Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-10-27
Wilson Appeal
For Red Cross
Drive Nov. 2=ll

Washington, Oct 26-President
Wilson has addressed the following
letter to the people of the country ap-
pealinS for support of the third Rel
Cross Roll Call, which is TO be he'd
from Nov. . TO Il;
'As President of the United States
and as President of the American
Red Cross, l recomemnd and urge
generous response to the third Red
Cross Roll Cali which opens on No
vember the second with the obserV-
anee of Red Cross Sunday and ap-
propriately closes on November the
eleventh, the first anniversary of the
signing of the Armistice.
Twenty million adults joined the
Red Cross during the war, prompte i
by a patriotic desire to render se'-
vice to their country and TO the
cause for which the United States
was engaged in war. Our patriotism
should stand the test of peace aS
well as the test of war. and it is an
intelligently patriotic program which
the Red Cross proposes, a contin-
uance of service to our soldiers and
sailors who look to il fr many things,
| and a tranSference to the problems
of peace at home of the experience
and methods which il acquired dur
ing the war
1T 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 communt-
ties where neither official nor un-
official provision has been made for
adequate public health and social
service.
1T is III the spirit OF democracy
that the people should undertake
their own welfare activities, and the
National Red Cross wisely intends 70
exert upon community action a
stimulating and co-ordinating in
fiuence 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 ahead, policy which
would lay an unjust burden upon our
own people and tend TO undermine
the self-reliance OF the people re-
lieved, but there is a necessary work
of completion to be performed be-
fore the American Red Cross can
honorably withdraw from Europe
The Congress of the United States
has imposed upon the Red Cross 4
continuing responsibility abroad by
authorizing the Secretary Of War to
transfer to the American Red Cross
such surplus army medical supplies
and supplementary and dietary food
Stunts now in Europe as shall not be
required by the army, to be used 5y
the Red Cross to relieve the distress
which continues in certain countries
of Europe as a result of the war.
ITO finance these operations. to
conclude work which was begun dur
ing the war, and to carry out some
comparatively inexpensive construc-
tive plans for assisting peoples N
eastern Europe to develop their own
welfare organizations, the American
Red Cross requires, in addition %
membership fees. a sum of money
small in comparison with gifts
poured into its treasury by our gen
erous people during the war.
Both the greater enduring domestic
program and the lesser temporary
foreign program of the Red Cross
deserve enthusiastic support, and
venture to hope that its peace-time
membership will exceed rather than
fall below it's impressive war-mem-
bership."
WOODROW WILSON"