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I have no time in the few moments in which I saw you yesterday to explain my reason for finding it impossible to work under Mr. Gompers' organization. As you know my reason for asking an interview with President Wilson several weeks ago was because of the mental state of anguish and distress of the working women whose sons and husbands and brothers were of conscription age. I felt that this condition was caused primarily by lack of any adequate understanding regarding the causes of the war and asked President Wilson if something could not be done to make these causes understandable to the mothers who are giving up everything that makes life endurable. To say then that we will continue to send men to Europe to fight until Germany is defeated and the world is safe for Democracy means nothing to women who have no knowledge of political or social forces.
I found that the President's message to them saying that the object of this war was to end all wars had the same effect. It is too vague and nebulous to give them comfort and courage in their hour of trial. I became convinced that in order to reach the masses of the women two things were necessary: to put the causes of this war into terms which they felt applied to the safety of their homes, their children of American, and then to state upon what terms America would consent to peace.
To ask these mothers to keep on indefinitely fighting a sort of "War of the World" with no goal in sight, no definite boundaries to this war which they can hope for: merely passively shipping over their men to die in Europe for causes and effects which they do not understand, seems to me, to be asking too much; for never in the history of the world have women been asked to make so great a sacrifice as they are making now. No enemy is in our country: we are so far removed from the war that its flame has not caught here: our women must send their children away where their bodies will never be returned to them: where letters containing news of their death will take months to reach them and where every grief and anxiety will be aggravated by the great distance and the lack of any personal interest in the war. Under these circumstances it seems not only just, but the only merciful and civilized thing to do to make the issues clear and to state above all a limit to the war, by announcing what terms of peace we as Americans can accept.
I find that Mr. Gompers does not seem to be in sympathy with this view; he says he is in favor of continuing the war until the German Emperor and his supporters are forced by the Allies to abdicate. When I said that that stand might prolong the war indefinitely, he remarked that "We are willing to pay the price". In this I believe him to be mistaken, I do not believe that the masses of women are willing to sacrifice for an indefinite space of time the life they create for the sake of deposing the Emperor and his followers. The women as I know them are not willing to sacrifice one single life for annexation or even for indemnity, and if Germany wishes to keep her present form of government, the decision lies with her, I think it would be fatal to express Mr. Gompers' views on any platform before working women.
And I believe the announcement that our object in continuing the war is to force the abdication of the German Emperor, would prevent the radical movement inside of Germany from developing. Mr. Gompers absolutely declines to discuss terms of peace on the grounds of no annexation and no indemnity, seeming most impatient of any effort to get into harmony on the fundamental principles of the war. He merely remarked that he was "for the war to the finish", as he had indicated, and that he did not "care to waste time in discussing any of the details".
I have never come away from an interview with any human being so drained of inspiration and hope. I felt exactly the contrary after my talk with President Wilson and yourself. I can only hope that Mr. Gompers' attitude is not that of the administration, which I most earnestly desire to uphold in this crisis. If it is, I feel that the only sincere thing to do is to speak throughout the country under the auspices of some association which will allow me to speak for a statement of terms of peace. In doing this I know that I am representing these mothers of the working class, who are unable to speak for themselves.
Sometime ago as you know, President Wilson urged the nations engaged in this war to state what they were fighting for and what peace terms would be possible. These are questions which will have to be answered by any speaker at this time, and of course no one should attempt to speak for the administration regarding the war until absolutely sure as to the harmony of his views with those of the Government. Could not, therefore, the conditions under which we are willing to end this war be stated more definitely so that people like myself and the women whom I represent might know whether their conviction in regard to no annexation and no indemnities are in harmony with those of the administration. In short, I believe that a statement of our terms of peace would clear the atmosphere and satisfy the women as nothing else could.
Sincerely yours,(Sgd) Helen Todd.