The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1917-12-28
RED CROSS CHIEF AN
SWERS CRITICS.
FOR EVERY DOLLAR RECEIVED IT SENDS
MORE THAN A DOLLAR TO HELP OUR
SOLDIERS and TO RELIEVE our
ALLIES AT The FRONT.
BY Henry P. Dawson.

>
can Red Cross work and methods was
contained in a speech made at the
Hippodrome last Sunday night by the
banker whom war called into service
as active head of the organization.
When $1OO,O00,0OO was raised for
the Red Cross by voluntary contri-
buttons in this country it thrilled the
Allies. They were amazed. Nothing
of the kind had been known in the
world before. They were delighted.
When that news reached Germany
through the transformer it read
something like this: 1T is reported
that some fund, said to be $1OO,OOO,-
600, has been contributed to the Red
Cross"
The Germans visualiZed some SIN or
eight men at table chipping in the
hundred million dollars as their per
sonal contribution. Now, we want to
send a Christmas message to the hals-
er to the effect that there are 2O,0OO,-
600 men and women sitting round that
table. I want that number to be mem
bers of the Red Cross, and when they
accept that membership we want
them to accept a sense of responsible
ity in connection with it. and that re-
sDonsibility is this: That they shall
he loya1 members of the Red Cross
and that loyalty means many things.
There is a propaganda going torth
in this country. 1t is a German pro-
paganda. and it is very prevalent and
fervent in the East, more so than
i'm the West. and it goes much like
this: Did you know that Mr.. So
and So told me last night that Mrs.
So and So said that Mr.. So and So
had been told by Mrs. So and so
such and such a thing about the Red
Cross? OF course | did not believe It,
but that is what he said.
Now that is nothing more than Ger
man propaganda. 1t is going to be
stopped, not because of any authority
exercised by the Red Cross, but be-
cause the public are going to demand
that it must stop. Whatever else any
body is going to do in this country
if the people know it, they are not
going to contribute to German pro-
paganda.
There is another criticism or the
American Red Cross that is thought
less kind of criticism. and that also
ought to he stopped, and the way tC
stoD it is this: Somebody may say IN
very good faith that he is told such
and such a thing is so. 1t is your
dutv to say to that person: DO yo"
know it is so? IF you don't Stol
repeating it until you find out, and
if YOU find out that it is so write Il
letter to the Red Cross. They Will
thank you for your letter.
DO not make any mistake about II
the Red Cross not only permits, but
urges, criticism when 1t is construct
i've and honest But this idle talH
going on is harmful. and it must he
stopped.
We have an organization which Is
nerfectlv enormous. Six months age
we started with 100000 members; to-
dav we have 100000 memberst We
started with 200 chapters: today, in
c1uding branches and auXiliaries, We
have 10000 chapters. We have TO-
600 900 women working for us in this
country-all at the same salary. II
is a voluntary organization. and VIC
are getting on wonderfully. We have
not 100 per cent efficiency. but II you
DeoDle will see to it that the Red
Cross is not criticised except con
structively we will get the efficiency
Let me quote here. to illustrate some
of the criticisms, a letter | had from
United States Senator. saying: 1t
grieves me greatly that you will not
take Roman Catholics into RESPONSE
Bile positions in your organization.
handed the letter to a member OF the
War Council sitting at my side, John
Ryan, and he handed it back. | hand-
ed it to my assistant on my left, Mar
tin Egan and he handed it back. Then
T handed it to my little Irish-Cath-
o1ic secretary, Foley. sayin" I WI,
withdraw from the room ""A Nou VIII
telephone for the Senator.
had a letter from a v0'''- distIn-
guished Jew, a friend Of NINE. who
wrote: II am sorry YOU don't see MT
to take important Jews into the or
ean;-'ti0n Of the Red Cross. 1t seems
to me that many of them could be
u*ed" He named five men. | re
piled that I was exceedingly sorry
that. as to those five, we could not
take them, first, because we already
had three of them, and then because
we did not know the other two.
We can show YOU in the Red Cross
AS fine collection Of Baptists, Metho-
dists, cnlored people and every other
kind Of people there is on the face or
the earth As to commandments,
do not know any. There used to be
some and some of these who were
then German-Americans have been
and are as loyal friends of the Red
Cross as any men we ever knew.
I want to say this: If you will
show me a man or woman born in
Germany. or horn of parents born in
Germany, who is as loyal and patri-
Otic as we are, will show you man
or woman that has several home
heartstrings that we have not had to
sever, and my hat is off to him or her.
AS to whether we help the Germans
or not, the answer is Mo-" but IL a
wounded German or a wounded Turk
falls within our lines he is treated
just as tenderly and carefully as an
American boy
| want to mention one or two other
things, especially the question of sal
aries. The largest salary in our Or
ganization is $500. 1t is paid to one
individual who was there before the
war broke out. i can best give an
idea of the expenses Of the Red Cross
by making this statement, and I make
1t with a great deal Of pleasure 1t is
this-that. for every dollar given to
the Red Cross for relief a little more
than a dollar goes for relief.
There may be some who won't un-
derstand that, and so I will explain
Our overhead expenses are so low that
re are able to pay them all from our