The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-10-27
..ident's Letter, Written Before He
Was Taken III, Asks American
people to Carry On This
Work.
SPIRIT OF DEMOCRACY
Grief Executive Finds That People
Undertaking Their Own Welfare
Work Is Another Example
OF Il.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27.--Presi
dent Wilson addressed the follow
inc letter, written before he was
taken ill, to the people Of the coup-
try. appealing for support of the
third Red Cross roll call, which is
10 he held from November 2 to II:
"As president of the United States
and as president of the American Red
Cross. recommend and urge a gen
erous response to the third Red Cross
roll call, which opens on November
with the observance of Red Cross
sunday and appropriately closes on
November IL, the first anniversary
Of the signing Of the armistice
Twenty million adults joined the
Red Cross during the war, prompted
BY a patriotic desire to render serv-
ice to their country and to the cause
for which the United States was en-
gagged in war. Our patriotism should
stand the test of peace as we'll as the
test of war, and it is an intelligently
patriotic program which the Red
Cross proposes, continuance of serv.
ice to our soldiers and sailors, who
look to it for many things, and a
transference to the problems of peace
at home of the experience and meth
DDS which 1t acquired during the war.
Wants Members, Not Money.
st is on membership more than
money contributions that the stress
of the present campaign is laid, for
the Red Cross seeks to associate the
people in welfare work Throughout:
the land, especially in those commu-
mites where neither official nor I'M
official provision has been made for
adequate public health and social
service.
1T is in the spirit of democracy
that the people should undertake
their own welfare activities, and the
National Red Cross wisely intends
to exert upon community action a
stimulating and co-ordinating influ-
ence and to place the energies of the
organization behind all sound public
health and welfare agencies.
THE American Red Cross does
not purpose indefinite prolongation
of its relief work abroad. policy
which would lay an unjust burden
upon our own people and tend to I'M
dermine the self-reliance OF the peo-
pies relieved, but there is neces.
sary work of completion to be per.
formed before the American Red
Cross can honorably withdraw from
Europe. The congress of the United
States has imposed upon the Red
Cross continuing responsibility
abroad by authorizing the secretary
OF war TO transfer to the American
Red Cross such surplus army medical
supplies and supplementary and diet
airy foodstuffs now in Europe as
shall not be required by the army,
TO be used by the Red Cross to re.
lleve the distress which continues in
certain countries of Europe as a re-
suit Of the war.
To Carry on Good Work.
To finance these operations, to
conclude work which was begun dur
ing the war. and to carry out some
comparatively inexpensive construc-
tion plans for assisting peoples in
eastern Europe to develop their own
welfare organizations, the American
Red Cross requires, in addition to
fees, sum of money
small in comparison with gifts poured
INTO its treasury by our generous
people during the war.
Both the greater enduring domes-
nc program and the lesser temporary
foreign program Of the Red Cross
deserve enthusiastic support, and l
venture to hope that it's peace time
membership will exceed, rather than
IaH below, it's impressive war time
membership.