The Washington herald., 1917-02-11
Money Contributed to Starving Belgians;
Duty Charity and Business Proposition
Chairman H. c. Hoover, Of
Relief Commission, Points
Out Fact That Large Per-
centage Of Donations Are
Spent In This Country.

AS a matter Of national pride and duty.
the United States should give It's utmost
support TO the gigantic task OF saving
Belgium from the horrors of famine and
destitution. according to Herbert 9.
Hoover, chairman OF the commission for
relief In Belgium, who from his he; d.
quarters at 10 Broadway, New York
City, has issued an appeal to the Anor-
lean people
In interesting fashion Mr.. Hoover | rs
outlined the nature OF the great rel-e
work and has told OF the spirit In which
he undertook management OF the mighty
project. Not only this, but he tells spe-
officially what the United States must do
to prevent failure OF the work.
Whatever happens. says Mr.. Hoover,
the people Of Belgium must be fed. and
the United States, he contends. should
give the same generous support to any
other neutral that II has received from
England and France.
Get Credit and Pront, Too.
The United States has had virtually
all the credit for the Belgian relief work 80
he said, but the facts show that Amer
lea has profted from this work to a
greater extent than has she contributed.
In the great struggle to stave on starva-
ton from 1o,Ooo,Ooo OF people. $50, ,ooo, ,GvO
has been spent. The total expenses of the
600, or less than onehaif OF per cent OF
the ssS9eO0o00 administered.
Of the. vast sum expended $50, 900 900 has
been actually spent for supplies in the
United States. The United States has
made in war profits out of the commits
sion for relief in Belgium approximately
100000. And yet the United States has
contributed in two years a total of only
S9.oeOcoo
Amid the clamor Of rnfYtarfsm and
navalism and commercialism we have
tried to write page OF true American
ism in Europe. The vast majority OF the
American people stand for humanity: we
had confidence that they were prepared
10 make sacrifices and to do service for
Ir0nkind. and We felt that as American
business men we could demonstrate to
the world this quality in our people, and
taat We could demonstrate It on a scale
in keeping with the greatness OF our
country
Has Confidence In Wilson.
Il am confident that the President will
Irake every effort in human power to
prevent a situation which will make II
Impossible for the Americans to continue
tD administer this work. II such situa-
nn should come upon US it would be
r"cessary to transfer the administration
cf the relief wholly or partially to some
cher neutral or group-Dutch, Danish,
Norwegian or Spanish.
''fut in any event, the Belgians must
T. fed ard the obligation of America to
sport such a group will be no less
rraat The English and French have
s-;9Ported Americans in this work while
We were neutral have supported us
I"yalIy and generously. and America, in
trn possible ontingency of our being IN
voIved. cannot take less generous atti-
rude than the allies who. despite the
great burdens of the war. have con-
rsfbutcd the largest portion Of our re-
sources hitherto.
Not Dependent on One Man
The Relief Commission Is an institu-
tion. It comprises hundreds Of Americans
and thousands Of Belgian and French
workers. many of them women It Is
not the work of any individual man but
Of hundreds of men and women No one
living would have the right to reduce a
work of this responsibility and OF this
character to a personal basis. The safety
Of the people Of Belgium and OF Northern
France depends upon the institutional
character of the ORGANIZATION The Re
lief Commission could run tomorrow for
three months without a head, and any
one Of its leading men. can at any time
take charge and carry on the work.
I'VE ask that America should contrib
ute in charity to the deficiency Of our
budget which It IS beyond the capacity
of these people to fnd for themselves
They have yet to repay the enormous
sums OF money which have been ad-
vanced to US by the allied governments
One Extra Meal to Children.
50 we only assigned to the American
people the payments for imports required