Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-06-24
RED CROSS CAMPAIGN
CLOSES ON MONDAY
Continued from Page one.)

| ing the best investment bond in the
world. Every dollar subscribed could
have been procured by taxation, but
bond issues were fairer and more ad-
vantageous. The present appeal IS
the first call upon the Nation at large
upon every citizen of the Republic
voluntarily to make some sacrifice for
safeguarding our own sons and relleV'
ing the misery of countless human be-
ings.
To the first question relating to the
time being inopportune, let us briefly
answer in the words of the Chairma /
of the Red Cross War Council, Mr.
Dawson. When urged to postpone the
appeal. he answered: IF we wait, it
may be too late" And Dawson was
right: no time is too early and no time
could be inopportune to make this
call upon the patriotism, charity an
mercy of America. The Allies waited
and it was too late for thousands o.
| their soldiers, and thousands upon
thousands of their civilians. During
the Spanish American War we waited
until it was too late, as shown by the
record of thousands of our men un-
necessarily dying or contracting incur
able diseases in Cuba and at our mil
itary camps, on Long Island, at Chick
amauga and at Santiago. We have now
waited for nearly three years when we
might have been preparing, and il we
wait any longer it may be too late for
hundreds, if not thousands, of our own
sons.
The second question inquiries why the
government should not do the work
which the Red Cross does if only in
connection with the care of the military
wounded and sick. The answer is that
the universal experience, in time o.
war, is that supplementary aid, relief
and service from voluntary sources Is
indisr ensable. Every war for cen
fury has demonstrated the inability or
incapacity of military or other govern
ment officials to do this relief work
Experience has repeatedly shown that
such work is best handled by civilian
This has been the con-
sensus of opinion after thorough inves-
ugation at ali the international Rel
Cross Conventions since 1868. And this
was the experience in our own Civil
War and SpanishAmerican War. More
ever, the work of the Red Cross is es-
5entially one of sentiment, of charity,
and of mercy, which somehow canno-
be satisfactorily done in great emery
encies and cataclysms by bureaucrats
or functionaries. 1t calls for lofty
spirit and altrustic SER
vice and a special uplifting enthusiasm
which money cannot buy; it requires
a sympathy which salaries cannot Sc
cure.
The third objection that meets us on
all sides is that the funds for the Red
Cross work could readily have been
raised by means of taxation or the is
sue of bonds.
A sufficient answer to this complaint
should be that the President and Con-
gress, after full consideration, have
determined and have said
that the funds for the Red Cross should
be supplied voluntarily by the people
Of the country. They, our representa-
tives, have referred the whole duty and
burden to us, the American people, as
matter to be left to volun
tary action-leaving to us the extent o.
the relief which we shall contribute
voluntarily out of our plenty, leaving i
to us to show whether we are so selfish
and callous as to refuse to make any
sacrifices unless wrung from us by tax
alton.
The work of the Red Cross is a SER
vice of mercy to our own people and
to humanity. and it should not be made
the subject of compulsory taxation. The
people at large should be appealed to
and should all have an opportunity Of
showing their voluntary patriotism and
sympathy by contributing even if it be
a mite to this field of relief and char
ity. Taxation, by means of an income
tax, would only reach very small
percentage of the population of the
United States. The Red Cross War
Council hopes that the fund they seek
will be contributed by at least ter
million Americans. and they would in
fnitely prefer to have one hundred
thousand subscriptions of ten dollars