The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-07-14

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$4,000 whose tortured bodies lay for days on the
field, until death relieved those who could not
crawl away.
But Dunant saw-and heard--the horrors there,
and he told so much of 1t that he was able to get
the leading nations to send delegates to the Ge-
neva convention, and so started the movement
which has now developed into the Red Cross. A
nne account of this achievement was in the Red
Cross Magazine of May, 1917.
Though now acclaimed a leader in humani-
tartan work, the United States was then so little
Interested In the Red Cross that the treaty was
not signed until 1882. But in 1905 the government
awoke, at least In part, to the opportunity, and
chartered the American Red Cross as it Is today.
The president of the United States is the active
head of the Red Cross, and presides at its meet
lngs. But so little influence has politics in this
work of mercy that former President Taft is
chairman of the central committee, by appoint
ment of President Wilson. And the present writer
wishes to say that, though he has been connected
more or less closely with Headquarters of the
central division for two and a half years, he
actually does not know the politics Of another
officer of either national or local organization.
Like snakes in Ireland, politics in the Red Cross
Is not.
The government of the American Red Cross is
vested in a central committee of eighteen men,
bers, six appointed by the president of the United
States, the others elected by representatives of
the members. And since the president himself
is chosen by the people, the policy of the entire
Red Cross is united very closely alike to the gov
eminent and to the people. Since a central COM
mittee of eighteen is too unwieldly to transact
routine business with dispatch, power is further
concentrated in an executive mmitte of seven
members, of whom five constitute a quorum. The
chairman of the executive committee must, by
law, be the chairman of the central committee.
How closely the Red Cross is identified with the
government is shown by tracing, briefly, the posi-
tons held by its officers. As has been said, the
president of the United States is president, and
he appoints the chairman of the central committee
and six of its member The chairman of the CEN
trail committee is also chairman of the executive
committee of seven. The treasurer of the Red
Cross is John Shelton Williams, comptroller of the
currency of the United States, and the counselor
of the Red Cross is John w. Davis, United States
solicitor general.
Under former President Taft on the central
committee are such men as Brig. Gen. Charles
Bird Of the United States Army; Rear Admiral
William c. Braisted, surgeon general of the United
States navy; Maj. Gen. William G. Gorgas. sur
geon general Of the United States army Robert
Lansing, United States secretary of state; Frank
lin X. Lane, secretary of the interior, and Judge
W. w. Morrow.
The work of the national organization is carried
on under three great departments: One for mill
tary relief; one for civilian relief, and one for
chapters. The composition of each will be briefly
outlined.
The department of military relief is under Col.
Jefferson Randolph Kean, United States army
medical corps, a grandson of Thomas Jefferson.
Under him are the medical bureau, in charge of
the medical personnel of base hospitals, the first
aid instruction the nursing bureau, in charge of
nurses and nurses aids for base hospitals, and
women's classes in training; the service units to
care for soldiers and sa~ilors-ambulance COM
panies, base hospitals, nurse detachments, sani-
tary detachments and general hospitals; and the
Red Cross supply service, for the buying, storing
and shipping of all kinds of supplies.
The department of civilian relief is under Ernest
r. Ricknell director general. with q long record
of personal service in disaster relief. His depart
ment controls all relief work at domestic and for
leign disasters of fire, flood and pestilence; the
relief of noncombatants in war, both here and
abroad; the care of the families of soldiers and
sailors; the town and country nursing service;
and the sale of Christmas seals for the stamping
out of tuberculosis.
The department of chapters is under e. H.
Wells, director of chapters. 1t deals, through the
directors of the nine territorial divisions, with the
organization of new chapters, and the membership
campaigns in those already formed.
The Red Cross Magazine, at first little more
,than a monthly bulletin which told, briefly, the
doings of the organization, has now grown into
a splendid publication valued recently at $1,000
900, which tells by clear pictures and vivid
stories the history of the Red Cross for each
month all over the world.
Each member of the Red Cross above the one
dollar class gets the Red Cross Magazine free.
part of the dues going to the publication. The cir
culation, which was only $4,000 three years ago, is
now about 100000. and growing by leaps OF $4,000
at a time. 1t has been predicted by men In the
position to know best that within a few years 1t
will be making $25O,O00 a year clear profit for the
Red Cross. instead of costing $4,000 a month, as
1t did until a short time ago.
Under the national organization at Washington,
the territory Of the United States is divided into
seven great divisions, each under the supervision
of a division director, responsible to Washington,
and standing between the national officers and the
the state and local organizations.
The unit of the Red Cross system is the chapter.
This always covers some definite territory. usually