Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-05-24

Canada has contributed for benevo-
lence far more per capita than have
Let us pull together and with will.
Yours for International Goodwill,
CHARLES S. MCFARLAND.
General Secretary.
We are willing to give a timely
editorial with regard to this appeal"
but we deem some Of the sorrowful
facts furnished by the Council to be
worth more than anything we could
say. Here are some of them:
The Belgian Minister of Finance
stated recently that our country
(Which is unquestionably making
money out of the War; had given
Seven Millions directly to Belgium.
In other words. only Seven Cents per
Capita while New Zealand, bearing
it's own war burdens as part of the
British Empire, had given Dollar
and Quarter per Capita to Belgian
Relief. England, staggering under
the war load. has received and cared
for thousands of Belgian refugees, ana
given millions of pounds besides. It
was thought that the United States,
the only great nation untouched by the
War, might furnish the food supplies
for Belgium, but the Commission was
obliged to ask food from the whole
world to save Belgium from starva-
ton. 1t must be remembered also
that the gifts to Belgium from our
country include the large contribu-
tions of the Rockefeller Foundation. SO
that the total OF popular contributions
is smaller than appears.
The American Serbian Relief Com
mittee has raised about s260.0oO. The
British Serbian Relief Committee
three months ago had raised a million
and half pounds H7,500000), and
France two millions francs (s40O,o00).
To the Armenians we have given
about s100 for each sufferer, covering
the entire period, and this is largely
money from two or three large givers.
1t has not touched our people as
whole.
This is a pretty fair indication of
the way war relief Is being contribut
cd in other countries besides America.
II should be said that the Jews of
America have given in aid Of their
people generously.
In answer to our inquiries. an Of
ficer Of the Belgian relief committee
reports that the total money gifts from
this country to April LIST, 1916, to all of
the war sufferers was s23.74O.34c.
Since these figures were compiled, the
Belgian commission alone has received
somewhere around s125.000 through the
efforts of the Daughters of the Ameri-
can Revolution in celebration of King
.Alberts birthday. OF course, the sums
mentioned do not include the vast
amount of work performed by different
societies, organizations, groups of wo-
men. etc, who devote great amount
of their time in providing all sorts of
surgical necessities. No price has ever
been put on this material. 1t is mere.
~ shipped to one OF the Allied coun-
tries
1t is natural that in the Commission
we feel we should receive five or six
times as much as we give, but that is
because we think the American flag
ought to stand for everything that is
mensurate with our vast wealth. Per-
haps our people have only just learned
to give.
Are we willing to let this stand as
our final response to such an appeal
for suffering humanity as the world
has never before heard?
There is no doubt as to Americas
answer if only the facts can be realized
by the masses Of on. people