The Builder Magazine
May 1919 - Volume V - Number 5
REPORT OF THE MASONIC OVERSEAS MISSION
BY BRO. TOWNSEND SCUDDER, P.G.M., NEW YORK
PART III
JUDGE MOORE SAILS FOR EUROPE
UPON my return to New York, and on September 3, 1918, I wrote Judge
Moore as follows:
"September 3, 1918.
"Honorable George Fleming Moore,
"House of the Temple,
"16th Street, Washington, D. C.
"My dear Judge Moore:
"Permit me to thank you for the courtesies extended to me while in Washington, and also enclose a copy of a letter written by me to Mr. Fosdick following up my last interview with him before returning to New York.
"I trust that he will appreciate the wisdom of refraining from withdrawing our permit and thereby again tax the good nature of our fraternity without rhyme or reason. I wish the gentleman was more practical. He seems to be an idealist with theories as to what is best which perhaps do not square in all things with the conditions which have to be met. Such an attitude invites our respect, but it does not solve delicate problems.
"Looking forward to the pleasure of seeing you again, and trusting our interviews may prove successful, believe me Sincerely yours,
"Glen Head, L. I., N. Y.
Townsend Scudder."
Judge Moore kept us informed of his progress. On several occasions he expressed the hope that we would see our way clear to sail with him. He sought other meetings with us, which we regretfully could not arrange. He had us advised of his approaching departure and of his address in New York just prior thereto and on October 7, 1918, we received the following letter, written on Cunard Steamship Company paper, advising us that he was actually on his way:
"Sunday, Oct. 6, 1918.
"Dear Judge:
"Have tried to get Kenworthy and you over the phone a number of times.
"We are sailing to Liverpool.
"Paris address, care of American Express Co., Paris, France.
Yours fraternally,
"H. T. Stevenson."
It seems proper to insert a letter received from Brother Stevenson, dated September 5, 1918. Its use in its chronological order was not feasible because it would have broken in upon our narrative. It will be recalled that the only conference with Mr. Fosdick attended by both Judge Moore and me was held on August 30th, and that at this conference it had been decided that Judge Moore should go to Europe on his particular Masonic business, whether or no the Masonic Mission obtained passports from the government, but that up to the time of his departure he would not relax his efforts and would do his best in behalf of the Masonic Mission to obtain its passports so that the fraternity might carry out its overseas program, promising to join us in France and to work with us if we reached there before his return. So Brother Stevenson wrote from Washington, September 5, 1918, as follows:
"THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE THIRTY-THIRD DEGREE
"A. and A. Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction of U. S. A.
"George F. Moore, Sovereign Grand Commander
"Washington City, September 5, 1918.
"Honorable Townsend Scudder,
"Glen Head, N. Y. "Dear Sir and Brother:
"Just a line to let you know that present indications point to the possibility, yes, probability, that early next week the difficulties and barriers that have been in the way of the Masonic Mission will be removed.
"The Sovereign Grand Commander will be in New York for the next few days at The Clendening, 103d Street and Amsterdam Avenue, with a few friends. If you wish further light on the subject, I am sure he can give you the latest information up to the time he leaves the society. He will return, I expect, next Monday. Mr. Fosdick has been out of town for several days, and is due to return to his office Monday or Tuesday, and Mr. Jamieson believes that at that time everything will be straightened up satisfactorily to all parties.
"I shall appreciate it if you will kindly return to me the copy of my report with such suggested amendments as you may desire to make in the same.
"With fraternal greetings and best wishes, I remain,
"Sincerely and fraternally yours,
"Hugh T. Stevenson."
The contents of this letter encouraged us in the belief that my final conference with Mr. Fosdick held on August 31st had not been in vain, and that he realized the soundness of our position and the injustice of giving retroactive effect to the War Department's new rule excluding civilian organizations from war service overseas so as to exclude the Masonic fraternity from that service under its permit received from the government April 23, 1918, and at least three months before the new rule was decided upon.
The report to which Brother Stevenson referred, and the return of which he requested, was one covering our negotiations with him in reference to Masonic overseas service. A reading of this report did not satisfy us that Brother Stevenson attached the same relative importance to the various Masonic bodies which we did, and as we were working together as far as the government at Washington was concerned it did not seem worth while to waste energy over non-essentials. Accordingly under date of September 11, 1918, I answered his letter of September 5th as follows:
"September 11, 1918.
"Rev. Hugh T. Stevenson,
"157 U Street, N.W., Washington, D. C.
"My dear Mr. Stevenson:
"Yours of September the 5th duly received, and I am returning herewith the copy of the report which you handed me. I do not feel at liberty to make any suggestions with reference to it, because our viewpoints are quite different and there is no reason why we should attempt to harmonize them. We are seeking a common end, only we go about it differently.
"Sincerely yours,
"Townsend Scudder.
"Glen Head, L. I., N. Y.
"Sorry that due to absence from town I could not connect with Judge Moore. Kenworthy tried to make an appointment, but failed."
SHOULD MASONIC OVERSEAS SERVICE BE CONDUCTED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF GRAND LODGES OR OF THE SCOTTISH RITE?
Brother Stevenson told us that he had been sent by Judge Moore to talk over Masonic overseas service with Brother Kenworthy and with me before the judge knew that a permit to engage in that work had been given our Mission by the chairman of the Commission on Training Camp Activities of the War Department. It seems that Judge Moore had not read the minutes of the conference of Grand Masters, a copy of which I had sent to him on August 27th, but this copy he gave to Brother Stevenson to read on his way to New York to meet us. Brother Stevenson left Washington, as he told us, to promote the Scottish Rite's ambition to send representatives abroad and also to invite a member of the New York Committee to accompany the Scottish Rite delegation. Having learned from the minutes of the conference of Grand Masters that we had the War Department's consent and were thereby in a stronger position than was the Scottish Rite, also that our financial backing and resources exceeded its own, he suggested a joint undertaking in the form of a union of what he called "the higher bodies" and the several Grand Lodges. We, on the other hand, urged that the success of our overseas enterprise was dependent upon the heart of the fraternity being in it, that there was nothing higher in Freemasonry than the Symbolic Lodge, the foundation of it all; and that if the fraternity was to measure to its duty and full responsibility, if its conscience was to be satisfied, the head and directing force of the overseas enterprise must be the great body which embraced us all, the Symbolic Lodges acting through the forty-nine Grand Lodges of the United States; that here was the will to serve, and also the ability and the financial means to serve, because therein we are all embraced; that when the forty-nine Grand Jurisdictions undertook a work the entire Masonic membership in the United States was in it and back of it, including all Scottish Rite Masons, whereas when the Scottish Rite acted it represented itself alone and only about ten per cent of our entire membership. For these reasons, we urged that the Scottish Rite work through its lodge affiliations and not as a separate body, and we expressed our conviction that any different course, in the light of the government's attitude towards Freemasonry, would defeat the fraternity's ambition to serve our boys overseas.
