THE SURVEY of April 12 announced the appointment of the new committees
of the National Conference of Charities and Correction, stating that
pursuant to the recent amendment to the by-laws Frank Tucker, the
president of the conference had requested the committees to begin their
work immediately. It was pointed out in your article that the Committee
on Organization has been in many respects the keystone of the national
conference and that its duties have been difficult and arduous.
Under the revised by-laws the duties of this committee are simplified.
It is no longer obliged to make its report within a few days of its
appointment. There are, however, certain disadvantages in the new plan
from the point of view of members of the conference who desire to have a
voice in its organization. Under the old plan, in spite of the fact that
the committee was thrown into the turmoil of conference politics, the
active members of the conference were all there and had an opportunity
to be heard by the Committee on Organization. Under the new plan the
committee is expected to have its work practically done by the time the
conference meets. Unless the committee adopts a procedure which is
democratic it may properly be open to the charge of making conference
politics worse instead of better.
As chairman of the committee, therefore, I desire to announce through
the columns of THE SURVEY that it is the desire of Mr. Tucker and
myself, in which I am sure the members of the committee concur, that all
interested members of the National Conference of Charities and
Correction will have ample opportunity to express their views in
reference to matters with which the Committee on Organization is
concerned. There will be a number of open meetings both before and after
reaching Seattle at which all those interested in the conference will be
welcome.
It is my desire that this committee shall truly represent the wishes of
the conference with reference to all matters of organization. Inasmuch
as the president is anxious that this committee shall have a tentative
report ready soon after the conference opens in Seattle I wish to urge
all readers of THE SURVEY who are interested in the national conference
to submit their suggestions as early as possible. We especially want
your suggestions regarding the following: