have proposed, we could together amend the bill so that it would be satisfactory both to you and to myself. As I have stated, we are fully in accord with all proper supervision of charitable organizations, and would be glad to support any proper bill in that direction. I inclose herewith a copy of our certificate of incorporation and by-laws, giving the names of our directors, and also a copy of our last annual report. Very truly, yours, CHARLES MACVEAGH, Secretary Fatherless Children of France (Inc.). FATHERLESS CHILDREN OF FRANCE (INC.), Mr. WILLIAM BULLOCK, Director General American Victory Union, 150 Nassau Street, New York. MY DEAR SIR: I beg to acknowledge your letters of November 23 and December 9, with inclosed copy of Senate Bill No. 4972. Our President asks me to say to you that we are informed by our attorney that The Fatherless Children of France (Inc.) is not a society organized for philanthropic or benevolent purposes in connection with the armed forces of the United States or its allies, and that under the circumstances our executive committee should take no part in regard to this bill. Sincerely yours, MILDRED RUSSELL FOWLER, DECEMBER 11, 1918. Mrs. EDWARD P. FOWLER, Fatherless Children of France, (Inc.), No. 665 Fifth Avenue, New York City. MY DEAR MADAM: I beg to acknowledge receipt of your communication of December 10. If the opinion of your president, Mr. Seymour L. Cromwell, is correct, that the bill does not include societies engaged in war work such as the Fatherless Children of France (Inc.), an amendment to this end will be advanced. Many war funds similar to yours have endorsed the bill. May I not therefore respectively renew my request as to whether your organization approves or disapproves the bill. Yours truly, DIRECTOR GENERAL. JANUARY 4, 1919. Mr. CHARLES MAC VEAGH, Secretary Fatherless Children of France, New York City. DEAR SIR: May I ask you to excuse the delay in answering your letter of December 13, last, in reference to the United States Senate bill, No. 4972. I took the letter with me to Washington, expecting to have word for you of developments there, but since my return have been a victim of the prevailing malady. I trust that I may still take advantage of the generous offer of your valued counsel. Amendments now are being drawn, and these, I believe, will meet with the approval of the War Department and interested officials in Washington. When the revised draft comes to me, in the course of a few days, I shall be pleased to lay it before you for your consideration. With hearty thanks for your interest, I am Your, very sincerely, DIRECTOR GENERAL. JANUARY 15, 1919. Mr. CHARLES MAC VEAGH, No. 15 Broad Street, New York City. DEAR SIR: I regret exceedingly that I can not now take advantage of your very kind offer of counsel on the Ashurst or war charities bill, for the reason that I resigned to-day from the American Victory Union, which originated the measure. I should be pleased, however, if you would heed my plea for your continued interest in the bill, for which I labored for the last five months in the belief it is good and necessary legislation. For your information I may say it is now likely the bill will pass, with provision for a Federal bureau, an appropriation, and a licensing feature. A hearing by the Senate Committee on Military Affairs is to take place January 24. Sentiment in favor of the bill has grown in official circles, and the problem of amendments now is being handled by Mr. Edwin P. Kilroe, assistant district attorney. He tells me he would highly value your opinion. Very sincerely, yours, DECEMBER 17, 1918. Mr. WILLIAM BULLOCK, Director General American Victory Union, New York City. DEAR SIR: In reply to your favor of December 9, the American Poets' Ambulances in Italy has finished its work and made its accounting of the work in America (a copy of which I send you to-day). The supplementary report will soon follow. In general, as this report will show, I believe heartily in exacting responsible management from such funds but you should be careful not to make the provisions so difficult as to interfere with economically conducted societies. For instance it would be most onerous to have to make report within five days of the receipts and disbursements of each month. The limit should be at least 15, and, better, 30 days, as often vouchers simply can not be obtained and the details of the work are immense. Very truly, yours, R. U. JOHNSON. WILLIAM BULLOCK, BRISTOL, R. I., December 30, 1918, Director General, American Victory Union, New York, N. Y. DEAR MR. BULLOCK: Your letter of December 9 addressed to the secretary of the Children's Tin Box Fund, 53 West Fifty-third Street, has found its way to us to-day. One of our advisory committee, Dr. Charles L. Dana, lives at that address, but not our secretary. It is with great pleasure that we heartily indorse United States Senate bill No. 4972, and request that you will add our name to the list of those advocating this bill. According to the wording of this bill, our