We felt that we had won Brother Stevenson over to our viewpoint by the time we parted, he to return to Washington, but further to convince him if that should be necessary, Brother Kenworthy wrote him a letter under date of August 28, 1918, as follows:
"August 28, 1918.
"My dear Brother Stevenson:
"I want you to know what a real pleasure it was for me to meet you Tuesday night and share in your conference with Brother Scudder.
"I am satisfied your talk together will be productive of much good, and will lead in time to a solution of the perplexing problem which has given us all so much concern. When the rank and file of the Craft is troubled, it indicates their keen interest in the very grave question now before the Department. If it represented solely the idea of a few leaders of the Craft to put themselves forward, and perhaps in the way, we would not as a fraternity have to be interested, but every one of the 867 lodges in the state of New York has men 'over there,' as our returns show; in one instance as high as fifty Brethren, and running anywhere from two to a dozen and over throughout the state, and I am satisfied the same splendid record of loyalty will be shown by all of our 49 Jurisdictions.
"It must be so, otherwise this office would not have been in contact with the hundreds of men we have been called upon to take care of by our sister jurisdictions.
"During the past week, for example, forty men have been assigned by us to receive the degrees at the request of different Grand Masters from all over the United States. This has been going on for a year, and we are reading today of the valorous service of some of the men we have met, notably in the present great drive our Allies are making supported by the A. E. F.
"These are the men from all of our jurisdictions whom we want to reach and offer our brotherliness to over there. They are far from home, and as Mr. Fosdick's report intimated, their furlough periods do not allow the home visits enjoyed by the French and English soldiers.
"You know what it has meant, perhaps, in normal times, when you were abroad in a city or country other than England, to find a headquarters where you could read your home papers and hear your own language spoken. I have felt it repeatedly, and will never forget the sense of comfort the association brought to me.
"How much more do our boys need all this and more, too, and how pre-eminently it is our duty to provide for them. Men from over there have told me the boys were clamoring for it, and are only awaiting the day when their hopes will be fulfilled.
"The fraternity does not want to disappoint these men. You know that Masonry inculcates loyalty to state and nation from the 1d to the 33d, and because of this it has been a tremendous factor in meeting the needs of the nation today. Our men knew the duty expected of them and they are in the forefront as officers of the army and navy because of their ability, their loyalty, and their sense of duty to God and country.
"May I add just a word more. you are so distinctively representative of the body politic of Masonry, and when I say that I mean its democracy, I do not want to see you obsessed by the idea and general misnomer of the higher bodies.
"There are no bodies higher in Masonry than the body itself, and that is the great aggregation of Symbolic Lodges represented throughout the ignited States.
"Our statistics show, January 1, 1918, a total of 1,869,645 Masons in the 49 states of the U.S.A.; of this number, 1,002,797 are allied with the Grand Lodges to which the N.M.J. owes allegiance.
"To the Grand Lodges identified with the S.M.J. the total membership is 866,848.
"The Proceedings of the S.M.J., 1914-15, page 399, shows an aggregate membership of the Rite of 84,248, or less than 10 per cent.
"Likewise, in the N. M. J. Proceedings, 1917, page 40, shows a total membership in the Rite of 99,317, or less than 10 per cent.
"We would not belittle our associations with the S. R. because of its numerical limitations, any more than we would exalt ourselves because of the numeral distinction it confers.
"You and I would rather be allied with an army of nearly 2,000,000 men than to be the leaders of a division representing only 10 per cent of the army itself.
"These figures of membership are irrefutable, and probably have not come under your observation before. They are not submitted for any other purpose than to emphasize to you the democracy of the Craft as represented by the ninety rather than the ten per cent., and to impress you, too, with the thought that our aim is to reach out and gratify the hopes and prayers of the nearly two million Masons of the United States for their brethren 'over there.' God bless you and bring success to our efforts.
"Faithfully your Brother,
"Robert Judson Kenworthy."
HOW ERRONEOUS IMPRESSIONS CAN BE GAINED
In justice to Judge Moore I deem it my duty to call attention to the misapprehension which seems to exist in the minds of some regarding real purposes and objects of his visit abroad which is sometimes so represented as to have it appear that he had gone abroad to engage in war relief work with our forces, having obtained from the government its consent thereto. As an illustration, I quote an extract from The Scottish Rite News, Volume VIII, No. 10, dated November, 1918:
"Word has just been received of the safe arrival overseas of Illustrious Brother George F. Moore, 33d, Grand Commander of the Supreme Council; Illustrious Brother Sam P. Cochran, 33d, Sovereign Grand Inspector General in Texas, and Brother Hugh T. Stevenson, 32d pastor of the First Baptist Church in Washington, D. C. These three brethren constitute a committee appointed by the Supreme Council for the purpose of visiting France and undertaking the establishment of a special line of war relief work for the benefit of American soldiers, which is not now covered by the activities of the Red Cross, Y. M. C. A., and other similar institutions. The committee will also visit the Grand Masonic bodies of the various European countries with a view to reestablishing fraternal relations between those Grand bodies and the Grand Masonic bodies of the United States.
"It is also announced that prior to their departure from the United States, Brother Moore, Brother Cochran and Doctor Stevenson were authorized and appointed to represent the Order of Odd Fellows in any work undertaken under the auspices of the Supreme Council. This additional financial support and co-operation on the part of the Odd Fellows of the United States, lend great importance to the work to be undertaken by the committee, and with the combined efforts of the Scottish Rite Masons and the Odd Fellows splendid results should come from the work to be undertaken."
While a careful reading of this article shows that the three brothers named constitute a committee appointed by the Supreme Council, it does not say that the government permitted them to go abroad to carry out the objects or the purposes for which they were appointed by the Supreme Council. Doubtless Brother Moore and his colleagues were constituted a committee by the Supreme Council to engage in a special line of war relief work, but they did not receive the approval of the government to engage in war relief work for the benefit of our soldiers. The article in question does not say that they did, but only implies it, and to that extent is misleading.
A similar error is fallen into by Brother Leon M. Abbott, Grand Master of Massachusetts, who writes as follows: (I quote his letter in full, but that part to which particular attention is directed is double-leaded.)
"My dear Grand Master:
"Your letter and telegram of recent date were duly received and have been given my very careful consideration. I appreciate the very great interest that you are taking in the matters to which your letter refers and your real Masonic desire to render practical and effective service. It is self-evident that the two millions of Masons in this country are not doing collectively what they ought to do to advance the interests of their brethren in the Service.
