South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-06-15


American Red Cross and later the
American food administration went
in with train loads OF condensed
milk and saved literally a million
Ia bies during the winter and spring.
But people still are dying OF hunger
in Poland. for there are remote VIII
lagos without transportation facili-
ties which are reached with diff
Guilty and there want is unchecked.
Finland is better fed than Poland.
but conditions in Finland in normal
times would excite the world
The Greed of Nobility.
Further south and wcst in the
countries which fought on the side
Of the allies-ir Servia and in Ru-
mania-in spite Of all that the allies
are trying TO do, famine is taking It's
terrible toll. The other dav I'm Paris
a Red Cross doctor-Dr. Alice Far
we'll Of Los AngeIes-came back
with a typical story Of the famine.
She went out in February. took her
unit 20 Rumania: went az once 70
the interior where she found the
population in dire need The Ger
mans retiring after the armistice had
stripped the country. They took
every bed and every stick OF bed
ding. OF course they took all the
food. not even leaving seed grain
They took the copper cooking uten-
sils: took all the chickens. cattle.
horses, every nova bile thing that
could make food or give shelter. And
the Rumanian peasant was left al
most naked. for even clothing in has
chest was gone.
He lives in mud hut made by
driving poles i'm the ground weav-
ing willow branches about the poles.
and then throwing dirt into the crew
ices. The American Indians lived
more comfortably and IL is 10 the
everlasting shame Of the Rumanian
aristocracy that the upper classes
knowing Of these conditions were
callous TO them There is no middle
class in Rumania. indeed the mid
die class is a Teutonic and Anglo
Saxon specially. which even the
Latin races are slow 70 initiate.
Vow in Rumania both the Aneri-
can Red cross and the food admin
istration NJ the allies. under Mr..
Hoover. went with help. But unfor-
tunatelv for the lower classes Of Ru-
mania. the food administration had
70 do business with the actual gov
eminent of RUmania Rumania was
an ally. we could not go into Ru-
mania and distribute food as we
would. And there are stories n
graft and speculation and food
boarding coming from Rumania-
for which the food administration IS
not fin the slightest 20 bIame-that
make one shudder
OF course the lower classes are
dishonest They viii often steal
even from the Rcd Cross once while
Red Cross canton was backed ND
distributing blankets and clothing
70 the needy in a town The towns
people stripped the canton % The
supplies intended for the next town.
Servants employed in Red Cross
whose families are rationed liberal
ly. steal for their neighbors r. is
the morality Of the times. war has
made stealing an incident of Ufe.
Ard the Rumanian gypsies arc no
better than the upper classes who
have taken charge OF the dlstriba-
ton OF the food
State Of the Balkan.
The peasants are ullterare and
s,othful The upper classes are
cruel and greedy And when bolsle-
vism comes as r is sure 20 come 70
overthrow the horrible system which
fosters these ini0uitics tho world
w1u be Mortified AZ the fantastic
cruelties Of the peasants Forgetting
that the peasants are rec.tinc Tie
lessons which ;hey have learned
from their hetters And u the
meantime the famine which breeds
bOlshevism as social disease -
stalking across Rumania almost un-
checked while food is piled Up IN
The cities
Serbia Is rather better or than
Rumania. Tor on the whole -he
peasants Of Serbia are % better
fhre than the Rumania-s And cv
IS