Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-01-24
Rich and Poor Apply for Linz
tied Allowance Of Bread and
Soup to Keep Them Alive
From Day to Day,
PEOPLE NEVER LAUGH
AND NEVER COMPLAIN
-etter Of Little Girl Tells Some
thing Of Horrors Inflicted on
Population by Great Con-
flict in Europe,


1ondon. Jan 80 Gt.10 y. MI
The impressions | take away from
Liege are OF wonder that a people can
suffer so much in silence and of adj
miraiion for the bravery which en-
ables them TO do t."
This statement was made today 10y
pr 7. u. Williams of New York. who,
at the suggestion OF the Rockefeller
foundation. volunteered hts services
to direct the operations OF the Ameri-
can commission for relief In Belgium
at Liege and Is now returning 20
America. Continuing. he said;
''The people OF Belgium never COM
plain. but they never laugh. Their
stoicism--for that Is the only word
which describes their attitude--would
mislead even trained observers into
believing that everything was going
on as usual Under the surface, how
ever, they feel implacable hatred be-
cause of their untold mlsfortunes and
sufferings
Little Girls Pathetic Letter.
"a little girl at ldege who had been
lucky enough TO get warm petit
coat among the Christmas presents
delivered by the commission. wrote TO
the American child who sent Il. My
country has been devastated by the
sword, our dear cure Is dead. our bur-
gomaster, who was a doctor and gave
oil his time to the poor. has been shot,
my father was shot aud / am now liy-
ing with nuns eating hreed scIlt from
America
In the province Of Isiege alone,
nearly 500, goo out of Il population OF
100000 are absolutely destitute and
entirely dependent upon the eommls-
sion for food to keep them alive. In
the principal towns, Llege Vervlers
and Spa, distress Is most acute because
the Iron mills. gun works. rubber tire
factories, zinc mines and other indus
tries are closed. Practically the only
exception is found in the coal mines
which are being worked three days a
week 10 obtain fuel to keep the people
from freezing
During the month | was in LIese,
IL showed or ralned every day an !
when I left the province was covered
with a thick blanket of snow.
Work by Louyain Municipality,
"At Louvain and other places the |
Belgian communal authorities are lay
ing out boulevards and other munlci-
pal improvements planned long ago |
simply TO provide work for the people. I
They can keep this work going only /
three days a week and In payment are I
given paper bonds which are not me-
gotlable outside the community In |
which they live. although with them |
they can buy their ratlons Of bread |
and soup.
I'm smaller towns which have been |
destroyed men are being employed |
under the same system "a pile up |
bricks which still litter the streets /
and tell OF bombardments the word !
almost has forgotten. All these ope-
rations are in the hands OF relief COM
mittees.
I'm the country districts of Licgc
province. farmers are tllllng the soil,
but they have no horses and they are /
being compelled TO sell their cattle for
slaughter as cattle fodder has been
for the cavalry This
las had two results. The first is that
neat Is cheaper In Liege than It is In
New York and the second that the
'upply Of milk Is rapidly disappear
ng.
Line Up for Bread and Soup.
'At least 500, 900 people line M
,nee day for bread and soup Mt
welye canteens established by the
commission In Llege. You see no
'oung men; there are only old wom-
N, children and cripples. The distrl-
,utlon starts at $3.50 o'clock In the
morning and is not finished ut the
principal oanteen until H. The wonl'
N place their half-pound lonves in
let bags and old men wrap theirs IN
handkerchiefs which they
lde under their coats. Then they so
o another cantocn to get their allow
Ince OF soup.
Rich ard poor all have 20 send for
bread and all get the same supply
Rich is q term Of irony but | use
/ comparatively TO distinguish be-
ween the distressed and destitute.
Think Of steel maenates, university
Professors and well-to-do women ac-
to living luxuriously on in
'estments which now bring IN no In
ONE, being obliged to stand in o
read line. Within few months
here win be no distinctions TO make
eeause practically every person Ia ,
ielgium will be dependent upon the
anteena. Every ones private means
VII have disappeared. 1,
Germans DO Not Interfere. !
Before tho commission got into I
peraiion scores Of small towns had !
10 bread at all. Since | arrived at /
.iege we have not failed once 10 be {
bic to supply ratlons for the people Z
I the province, but We have had 4