In the late 1920s and early 1930s, there was much discussion
about encouraging Clubs to give ground in large cities for the
formation of more clubs. In 1930 at the height of the argument,
Will Moffatt wrote an article 'Why One Only?"' in the 'Rotary
Wheel' strongly propounding the advantages of doing just this,
and in April 1930, the magazine received this reply from Paul
Harris:
"My dear Will.
While in exile in a small town in the West, your 'Why One
Only?' came to me.
The tendency towards slavish adherence to precedent only
stands in the way - the present plan has nothing whatever
except precedent to recommend it. Otherwise it is sheer
nonsense. As Rufe (Rufus)
Chapin once remarked:
'There can be a score of Rotary Clubs in the
down-town district of Chicago - several for each day of
the week and each being of advantage to the others.
Bowl this thing over in Great Britain. Needless and
purposeless limitation is immoral. Will you not be the
Moses to lead us out of this wilderness?"
Sincerely yours
Paul P Harris
A London Rotarian, Stanley
Leverton,
later to be PRIBI in 1952, had visited Chicago in 1927 as a
member of the R.I. Extension Committee and while there, guested
at the Chicago Club. Afterwards he wrote: "As a nation of
course, America thinks big and acts big. I am wondering if you
sometimes act too big. The impression I have formed in Chicago
leads me to wonder how long this organising on such an enormous
scale will continue. Is there not a danger that you will over-organise
and over-develop?"
What he proposed on his return applied initially to London
and prompted Will Moffatt to write his article, recommending a
more widespread application. of Leverton's principle. This in
turn prompted a letter of support from Paul Harris. Leverton's
plan suggested that clubs (babies) could be formed within the
territory of another (mother) club who would still retain
recruiting rights in the ceded area. In 1933 a resolution was
passed at the Convention accepting some of his views, but even
in London the opposition blocked any attempt to put it into
practice. In 1943, however, at the St Louis Convention, RI
formally incorporated the Leverton Plan into its constitution.
Researched and written by RGHF Senior Historian
Basil Lewis, UK, 4
May 2007
