New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1919-04-02

money illegally taken away from the
farmers. This also seems to be attitude
of the State Food administration which
really is to blame for the last summers
trouble.
..g.sa Go to St. Paul. ..
A. D. Wilson, head of the State Food
administration, who recently appointed
several committees in the territory In
volved to receive the claims of the
farmers rega, ding the wheat money
they had been forced to donate to the
Red Cross, called meeting Of severai
representatives from Brown, Nicoliet
and Sibley counties. Attorney w. FL.
Dempsey, F. W. Johnson, former head
of the Red Cross chapter for Eastern
Brown county, and Attorney George D.
Erickson, at present chairman of the
local Red Cross chapter, were the New
Ulm representatives at that meeting
held last Saturday at Mr.. Wilson'S office
in St. Paul
Get Decision From Washington.
A communication from the Red Cross
National headquarters at Washington
was brought before the conference say
ing that they felt no objection could be
made by the Red Cross to the return
of the money Of the farmers mulctat
if this money had been turned over Ia
an illegal way. But this was ali the
organization could do in the matter IT
was stated, as it had nothing to do
with the collection of the money and was
only an involuntary recipient of it.
The money would be turned over to the
Food administration, it was said, which
would have to make final settlement
with the farmers.
During the course OF the meeting iit
was pointed out that the local chapters
of the Red Cross organization had no
authority to return the money on their
own account but that the whole matter
rested with national headquarters. This:
shows that the stand taken by the heads.
of local Red Cross chapters in remaining,
absolutely neutral until decision the
one way or the other had been made
by their superior officers was correct anG
could not be construed as an oppositioz
to the return of the money.
Plan Outlined.
This decision of the National Res
Cross made it possible for the food adj.
ministration to take the final steps /.
the matter and the following plan vas
decided on:
The committees appointed will con-
tinue their work until completed, prove
up all claims made by the farmers and
give them their approval. Then each
separate claim is checked up With
the local Red Cross chapter, giving the
later an opportunity to certify that each
of the amounts claimed actually came
into their treasury. After all the certi-
ficares of the Red Cross officers arein. the
full report will be sent to Mr.. Wilson
in st. Paul for his approval and tbe,,
the money will be refunded either bv
him directly or through the different:
committees appointed. Should the To-
cal chapters of the Red Cross run short.
OF money which may be the case in some
instances because they turned over
the greater portion of their contribut-
ions to division headquarters, this short
age will be made up by the Northern
Division at Minneapolis. It was gener-
ally felt at the meeting that the Red
Cross wants to do everything to back
up the Food Administration to get this
matter Strengthened out, as far as The
return OF the money is concerned with
out, however, sharing the blame for the
things that occurred.
Exna, NJ