organization does not come under organizations mentioned in it as we are in no way military. We are listed in the National Investigation Bureau which, as you undoubtedly know, supervises, with great care, all work done connected with war activities. We inclose herewith our last report. Very truly, yours, CHILDREN'S TIN BOX FUND. Per G. M. H. HOLLYWOOD, CAL., DEAR SIR: I received your letter forwarded to me from New York. The inclosed bill, following out the plan of our English war charities act seems to be an excellent idea-as ours has worked wonderfully in England. Believe me, Truly, yours, LUCY S. MAITLAND, ! NATIONAL HONOR GUARD OF THE UNITED STATES, Mr. WILLIAM BULLOCK, American Victory Union, New York City. MY DEAR SIR: Thank you for sending us a copy of the proposed bill “to regulate the collection and expenditure of money other than by the Government of the United States." We are inclined to support this bill because we believe that it will in every way benefit the societies who are operating in all honesty and sincerity. Hoping that you will list us among those advocating the bill, we are, Yours, very truly, MARGERY WELLS, Secretary. WAR COMMITTEE, Senator GEORGE E. CHAMBERLAIN, Chairman Committee on Military Affairs, United States Senate. SIR: I beg leave to inform you herewith that in expressing the opinion of the Knights of Columbus of New York, I unqualifiedly approve and urge the immediate passage of the Senate bill now before your committee, providing for Federal supervision and control of war charities throughout the United States. It is my opinion that the need for the passage of this act is pressing, and particularly to restore public confidence in worthy and deserving war charities, to which public contributions naturally and inevitably have been decreasing as the result of publications of scandals and grafting on the part of so-called war charities in various sections of the country. Apart from the Knights of Columbus, the Red Cross, and the other societies actively engaged in welfare work in the battle areas in Europe and Asia, numerous new or transitory war charities have up to the present collected millions of dollars. There has been no accounting of these vast sums, given so generously and patriotically by our public. No law exists to reach these organizations. It is desired that I especially call your attention to the fact that a war charities bill enacted in 1916 by the British Parliament has successfully stopped war charity evils in England similar to those now existing in the United States. An investigation by the district attorney of New York County has developed the fact that war charity grafters, driven from England by this parliamentary act, have continued their nefarious practice in the United States. It is my opinion that State or municipal legislation would fail to meet the situation, and that the problem can be made only by a Federal law, such as that now before your committee. I desire also to point out that the need for the bill will be as great after the war as it is now, with the armies in the field. Following peace, war charities will continue and multiply for many year, soliciting public contributions for the welfare of returned soldiers, of their families and dependents, for the relatives of those who died for their country and for various other phases suggesting themselves for welfare work after the war. It has been established by grand jury investigations that, up to June last, war charity swindlers grafted $4,000,000 in the city of New York alone. These millions were collected from the public for our soldiers and sailors, and for the war-stricken women and children in the name of the flag. For this reason, if for no other, we believe and feel that the bill should meet with the approval of your committee and be enacted by Congress. Yours, very truly, FRANK W. SMITH, Chairman. OCTOBER 19, 1918. Senator GEORGE E. CHAMBERLAIN, Chairman Committee on Military Affairs, United States Senate. SIR: I beg leave to inform you herewith that in expressing the opinion of the Knights of Columbus of New York, I unqualifiedly approve and urge the immediate passage of the Senate bill now before your committee providing for Federal supervision and control of war charities throughout the United States. It is my opinion that the need for the passage of this act is pressing, and particularly to restore public confidence in worthy and deserving war charities, to which public contributions naturally and inevitably have been decreasing as the result of publications of scandals and grafting on the part of so-called war charities in various sections of the country. Apart from the Knights of Columbus, the Red Cross, and the other societies actively engaged in welfare work in the battle areas in Europe and Asia, numerous new or transitory war charities have up to the present collected millions of dollars. There has been no accounting of these vast sums, given so generously and patriotically by our public. No law exists to reach these organizations. |