I have given these matters of assistance to the brethren in the military and naval service a great deal of thought and attention since I have been Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts. We have been doing quite a bit to help, but far less than we are able and ought to do. I early adopted the plan of appointing special deputies with each military unit going from Massachusetts and containing members of our fraternity. I also named two or three special deputies in the naval service. These deputies are keeping me in touch with the Masonic situation in the places where they are stationed or located and are commissioned to render relief, to report to me how we or others can best render assistance or relief, and are enjoined to form Masonic clubs whenever it is practical to do so. I am constantly getting reports from these deputies and I am more and more convinced that this plan is a very wise one. It is only now and then that I get a report from a deputy suggesting anything that the Masons of Massachusetts can do to help out on the other side. We are raising a war relief fund to provide for those who may become in need through the war. We have built a theatre at Camp Devens and engaged in various other activities at that camp, which is the only one located in Massachusetts.
"We are not in fraternal relation with any of the so-called Grand Lodges of France and this for the reasons set out in detail by my predecessors and also by me upon several occasions in my addresses before the quarterly meetings of our Grand Lodge. I shall be glad to furnish you with full and complete information as to our position relative to the Masonic recognition of any of the Grand Lodges in France if it should prove of special interest to you.
"I attended the conference of Grand Masters held in New York in May when it was arranged that Judge Scudder and two associates should investigate conditions on the other side and report to each of the Grand Lodge Jurisdictions as to how assistance could best be given. I am also familiar with the situation relating to the holding up of the passports of Judge Scudder and his associates and the consequent inability to carry out the purpose embodied in the resolve adopted at the New York conference. Perhaps you are not familiar with the inside history of the failure of this Mission to carry out what it so earnestly desired to do. Perhaps also you have not been informed as to the history leading up to the recent sending across of Brothers Moore, Cochran and Stevenson, representing the Southern Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite. There is much that can be said regarding the sending of this latter delegation and the refusal to let the delegation headed by Judge Scudder carry out their proposed work that can not be properly said on paper. I hope that you are entirely familiar with all the details concerning these Masonic Missions.
"I do not feel that such a conference as you suggest being held within the next thirty days would be productive of such good results as to warrant the holding of such a conference at this time. This conclusion is based upon all the information that has come to me from my own deputies and otherwise and from an intimate participation in the New York conference and consultation with those who have had to do with dealing with the War Department since that conference. There are many things that I do not understand and I am earnestly trying to be temperate in thought and expression regarding certain facts which have come to my knowledge.
"I do not believe, my dear Most Worshipful Brother Schoonover, that the time is ripe for such a meeting as you propose, although I hope that you are assured of my hearty sympathy with the purpose you outline. There never has been a time in the history of the Order when such a glorious opportunity has been offered for translating Masonic teachings into living expression.
"With high regard, I am
"Fraternally yours,
"Leon M. Abbott,
"Grand Master."
The portion of Brother Abbott's letter to which particular attention is called is that which conveys the impression that both the Scottish Rite and the Mission representing the Grand Lodges seek to engage in the same kind of war relief work, and that the government granted to the former permission for this purpose and denied it to the latter, when, as a matter of fact, the purpose for which Brother Moore and his associates journeyed across the ocean had nothing whatever akin to the work proposed to be done by the Masonic Mission.- (See Brother Moore's statement to Mr. Fosdick on page 96 of THE BUILDER.)
MR. FOSDICK INTIMATES HE HAS A SATISFACTORY SOLUTION
Returning now to my interview with Mr. Fosdick on the train on which we left Washington on July 26th, let us take up the story of my further dealings with him after that day.
It will be recalled that we parted with the understanding that Secretary Baker and he were to formulate a proposition for Masonic activities overseas, and submit it to me at a conference, of the time and place of which I was to be notified. It will also be recalled that I had suggested the inviting of Judge Moore to this conference for the purpose of satisfying the War Department that Judge Moore's interests and those I represented were in harmony.
Receiving no call to this conference from Mr. Fosdick up to August 2d, I sent on that day the following:
"August 2, 1918.
"Honorable Raymond B. Fosdick,
"Chairman Commission on War Training Camp Activities,
"War Department, Washington, D. C.
"Dear Mr. Fosdick:
"Not having received a telegram or letter from you with reference to my return to Washington to attend the conference which you suggested, I have assumed that it has not been possible to arrange for it. I am just writing to let you know that I am at Glen Head, Long Island, awaiting your summons which I hope will come at an early date. you will appreciate that the uncertainty is disconcerting to all men involved.
"Sincerely yours,
Townsend Scudder. "Glen Head, L. I., N. Y."
A telegram from Mr. Fosdick, dated August 6th, was duly received by me as follows:
"WESTERN UNION TELEGRAM
"Received at Glen Cove, N. Y.
"20 NYAG 64 Govt
"Nr Washn DC 6 Aug
"Honorable Townsend Seudder
"Glenhead LI NY
"Can you give me any information about meeting of Masons in Cleveland last week and plan that was projected for work among the troops by the Masonic fraternity. We have no information about matter here but it has been suggested that efforts of New York state delegation might wisely be Coordinated with the Cleveland plans.
"Raymond B. Fosdick
"2PM"
To it, on August 7th, I made the following reply:
"August 7, 1918.
"Honorable Raymond B. Fosdick,
"Chairman Commission on Training Camp Activities, "War Department, Washington, D. C. "Dear Mr. Fosdick:
"Your telegram has been received. The reconstruction and the re-education of United States soldiers and sailors and Masonic participation therein was a matter submitted by New York at the conference of Grand Masters held in New York in May, and it was resolved that it be referred back to the several state Masonic Jurisdictions for action, it being urged that each jurisdiction commit itself to this work as each might determine, more particularly as the matter of re-education and employment was one pertaining to the states individually where each state could look out for its own.
"The Ohio meeting, extensively advertised in the newspapers, was doubtless made up of Ohio representatives of the fraternity, and I have no doubt were acting on the very matter referred to Ohio as well as to the other states by the meeting of Grand Masters in New York. I reach this conclusion because New York received no notice or invitation to this meeting, which, of course, it would have received had it been something more than a local meeting.
"I have complied with your suggestion that I write to the President. The letter was mailed yesterday, and I assume will be taken up with you in due course. I would gladly send you a copy, but I feel it would not be proper so to do until the President has acted or made the letter public.
"I am more keen than ever for a proper and satisfying solution of the matter of Masonic overseas service. On every side the inference is being drawn that there has been some hostile influence at work and the Masonic fraternity through this influence is being discriminated against. It will be very difficult, I fear, to overcome this impression, which has disturbed and worried me, and makes exceedingly difficult my efforts to satisfy the impatient and hotter heads in the fraternity.
"Sincerely yours,
Townsend Scudder.
"Glen Head, L. I., N. Y."
