New-York tribune., 1918-05-15
Government to Back Com
mission of Experts to
Study Nations Needs
Four Senators Urge 1t
Organization Expects to Open
Office in New York at
Early Date

Plans are materializing in Washing
ton which, it is hoped, will result in
lifting Russia out of her economic
chaos and nullify the Tcutonic efforts
to Germanize that country.
A mission composed of men COM
petent to learn at first hand just what
Russia needs to rehabilitate her eco
nomically, to rebuild her broken-do
railroads and to furnish her with the
saws, hammers and nails with which
to begin construction, will start for
Russia as soon as possible. Assurances
have been given at Washington that
character, will be backed by the Ameri-
can government to the extent, per-
haps, of hundreds of millions of dol
lars.
The working out of the plans has
been vested in an organization known
as the American League to Aid and
Cooperate with Russia, which has been
approved by President Wilson, and
which includes some Of the most promi-
nent men in the country. The league,
which has been holding conferences
since last January, has opened head
quarters at 201 Union Trust Building,
Washington, and soon will open
Offices in New York.
Four Senators Block Scheme
Four Uatcd States Senators-Will-
lam E. Borah, of Idaho; Robert L.
Owen, of Oklahoma; William M.
Calder, of New York-and John Sharp
Williams, of Mississippi, and Repre-
sentative Henry D. Flood, Of Virginia,
chairman of the House Committee on
Foreign Affairs, are championing the
purposes of the league in Congress.
Herbert l.. Carpenter, chArman of
Frank saEOss X vandera exfsuvs samus as
myer, Oscar S. straus, Frederic
c. Howe, DR.. Stephen S. Wise, Lii
liam Wald, John W. Slaughter, Henry
L. Slobodin, j. G. Phelps Stokes,
Lincoln Stetfens, Theodore N. Vail and
Melville E. Stone, all of New York, and
Henry Ford, the Detroit automobile
manufacturer, and Samuel Gompers, of
the American Federation of Labor,
also are fostering the scheme.
Mr.. Carpenter said yesterday the
leagues plans were fast maturing and
"before long some announcement very
important to Russia may be looked
for" He said it had not yet been de-
cided who will form the mission.
we OO uOC kuOW even JndL 1t Will De
called mission" he said. "We are
now getting together such men as are
qualified to go to Russia and undertake
the work. When we began we realized
that IL was Americas duty to help Rus
sia; that it was a question of either
Germany or America getting footholo
there and getting it for good. Fol-
America to do nothing would be as il
one republic looked idly on while an
other republic was being murdered"
Needs Material Aid
To prove untrue the assertion tina
America abandoned at it's birth the frs
republic born of the European conflic
and to overcome the pro-German ane
anti-American propaganda which il
be prime object of the mission.
But" said Mr.. Slobodin yesterday
"Russia needs now something NOR
than moral support, though she need!
that, too. She has food in abundance
but not the transportation with which
to distribute the food. She has leather
but not the implements with which tx
make shoes. She has almost everything
in the raw, but lacks the technical skill
and the tools. Nails in some parts o:
Russia cost $15 pound. That item
illustrates the WhOle SITUATION.
American standards of railroadinl
are more suitable to Russia than ar
German. SO in agriculture. The Ger
mans adopt the intensive system of cul
tivation, while the Russians, with thei
vast areas, need most the American
system of farming by improved ma
chinery.
"The body of men which our league
plans to send over there will be expert!
in their various lines. Acting unoffi
cially, they will be welcomed by the co
operative organizations and thu
zemstvos. The cooperatives have $4,000
branches and 20,O00,00O members ane
are purely economic, while the zemstvo.
the Bolsheviki almost entirely devote
themselves to foreign relations"