The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1919-04-04

thanking you Tor the space In tnls
matter, I am
Yours very truly,
DIR. R. L. BURNS,
President Two Harbors Auto Club.
An explanation made at the re-
quest of various individual officials
of the American Red Cross.
RED CROSS HELP NEEDED IN
FINLAND.
While the American Red Cross has
done and is still doing a splendid
work among the orphans and the
needy in Belgium, Armenia, France
and Poland, less well known, small
and poor country in the far north
has been unnoticed. The people of
this little known country have had to
pass through terrible experiences
during. the past few years, the want,
misery and suffering of which cannot
be described in words.
That country is Finland, the land
that has liberated itself from the
oppression of the Russians, and
which is now creating an independ-
ent basis for a new democratic form
of government with the consent and
assistance of the allies. This new
government and social structure is
being organized along the lines sug-
gested by President Wilson in his
speeches on the right to self-govern-
ment and self-determination for the
various nationalities Of the world.
Very little has been known in Am
erica about the sufferings through
which the Finnish people have
passed. The lack of information
about Finland has been due in a
measure to the fact that Finland was
practically isolated from the outer
world during the war, all means of
communication having been severed,
together with the fact that the
meager news about Finland which
has reached America from other
sources during this period have been
misleading.
For these reasons the American
Red Cross has not given it's attention
in this direction and no effort has
been made to extend aid from this
side. At the present time, however,
the fate of suffering Finland is be-
ginning to be understood and the
United States food administration
has already sent grain from Ameri-
can supplies on hand in Denmark
and Holland and additional ship
ments are to be made monthly. How
ever, all this grain and other food
stuffs are to be for sale in Finland
and will not relieve the sufferings
of the thousands who have become
orphans or who have lost persons on
whom they were dependent for sup
port.
It is hoped that the American Red
Gross will extend to these orphans
and needy the generous and mag
unanimous aid which the organization
has so efficiently and upon 80 large
a scale given to the war orphans of
Belgium and other war torn coun-
tries.
The Internal Conditions in Finland.
When the world war began, Rus
STA sent hundreds of thousands of
soldiers into Finland to guard its
coast from a possible German attack.
This garrisoning of Finland had also
a further purpose, for Russia desired
to make use of the war to completely
carry out its policy of justification
of Finland, which it had unsuccess-
fully attempted during the preceding
twenty years. The aim was to colon
ize the country with Russians and
on by undernourishment, or caused
directly by starvation. *.
Widows and Orphans.
The saddest, however, has been the
lot of the widows and orphans who
lost their provider in the revolution
and Of those women and children
whose provider fed into Russia, for
the food shortage of the country,
from which all have suffered, has
also made their condition an ex-
tremely difficult one. The Finnish
Red Cross is doing all in its power
to relieve their distress by distribut-
ing all the aid at its command in an
impartial manner, but its work is
restricted To the funds at its com