To the meeting, subject of the foregoing telegram and my letter of August 7th, the following newspaper article from the New York Globe of August 1st probably refers:
MASONS LAUNCH PLAN TO AID DISABLED VETERANS
Cleveland, Aug. 1. - The resources of Masonic bodies throughout the world will be used to assist soldiers and sailors disabled on the battlefields of Europe, if a movement launched here last night by representatives of every branch of Masonry wins the approval of the War Department and of the higher Masonic bodies of the country. The meeting formed the War League for Masonic Service.
The efforts of the fraternity would be to assist disabled men to become self-sustaining before, during or after vocational training given them by the government. Tentative plans call for the use of Masonic employment under research bureaus, hospitals and buildings and funds, thus utilizing a complete organization, which would be ready at the first request for help.
Under the plans each of the 3,000,000 Masons in this country will be asked to devote time and effort in the work.
No further word was received from Mr. Fosdick until August 20th, when I received from him this telegram, dated that day:
"WESTERN UNION TELEGRAM
"Received at Glen Cove, N. Y.
"36 NYAG 31 Govt
"Nr Washn DC Aug 20 1918 130PM
"Judge Townsend Scudder
"Glen Head, LI NY
"Matter proceeding to what I believe will be a satisfactory solution. You will probably hear from us in a few days.
"Raymond B. Fosdick."
To this telegram I sent, on August 22d, the following reply:
"August 22. 1918.
"Honorable Raymond B. Fosdick,
"Chairman Commission on Training Camp Activities, "War Department,
Washington, D. C.
"Dear Mr. Fosdick:
"Thank you for your telegram. I shall be indeed happy to hear the details of the prospective solution of the problem.
"I appreciate your courtesy.
"Sincerely,
"Townsend Scudder.
"Glen Head, L. I., N. Y."
Eight days later, on August 28th, nothing further having been heard from Mr. Fosdick, I sent him the following letter, a copy of which I sent to Brother Stevenson for Judge Moore:
"August 28, 1918
"Honorable Raymond B. Fosdick,
"Chairman Commission on Training Camp Activities, "War Department,
Washington, D. C.
"My dear Mr. Fosdick:
"I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your telegram that 'Matter proceeding to what I believe will be a satisfactory solution. You will probably hear from us in a few days.' This news was indeed cheering, the more so because the situation has grown extremely acute and inferences are being drawn and speculations indulged in which are proving disturbing in the extreme.
"In perfect frankness it is my judgment that the safest and best way out will be the issuing of passports to the Masonic Mission, their relief work overseas to be confined to the recreation centers, and trust to the good judgment of the mission to determine whether the Masonic fraternity can render real worth while service. I can assure you that excepting it can, it will withdraw from the field, and I can further assure you that its judgment that it cannot render such service will be accepted by the fraternity at large and the implications will end.
"When we discussed the Masonic plan of Service overseas, I pointed out to you the advantage of our plan in that if the work proved worth while the scope of the work could be enlarged, and all others desiring to participate could do so either through their workers or with their funds.
"This has been presented to all the Masonic Jurisdictions in the United States, and I can say it is satisfactory to them. In this connection I find that there is no divergence of views between the mission which New York, with the approval of the Masons of the United States, is seeking to send overseas and the work which Judge George Fleming Moore, of the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, is contemplating. He, too, is seeking to render effective service, and comes in with us and we with him as one in the common enterprise, and it is my thought because his work will mean a larger enterprise that this will necessitate the enlarging of the mission to cover the two or three men whom he seeks to have accompany him. After all, nine persons are not so many when representing an organization with two million active members and as many inactive ones. We hardly feel that it is probable that others will want to join the preliminary mission because Judge Moore is the only one who has expressed that wish since all were advised of our undertaking. The others are awaiting the report of the mission and its determination whether the work is worth while before setting in motion machinery necessary in connection with the support of the work, and at this point let me emphasize again that what the Masonic fraternity does it pays for itself and does not solicit funds from the public. We will engage in no drives, so from this standpoint will not be a disturbing factor.
"There is on the ground in Washington a gentleman in whom we place confidence and with whom we feel you can talk this matter over to advantage. My reference is to the Rev. Hugh T. Stevenson, 157 U Street, N. W.
"Pardon the length of this letter, but the importance of the matter treated is great, and I have not lost my sense of proportion even in these times, and over and above all things I want to prevent a controversy which is smouldering now because there is a strong sense that an injustice has been done and that governmental favors are being showered on some while even justice is being denied to others not less worthy, and this is an unwholesome condition.
"Sincerely yours,
"Townsend Scudder.
"Glen Head, L. I., N. Y."
Following this letter, Brother Stevenson arranged the meeting of August 30th with Mr. Fosdick, the one at which was present Mr. Jamieson, the account of which has been hereinbefore set forth.
INTERVIEW WITH MR. TUMULTY
Unable to determine what was the source of the opposition to Masonic overseas war relief work, and being anxious to get in touch with a practical man whose good judgment I felt could be relied upon and who would have a keen interest in avoiding complications and controversies which were susceptible of being used in a political way, I decided to call upon Mr. Tumulty and give him the story of the Masonic efforts in Washington to secure passports for its overseas mission and of the obstacles and disappointments which we had encountered.
I took advantage of my presence in Washington awaiting the conference with Secretary Baker, which Mr. Fosdick had promised to arrange, to meet Mr. Tumulty and discuss the Masonic enterprise.
I began my story by calling his attention to the original ruling of the Secretary of War which had excluded the Masonic fraternity from camps and cantonments as far as social service therein was concerned, and recalled to his memory the agitation which this ruling had occasioned and our fraternity's final success in smoothing the matter over and closing the incident.
I then told him of my coming to Washington in the early spring to lay before the Committee on Training Camp Activities the Masonic fraternity's plan to render service overseas, and the discussion that I had had with Mr. Fosdick, culminating in his letter approving our plan, bearing date of April 23, 1918. I told him of our return to Washington to take up our passports, of the opposition which for the first time we had met in the passport bureau, and of our subsequent dealings with the Third Assistant Secretary of War, and of my more recent interview with Mr. Fosdick. I added that I was now awaiting word of an appointment to meet Secretary Baker, that I had grave misgivings whether Secretary Baker would appreciate the importance of the Masonic matter, preoccupied as he was by the mass of things that he had to consider, and that I hoped that the question of Masonic activities overseas might reach the President as I felt confident that, with his knowledge of history, his breadth of vision, and sense of justice, he would go into the matter thoroughly, and that whatever decision he reached would be a satisfying one which could be accepted by the fraternity whether it was favorable or unfavorable to us. I again resort to the form of a dialogue. Only the substance, however, of our ensuing conversation is given, but as so given it covers the ground.
Tumulty: "Why do you bring this matter to me?"
