THE MACCABAEAN
Published once every month by the Maccabaean Publishing Company, of which M. B. Lande is President; and D. H. Lieberman is Treasurer; whose address is 547 Broadway, New York City.
THE LESSONS OF THE LAST CONVENTION.
THE readers of THE MACCABAEAN have no doubt read of the proceedings of the eleventh annual convention of the Federation of American Zionists. They are competent enough to take note of what was done at that convention, which makes it unnecessary for us to review it. It will be an aid to the digestion of the reports and resolutions, if we point out, however, in a general way, certain reforms in the conduct of our conventions, the necessity of which will become apparent.
A study of the resolutions shows that, with the exception of two or three resolutions, the greater part of the business could as well have been transacted by the executive committee; and, as a matter of fact, the delegates, when brought to the consideration of all this business, at once referred it, without comment, to the proper committees. The increase of the per capita tax, and the discussion on the division of the work of Propaganda and Organization, were the only two subjects that aroused a suggestive discussion; but the first was a matter that could well have been submitted ta an aye and no vote of the societies, whom it concerns most, and the second was a matter which should have been decided by the executive committee before it came to the convention. The agitation on the question of the succession to Dr. Magnes legitimately belonged to the delegates, but it suffered by reason of tactical disabilities, and was not fought out on the plane of principle; it was merely a mask for a different sort of attack, which could not bear the light of publicity.
At any rate, it is apparent that the business of the convention was of no great moment. It could have been disposed of in one day, had the reports of the executive committee been presented in printed form, which we
believe should have been done. Was there, then, no business which the delegates should have transacted?
There certainly was business for the delegates, but it was lost in the mass of resolutions and reports which was presented to them. Questions of administration should be settled, so far as the convention is concerned, by the election of the Federation's officers; neglect of duty may be charged when the negligent official comes up once more for election; but the details of his office belong to him and not to the convention. The convention should deal with principles and issues, and not with details, which are the function of the executive.
The convention should have decided the policies of the executive committee. It should have said to the executive, for instance, Devote your time this year to the Party Fund, to the strengthening of the movement in America, to the National Fund; it might have instructed the executive, for instance, to guide itself, in the consideration of questions of organization by the principles of democracy, which means, that the executive, at all times, should make the societies and affiliated Zionists feel that the success of the movement depends upon each one of them; it should have directed the executive to give more, or less, as it may be, attention to the circulation of English or Yiddish literature; it might have so amended the constitution that the work of the chairmen of committees might be better defined, responsibility more accurately fixed. And then, it might have scrutinized the records of each man on the executive, to see whether he had been faithful to his trust, and it should have elected men able to discharge the duties of their respective offices.
And after this work had been finished in orderly fashion, without undue debate, the convention should have resolved itself into a forum, for the presentation and the discussion of the problems of Zionism, the questions that must be elucidated not only to the rank and file of the movement, but even to the delegates, in order that they might go back to their homes and be in a position to understand the movement of which they are in so many cases unconscious factors.