Daily Kennebec journal., 1917-09-21
Editors Letter Box
A Personal Letter to the Editor.
New York, Sept. Is, 1917.

New York, Sept. Is, 1917.
Dear Brother EDITOR
A three days conference has just
been held in New York, addressed pv
Armenian refugees, missionaries
United States ambassadors. and Con-
suls from Turkey. After listening 10
their description of starvation ana
suffering. we wish to bring to our
brother editors Of the periodical press
our convictions as to the present STU
alton in Western Asia, and the need
of arousing renewed and general IN
terest in the support of the American
Committee for Armenian and Syrian
Relief which has already sent s4,40o,-
900 to these suffering people.
In Western Asia 100000 people, Ar
menians, Syrians and Greek, one-thirc
of them orphans, are homeless and
starving. They can be kept alive at
an expense of IS per capita or total
of $6,00O,o00 per month. The Ameri-
can Red Cross heartily endorses this
appeal and is at present contributing
as much as it's funds permit. which is
| $500, 900 monthly-120 of the neces-
sary amount. 1t depends largely upon
the publicity which we editors give to
1920 of what is necessary to sustain
these people through the coming win
ter shall be obtained, or whether the
great majority of them die as 100000
of their countrymen have already per-
ished.
All the administrative expenses of
! this committee are privately betrayed
and the treasurer's report shows that
more money has thus far been re-
ceived by the agencies distributing re-
| lief than has been contributed by the
public. This has been made possible
| by taking advantage of rates of inter-
est and exchange. Special arrange
ments have been made through the
| United States Government whereby
relief funds will reach their proper
destination. and givers may rest as
sured that their entire gifts will be
made directly available for relief.
Will you not cooperate in pressing
| this tremendous human claim for the
saddest nation in the world upon the
people of the richest and most pros
porous land? If you will renew your
good work for this cause, will you
kindly fill out and mail the enclosed
card, which will bring to you short
and ready-to-use stories, striking
photographs, and starters for edi-
torials. We wish you might have
been present at the Editorial Con-
ference today. 1t would not have
been necessary to urge you to
use every means In your power
to put your news and particularly your
q, editorial columns back of this under
taking. Because you were not here
we are trying to convey to you our i'm
preston of the urgency Of the need.
Upon American generosity hangs the
last hope of one of the finest races of
the world as well as the hope of re-
building Christian civilization in
| Western Asia.
| Yours truly,
| Curtis Lee Laws. editor Of The Watch
man Examiner: George P. Rutledge, edi-
tor of The Christian Standard; Nolan r.
Best editor of The Continent; Henry H
Myers. editor of The Methodist Sunday
School Publications; Hamilton Holt, edi-
tor of The Independent; ]. r. JOY, editor
of The Christian Advocate; William S
| Woods, editor of The Literary Digest
Louis E. Orcutt. editor OF The Christian
Herald; Charles G. Trumbull, editor Of
The Sunday School Times.