Scudder: "Because you are a practical man, Mr. Tumulty, and I flatter myself that I am a practical man. In my efforts with Mr. Fosdick I have felt that I was dealing with an idealist. I have not felt at all that he appreciated how serious the matter was with reference to which we have been negotiating. I think that he does not grasp the fact that the members of the Masonic fraternity will resent an arbitrary refusal to permit them to serve as other organizations are serving. I think that he does not realize that such a refusal will invite speculation as to its causes. You and I know that there is a rivalry between the Masonic fraternity and the Knights of Columbus, and the Knights of Columbus seem able to obtain from the administration anything that they wish in the way of opportunities of service, not only with our forces in Europe, but here in the United States; yet the Masonic fraternity, many times more numerous, hundreds of years older, and fully as zealous to serve, has received scant consideration. I fear that all of this will invite the inference, from these favors shown- the Knights of Columbus and the inability of the Masonic fraternity to receive any recognition, that the present administration is hostile to the Masonic fraternity, and that such hostility may be attributed to the close relationship which seems to exist between the administration and the Knights of Columbus."
Tumulty: "What have I to do with all of this ?"
Scudder: "I do not know, probably nothing, but you are a practical man and you do see, I am sure, whither this trends."
Tumulty: "If the Knights of Columbus have put any obstacles in the way of the Masonic fraternity's service, it has been done by some little fellow. It never would be countenanced by the men at the top, and the President would never stand for it a moment. Why, suppose the Masons were to ask to investigate my office, I would not oppose it. I would tell them, 'Here are the keys, go through everything.' We cannot afford to have a controversy between the Knights of Columbus and the Masons. I will take you in to see the President and you can go over it with him. I know he will not stand for an injustice. I do not believe that the Knights of Columbus are responsible for your troubles, for such action would be the height of folly on their part."
Scudder: "I hardly feel that I can present the matter to the President properly by word of mouth, and I also feel that whatever decision the President may reach should come to the public in his own words and not through my interpretation of them."
Tumulty: "Then write the story out just as you have told it to me, but as briefly as possible. I will see that the President reads it. you can rely upon me to do the best I can to get the matter straightened out, and if there is anything which you see that I can do, let me know."
Scudder: "I told Mr. Fosdick when he spoke of enmity existing between the Masons and the Knights of Columbus and said that there was fighting on the other side without sending over more discordant elements, that I had no doubt that the leaders of the Knights of Columbus would urge him to let the Masonic Mission sail were I to lay the facts before them."
Tumulty: "I have no doubt they would. I will speak to Mr. Flaherty about it."
Mr. James A. Flaherty is the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus. Evidently he was spoken to by Mr. Tumulty, and evidently he recognized the propriety and desirability of having the Masons carry out their overseas program, because at an interview with Mr. Fosdick after my conversation with Mr. Tumulty, Mr. Fosdick told me that Mr. Flaherty, as I understood him, had called upon him and had urged him to permit the Masonic Mission to sail.
CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE PRESIDENT
Having framed my letter to the President with the view to obtaining his decision upon the application of the Masonic fraternity for permission for its overseas mission to go abroad, I wrote a letter, dated August 5, 1918, to Mr. Tumulty, set forth below, enclosing that to the President:
"August 5, 1918.
"Honorable Joseph P. Tumulty,
"Secretary to the President of the United States,
"Washington, D. C.
"Dear Mr. Tumulty:
"I am sending herewith enclosed in harmony with your suggestion a letter to the President dealing with the question of Masonic overseas relief work. I regret the letter is so long, but found it difficult to shorten it and present the ease adequately. I appreciate that you realize the importance of a satisfying solution of the matter and a setting at rest of the speculation now going on over the country as to why the situation is as it is.
"Thanking you for your courtesy, I am, "Very sincerely yours,
"Townsend Scudder."
I received from Mr. Tumulty the following, dated
August 8th:
"The White House,
"Personal. Washington, August 8, 1918.
"My dear Judge Scudder:
"I have your letter of August 5th, and shall bring the enclosure to the attention of the President. I shall be glad to do all I can to help in this matter.
"Mr. Fosdick's letter is herewith returned. "Sincerely yours,
"J. P. Tumulty,
"Secretary to the President.
"Hon. Townsend Scudder,
"Supreme Court of New York, Brooklyn, N. Y."
LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT
"August 5, 1918.
"To His Excellency,
"The President of the United States of America,
"The White House, Washington, D. C.
"The President:
"The appeals of the Young Men's Christian Association, the Knights of Columbus, and others affirm the great need of money and of workers to cheer, comfort and sustain our boys overseas as some substitute for home leave denied them by distance. It is urged that this service is necessary to the morale of our men. The Masonic fraternity is ready, willing and able to do its share of this work in the city recreation centers abroad, but finds its way blocked because it is not a 'recognized relief organization.'
"The prerequisites to such recognition by the government have not been disclosed to us. Already there are with our colors fully 100,000 Masons, a number greater than the entire membership of other fraternities permitted to engage in the work denied to Freemasonry. It has an equal number of sons of Masons in the service.
"From these, and from its membership at home, there is beside the Young Men's Christian Association, the Knights of Columbus, and the others engaged in cheer and comfort work.
"The fraternity is perturbed over its inability to meet this demand of its own people, perturbed over its inability to give to its members satisfying reasons why the government, after approving Masonic participation in the relief work overseas, withholds the passports without which the Masonic Mission cannot sail.
"Masonry seeks to be efficient and helpful; it would not engage knowingly in an inconsequential work; it has accepted as worth-while the overseas service of civilian organizations like the Young Men's Christian Association, the Knights of Columbus, the Moose, because of their drives to raise funds with which to carry on their work have not been curbed, because the government seemingly deems them 'recognized relief organizations.'
"Masonry modestly but confidently invites a review of its service to humanity not only in the past, but also since this terrible war was forced upon us, as a test of the justice of its claim to equal recognition as a 'relief organization.'
"The public is told by the Young Men's Christian Association, the Knights of Columbus, and others, to stimulate the flow of money to their coffers, that all these organizations can do is small in comparison with what needs to be done to maintain the morale of our boys overseas. Then why should the two million Masons in the United States be denied permission to take direct part in this overseas service, more particularly since the funds Masonry devotes to social service and charitable uses come from the fraternity and not the public?
"Masonry has no quarrel with any organization serving overseas; to their funds it has contributed freely, but it does not understand its exclusion from such service.
"It is humiliating to the oldest, richest, and numerically the strongest brotherhood, for ages renowned for its charity and its work of uplift, to be denied permission to work overseas for the benefit of our sailors and soldiers alongside of the Moose, the Knights of Columbus and the Young Men's Christian Association for no other assigned reason than that the Masonic order is not in the view of the United States government a 'recognized relief organization.
