Evening star., 1919-04-19
.BELG|ANS CHEERED
AT LOAN MEETING
DR.. Green Sounds Keynote of
Drive to Open Next
Week.
WORKERS ARE ENTHUSED

With the contingent of Belgian he
roes who have come to this country
to aid in the victory liberty loan on
the stage and hundreds of loan work
ers in the audience. the keynote of
the drive was sounded today by DR..
Thomas f. Green, chairman of the
speakers bureau for the loan, at
X eith's Theater.
The victory loan is an honor loan
a challenge to the American people
to make good the undertakings Of
their government he said. ut is
Thanksgiving loan. Let US appeal to
the American people to do this job
in an American way.
Arouses Enthusiasm.
DIR. Green reused the audience to
great enthusiasm when he pictured
the desperate fight made by the al
lies to stem the tide of German vic
tory year ago until the Americans
Retire He'll. We have just GOMEZ"
L. B. Franklin, director of the war
loan organization of the Treasury
Department, told the workers how to
drive home arguments In favor Of
The speakers were introduced by
Eugene E. Thompson, secretary of the
District of Columbia central liberty
loan committee.
Belgians Greeted.
When the curtain rose the Belgian
contingent was disclosed standing at
attention while the Marine Band
played the Belgian national anthem.
The audience was on it's feet in an in
stant cheering the veterans. Every
reference by the speakers to Belgium
and to the heroic part which she
played in the great struggle with
Germany was the signal for further
outbursts of applause.
DR.. Green said that he had been
with the American Red Cross organ
ization for a year, and that when he
| was invited to take up the work for
the victory loan by Secretary Glass
his associates had warned him that
sentiment, which had carried through
the other loans and undertakings OF
the United States during the war, was
thing of the past and that the new
loan was to be a commercial matter
only.
'Tf I believed that" said DR.. Green.
job. If you believe that, you had bet
tier not start on this job. If this
country was worth dying for and
selling bonds for six months ago. it
is today. 1t still appeals to the heart
and soul of the American people,"
Tells of Speeding Up"
DR.. Green told of the efforts of the
American government to speed up"
and it's success through the expendi-
ture of billions Of dollars to meet the
war needs. Money was spent fast, he
said. to save time. The result had
been months of warfare were saved,
and hundreds Of thousands of Amer
lean lives and billions of more dollars.
Now, he said, 1T ia up to the people
of America to back up the govern
| ment in the steps it had taken and
to provide the money needed.
This loan Is q duty we owe to
American soldiers" he continued. I'VE
| told them to come. to go, to fgnt ana
to win. and they did. From every
American grave in France comes the
challenge to us today. We have q
million and a quarter boys over there
yet and they must be taken care Of"
Danger of complacency.
DR.. Green warned against the dan
ger Of too great complacency in this
country. which has not been touched
by the war.
Mr.. Franklin told Of the desira-
bility Of the new notes from a COM
mercial standpoint. He said that the
loan had been reduced to $4,000, ,000,-
600. instead of calling for $4,000, ,000.-
inally intended, because Of the fact
that the other bonds issued by the
government were selling below par.
due. he added. to the fact that the
American people had been asked to
take up $4,000. 900. geo in bonds in
| the new notes would never sell be-
low par. and that they would be
rapidly absorbed. He urged that the
District of Columbia workers put the
| District at the head of the list in the
| new loan. as they had done in the
| past.
Crowd Roars eyes"
"Are you going to put this loan
across?" he demanded Of the audience,
and it roared back "Yes."
| The meeting concluded with q war
! film not previously shown and the
| playing Of THE Star Spangled Ban
ner" by the Marine Band.
The Belgians were escorted from
Liberty Hut by the Marine Band. The
band played the Belgian national an
them and American patriotic airs.
Capt. H. S. Todd commanded an es-
| cort from the War Department.
Immediately in front of the Belgians
| were ten st. Bernard dogs hauling ma
| chine guns.
After the meeting at the theater the
Belgian contingent was escorted to the
| White House. where they were re-
| ceived by Secretary to the President
| Tumulty. Mr.. Tumulty said he regret
| ted that the President was not there
| in person to receive them.
Cabinet Mems Wives
to Sell Loan Bonds;
Next Weeks Program
Victory liberty bonds will be sold
| by wives of cabinet officers from the
headquarters of the District Woman's