"I take the liberty of enclosing a letter received by me from Raymond B. Fosdick, Chairman of the Commission on Training Camp Activities, promising the support of the War Department in our projected overseas Masonic relief work. It is in view of this letter that the Masonic fraternity is at a loss to understand the refusal of the government to permit the Masonic order to engage in this projected relief work.
"The Masonic fraternity seeks through you, Mr. President, the recognition to which it believes it is entitled to enable it to join in overseas service.
"Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
"Townsend Scudder."
No reply was received from the President until over seven weeks had elapsed from the time my letter was mailed. During this period we were negotiating with the Y. M. C. A., and also holding interviews, and corresponding, with Mr. Fosdick.
At one of my interviews with the latter, I remarked that the President was taking a long time to give us his decision, and that we had expected an earlier answer to our letter. To this Mr. Fosdick replied that the President had given our letter to the War Department for the draft of a reply, and that it was a very difficult letter to answer.
Thereafter I received the reply of the President, dated September 25th.
THE PRESIDENT'S LETTER
"The White House,
"Washington, September 25, 1918.
"My dear Justice Scudder:
"I have delayed answering your thoughtful letter of August 5th so that I might have time to consult with my colleagues in the War Department and give the question which you raise my own careful consideration.
"The offer of the Masonic order to bear its share in the work which is being done for the troops overseas is not only in accord with the splendid loyalty with which the country is supporting the war, but it is in line with its own generous traditions as a fraternity. My first inclination would therefore be to accept at once an offer conceived in so fine a spirit of service. however, there are considerations of a military character which have to be taken into account in passing upon a matter of this kind.
"I find that General Pershing has repeatedly asked the War Department to limit as far as possible the number of private agencies serving with the American Expeditionary Forces. The reasons are not difficult to discover. In the movement of troops from point to point, either along the front or in the rear, such considerations as transportation, the congestion of roads and knowledge of the movements of troops, make it necessary to limit not only the number of non-combatant personnel, but the number of non-military organizations that have independent contact with the army. These and other factors affect in similar fashion the situation in the training and rest areas where more static conditions prevail.
"I am sure you will agree with me that General Pershing's judgment on these matters ought to be respected. Up to the present time the War Department has authorized for overseas service, in addition to the Red Cross, only the Young Men's Christian Association, the Knights of Columbus, the Jewish Welfare Board and the Salvation Army. The Knights of Columbus have been recognized not as a fraternity, but as sustaining the same relationship to the Catholic church which the Y. M. C. A. bears to Protestantism. No other organizations have been authorized, and I believe that the judgment of the War Department in declining to add to the number of these agencies overseas is sound. Mr. Fosdick's letter of endorsement, to which you call my attention, was written last April, before the policy of the American Expeditionary Forces on this matter was fully understood by the War Department.
"I have written you somewhat at length because I am anxious that you and the great fraternity which you represent should realize that the inability of the government to accept your generous proffer of service in the way you indicate is not due to any lack of appreciation. Permit me to express my own personal thanks for your offer and for the fine spirit behind it.
"Cordially and sincerely yours,
"Woodrow Wilson.
"Honorable Townsend Scudder,
"Justices' Chambers,
"Supreme Court of the State of New York, Brooklyn, N. Y."
The foregoing letter of the President crossed, in the mail, one of mine, dated September 24th, to Mr. Tumulty, as follows:
"September 24, 1918.
"Honorable Joseph P. Tumulty,
"Secretary to the President,
"Washington, D. C.
"My dear Mr. Tumulty:
"Appreciating the multiplicity of things pressing upon you, I hesitate to add to your burden but find myself embarrassed by my inability to explain the failure to receive a reply to my letter of August 5th addressed to the President upon the subject of Masonic service in large recreation centers overseas.
"I was informed that this letter had been sent to the War Department, and perhaps has been overlooked there. It is this thought which prompts me to write now. I will be appreciative if the matter can be taken up and disposed of, and if my presence in Washington can assist, I can come upon the shortest notice.
"Sincerely yours,
"Townsend Scudder.
"Glen Head, L. I., N. Y."
To this letter I received the following acknowledgment:
"The White House,
"Washington, 26 September, 1918 "Dear Justice Scudder:
"Before the receipt of your letter, the President had already made reply to your letter of the 5th of August. The reason for delay arose out of the fact that the President was in consultation with the War Department and the Bureau of War Training Activities.
"Sincerely yours,
"J. P. Tumulty,
"Hon. Townsend Scudder, Secretary to the President
"Glen Head, L. I."
The President's letter of September the 25th having put an end to our hopes of serving independently overseas, our negotiations with the Y. M. C. A. were pushed more vigorously in the hope of reaching a working agreement with it whereby we might take over some feature or features of its work. This work would be conducted under the Y. M. C. A. emblem alone, but within the premises there would be a tablet upon which would be inscribed words to the effect that "this Hut is supported by moneys contributed by the Masonic fraternity of the United States." The Y. M. C. A. said that, as far as was practicable, their secretaries in charge of such huts should be Masons, and in doing this there would be little difficulty, inasmuch as of the Y. M. C. A. secretaries serving abroad about half of the total number, among them some of their most efficient men, were Masons.
We also emphatically stated to the Y. M. C. A. officials that there was not the slightest intention on the part of the Masons that there should be in such huts, nor would there be, any conferring of Masonic degrees, or other activities peculiar to Freemasonry as a secret society.
A statement to this same effect had been made by us to Mr. Fosdick before he granted us the permit of April 23, 1918, and the same fact had been made clear to Mr. Keppel and to Mr. Tumulty in our interviews with them after the hold-up in the passport bureau. Although supported by moneys contributed by the Masonic fraternity, the facilities offered were to be open to all men in the service, as has ever been our purpose from the time when we made our first appeal to Washington for permission.
We accordingly sought further interviews with officials of the Y. M. C. A. and began a discussion of the practical workings of our plan invited by the letter of Dr. Watson, dated September 24, 1918, and appearing on page 65 of THE BUILDER. The head officials of the Y. M. C. A. with whom we were dealing were busy men, whose duties often compelled absence from New York, with the result that there were delays in getting together. Time ran along and we were soon in the midst of the fall political campaign. As Freemasonry does not concern itself with politics, we were very cautious during the campaign, lest the refusal of the administration to permit our fraternity to carry out the plans which it had formulated upon receiving the War Department's consent to engage in overseas relief work, if it became publicly known, be injected into the campaign in some form or other, and made a political issue.
The campaign over, the drive in the interest of the United War Work Campaign began, and again we were embarrassed lest the refusal of the government to permit Masonic service overseas should, by becoming public, in some way lessen the enthusiasm of people who otherwise might have contributed more liberally to the war work service.
Up to this time the President's declination of our offer of service abroad had not been imparted by Judge Scudder, recipient of the President's letter, to more than a half dozen persons in the United States, and these are Masons who received this information under the seal of strict secrecy.
On November 11,1918, however, the armistice was signed, and from our viewpoint the objections raised by the President in his letter of September 25th, even if sound on that date, which we did not feel them to be, were no longer so, now that the great war was over in fact, if not theoretically. Accordingly we framed another letter to the President, which we forwarded to him enclosed in the following letter, dated November 11th, addressed to Mr. Joseph P. Tumulty, the Secretary to the President, thus again availing ourselves of Mr. Tumulty's offer in his letter of August 8th, in which he said: "I shall be glad to do all I can to help in this matter."
"November 11, 1918.
Honorable Joseph P. Tumulty,
"Secretary to the President of the United States,
"Washington, D. C.
"Dear Mr. Tumulty:
"May I again solicit your good offices and request you to present to the President the letter which I herewith enclose?
"Perhaps you have noticed that no public mention has been made of the contents of the President's letter to me dated September 25, 1918. This is due to the fact that I have considered the matter as still pending, and in this I have felt justified because it seemed to me the situation changed shortly after the President wrote, and that it would be but a little time before it would not be improper again to address him upon this same subject. I admit also that I was fearful that some men who had given this subject only superficial consideration, might take the matter up and seek to make of it a political issue, and I also feared that a few might be influenced by it in a way to affect, even if only very slightly, the campaign under way to raise money for war relief work.
"I am hoping that now, in light of the changed conditions, the President will be able to see the matter our way, and I also hope that his decision may be reached and communicated to me before I leave for the West on November the 22nd to present my report to a conference of Grand Masters of Masons of all the states in the Union. Needless to say, it is my earnest hope that the report may be a satisfying one.
"Thanking you for your courtesy, believe me,
"Sincerely yours,
"Townsend Scudder."
LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT
The following is the letter, dated also November 11th, addressed to the President and enclosed in that to Mr. Tumulty of even date:
"November 11, 1918. "The President:
"Permit me to acknowledge the receipt of your kindly letter of September 25th, and to thank you on behalf of the Masonic fraternity for your expressions of appreciation of the offer of our brotherhood to bear its share in the work which is being done for the troops overseas. Failure to make an earlier acknowledgment was due in part to the belief that events abroad soon would work changes which would justify the government in issuing passports to the Masonic mission so that the fraternity could respond to the incessant and increasing appeals for its ministrations overseas, and in part to the fear that the reasons for the government's refusal to permit the fraternity to serve overseas, if not fully understood, might add to the difficulties of the complicated situation of our country at a time when a successful emergence from that situation demanded sympathetic confidence and unity, and so we have hoped to keep the matter an open one as long as possible.
"Loyal citizens, anxious most of all to aid in the prosecution of the war to a successful conclusion and to press upon the administration nothing which could in the slightest degree embarrass it, we bowed to the decision declining to grant us permission to engage in overseas relief work, hoping and believing that this privilege would be accorded us when conditions changed through the defeat of the enemy. Today that defeat is accomplished. American statesmanship, personified in your leadership, and American arms, in the valor and sacrifices of our men and women, have done their full share in producing this righteous result. Quite naturally our thoughts turn now to the world's reconstruction and to the part in it to be taken by our boys overseas, and feeling that they need our help now more than ever, we again turn to you and ask that the Masonic fraternity be permitted, by activities abroad, to share in the work of bringing cheer to our boys who, now that their main fighting work perhaps is over, will be eager to return to those they left at home, and to whom the hours will be long and dreary in their policing work. The Masonic fraternity can be of help to them.
"We venture to suggest that most of the reasons advanced in your
letter of September 25th seem hardly applicable to the situation as it now is. We assure you also that if the Masonic fraternity is permitted to engage in this overseas service it will confine its activities to the recreation centers, unless the military authorities invite it to serve elsewhere.
"We feel justified in addressing you again in this matter because of its great importance in the eyes of upward of two million Masons in our country, and because of the changed conditions overseas. We do not want to importune you, but it happens that very soon a report will have to be made to our Masonic jurisdictions in the United States on the efforts made in behalf of our fraternity to obtain governmental consent to its engaging in overseas service, and of the result of those efforts.
"Conscious of the disappointment and sorrow this report will cause if made of the situation as it now is and without this final appeal and your decision thereon, I respectfully submit anew the prayer of the Masonic fraternity for permission to serve and minister to our boys overseas, and ask that, in considering it, you read also the letter written by me to Mr. Raymond B. Fosdick under date of September 2, 1918, a copy of which I take the liberty of enclosing.
"Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
"Townsend Scudder."
Accompanying the foregoing letter to the President was a copy of our letter of September 2d, addressed to Mr. Fosdick.
This was so sent to the President because, in the first place, it had not been acknowledged, much less answered, by Mr. Fosdick, and, in the second, because it set forth our views of the logically untenable position of the government in our matters and should, we thought, be before the President when he framed his answer.
COPY
"September 2, 1918.
"Honorable Raymond B. Fosdick,
"Chairman Commission on Training Camp Activities,
"War Department, Washington, D. C.
"My dear Mr. Fosdick:
"Lest the point which I endeavored to make clear in our last interview escape your mind due to the multiplicity of matters you are called upon to consider, I venture to commit it to paper, prompted also so to do by my very earnest desire that the Department should have every assistance that I can give it in our joint effort to reach a just solution of the question we are considering.
"Permit me then to remind you that the consent given the Masonic fraternity to engage in overseas service was given on April 23, 1918, and not very many months after similar consents were given to other civilian organizations. The Masonic fraternity is not making a new application for a new consent, but is relying upon that already given.
"It now seems that in June your Department reached the conclusion that it was not wise to multiply agencies overseas engaged in relief work, and since then has declined to issue permits to organizations seeking to enter the overseas field.
"Assuming this decision is wise, why should it be construed retroactively so as to exclude from the field one agency only holding the Department's consent, the Masonic fraternity ? The Masonic fraternity has acted in good faith. Upon obtaining the consent of your Department, it presented the matter to its integral and allied parts and started in to, and already has, collected large sums of money to carry on its work, all upon the faith of the Government's approval of its purposes. Surely it is but normal to expect misgivings and discontent if at this late date the government by an arbitrary retroactive application of its June rule excludes one, and only one, agency holding the Department's consent to engage in overseas relief work. I do not have to can your attention to the unhappy situation we were in when the Masonic fraternity was excluded from camps and cantonments, albeit another secret society, strictly sectarian in addition, was admitted to them. That, however, has been smoothed over and the Masonic fraternity has forgotten the incident; but I look forward with dread to the situation which will develop if the government now revives that unpleasantness in so conspicuous a way, as will be the revocation of the consent it gave the Masonic fraternity in April. In effect, the denial to the Masonic Mission of the passports it needs will be tantamount to such a revocation.
"Seemingly the government can say with propriety to civilian organizations now seeking to engage in relief work overseas that no permits had been granted Since the date when the new order of things was decided upon, and should any question ever be raised with reference to the Masonic fraternity's activities the answer is complete that it received its permit at least two months before this new order. I can see no other solution that is logical and in harmony with the theory of our institutions, and fail to see how the Department can justify a retroactive construction of its present rule. Surely so to do will invite the conclusion, Since the Masonic fraternity alone will be affected, that the present administration is hostile to the Masonic fraternity and not in sympathy with its patriotic desire to serve, a conclusion I cannot accept.
"The issuing of passports to the Masonic Mission enlarged to include Judge Moore and his two assistants, answers the letter of August 5th, addressed to the President and puts an end to a difficult situation. I trust our difficulty will be solved that way.
"Very sincerely yours,
"(Signed) Townsend Scudder.
"Glen Head, L. I., N. Y."
The answer of the President was dated November 20th, the envelope containing it was postmarked Washington, November 25th, and came into my hands after I reached home from the Iowa Grand Masters' Conference.
THE PRESIDENT'S SECOND LETTER
"The White House,
"Washington, 20 November, 1918.
"My dear Judge Scudder:
"I have given earnest consideration to your letter of November 11th, and have been glad to seek advice on the matter from Secretary Baker and his aides. I am sorry to have to inform you that even under the changed conditions in France it would be inadvisable to add to the number of non-military organizations serving with the American Expeditionary Forces. As I told you in my former letter, five organizations the Red Cross, the Young Men's Christian Association, the Knights of Columbus, the Jewish Welfare Board, and the Salvation Army representing the generosity and loyalty of the American people, have been directly recognized for service with the troops overseas. In addition, the American Library Association and the Young Women's Christian Association have placed their special facilities at the disposal of the organizations above mentioned. Everything that money and brains can provide is being done for our troops abroad. Indeed, the American Army is distinguished by the attention that is given to matters of comfort and recreation.
"To General Pershing and his associates, therefore, as well as to the officials in this country who have intimately studied the conditions overseas, there appears to be no legitimate reason for adding to this work, and the confusion and extra burden upon the military authorities which would be created by the necessity of arranging for the separate personnel and relationships of new organizations seem to furnish excellent reasons for limiting these societies to their present number. If it were merely a matter of adding one more agency to those already in the service, I am confident accommodations might be made. I am informed, however, by the War Department that within the last three months it has been necessary to decline the applications of eight organizations to work with the American Expeditionary Forces overseas. It would be impossible to make an exception in the ease of the Masons without accepting the offers of the eight other societies, with obviously unhappy consequences.
"As I told you in my letter of September 25th, it is always difficult to seem to refuse an offer that is conceived in so fine a spirit of service as is shown in your thoughtful and generous letter to me of November filth. I am confident, however, that you will concur with the position which we have been obliged to take and will see in it only an endeavor on the part of the War Department and the government to support General Pershing in the difficult tasks which confront him.
"Again let me assure you of my warm personal appreciation of the generous offer of the Masonic fraternity.
"Cordially and sincerely yours,
"Woodrow Wilson.
"Honorable Townsend Scudder,
"Supreme Court, State of New York,
"Mineola N. Y."
ARGUMENTS ON PRESIDENT'S LETTERS
The question of the participation of the Masonic fraternity in overseas war relief work having passed through many official hands and bureaus until it at last reaches the President of the United States, the final arbiter in governmental matters, it is both logical and proper that to his decision we shall all look for the reasons actuating him in his refusal to indorse our request for permission to engage in independent service as desired.
These reasons are set forth in his letter of September 25, 1918.
They are:
Requests of General Pershing to the government of the United States to limit as far as possible the number of private agencies serving with the American Expeditionary Forces, and reasons for such requests, to wit:
Considerations of (1) transport of troops, (2) congestion of roads, (3) knowledge of movement of troops.
Justice and fair dealing require that the permission granted us be not revoked unless good and sufficient reasons be advanced for such action.
For these reasons we must revert to the President's letter of September 25th.
Let us first note that the requests of General Pershing were to limit "as far as possible" the number of private agencies. This must be construed as limiting as far as possible, not in the sense of the power of the government to refuse any and all applications, which power is, of course, absolute, but to its refusal provided that the calls from abroad for service were not so urgent as to make a refusal of an offer of service which would meet a real and widespread demand disheartening both to the large number of soldiers calling for such service, and also to the nearly 2,000,000 active Masons eager and able to supply the need.
The Department had already committed itself to the position that there was plenty of room for our activities.
This, then, brings us to the reasons for General Pershing's requests.
(1) Can it for a moment be urged by reasonable men that twenty-five, or, at the most, fifty Masons going to leave areas would too greatly strain the transport facilities carrying hundreds of thousands?
And, as we clearly and emphatically pointed out that, inasmuch as we would not be engaged in canteen work, there would be no question of a great quantity of supplies destined for us. Surely the shipment of leading newspapers and periodicals from the United States cannot overstrain these transport facilities.
(2) As our activities, once we had reached the several leave areas, would be confined to them, the "congestion of roads" would be affected by us not at all.
(3) As to the movement of troops, this means, if anything, that the presence of our Masonic brethren might add to the number of spies seeking to report to Germany on these vital matters. If, however, the government could, as it did, countenance the securing in the United States by advertisement hundreds of secretaries for the Young Men's Christian Association and the Knights of Columbus and permit their departure for France, surely they could, with no less safety and propriety, have permitted the sailing of fifty Masons, volunteers, with records unimpeachable and open to inspection, and who would be men picked for their ability, patriotism, and discretion from the ranks of a fraternity for ages renowned for its devoted loyalty.
In the President's letter of September 25th he states that up to that time the War Department had authorized for overseas service, in addition to the Red Cross, only the Y. M. C. A., the K. of C., the Jewish Welfare Board, and the Salvation Army. Yet in Mr. Fosdick's letter to the Secretary of State dated May 6, 1918, he says: "We have already approved the issuance of passports to two other fraternal organizations, and I am sincerely hopeful that no objection will be interpreted in the case of Judge Scudder's Commission."
To what maternal organizations does he refer ? The Masonic fraternity was not one of these. Why was it discriminated against?
Lastly, the President says that Mr. Fosdick's letter of endorsement was written before the policy of the American Expeditionary Forces in this matter was fully understood by the War Department.
The military reasons adduced for General Pershing's requests to keep civilian organizations out of France have been analyzed and answered.
Remains, then, one point, viz., that the government, having ruled against permitting to go abroad any organization save those enumerated in the President's letter of September 25th, no permission could be granted to the Masonic fraternity not granted to other applicants.
The vice inherent in this argument lies in the fact that the permission granted the Masonic fraternity had already been given before the formulating of the Department's policy. On the Department's own showing there was more need for service than means for filling it
