The Cordova daily times., 1919-05-02

was acute. Mr.. Hoover felt that some
thing more must be done to meet the
child problem These debflitated lit
tie ones must have special ratiOns
through special organization and by
direct charity The work is vitality ne
cessary," he cabled across to his as
sociates here.
The same reports were brought to
the food administration by represen-
tatives of the Red Cross. According to
a member of the committee, the
situation boils down to the following
POLAND, Rumania, Serbia, Jugo-
slavia, Czechoslovakia, Finland, and
the Baltic states are today going
through exactly the same process OF
physical disintegration which was
true of Belgium in the early part OF
the war. Not only are there the
women and children to feed today, but
the men who have como from the war
besides. A good many of these men
are broken down and need special
care. However, they can manage to
get along with the rations which will
be allotted to them.
"The big problem is the child prob
lem. Just as Belgium was in danger OF
losing her next generation by num-
berless cases of tuberculosis brought
on by malnutrition, so are these ma
lions going through a period where
the child forces are being steadily and
increasingly diminished and wiped
out.
"rhe answer to this situation in
Belgium was the opening of soup kit
chens and canteens for children and
nursing mothers. This must be the
answer to the situation for these peo'
ple. The fund of $1OO,OOO,00 can in no
way. undertake to do this. 1t can al
leviate conditions to some extent, but
it cannot undertake to specialize
along a field of relief work that is in
urgent need of specialization. The
ONLY solution to the problem is
charity.
During the war it was not very
difficult for the American to disprove
the theory that he was dollar-chaser.
Three times a day the fact that Eur
ope was starving was brought to his
attention in the way of war menus
and war breads and 'hooverizing.' To,
day the country is resting serene
under the consciousness of having
achieved it's goal. The all-engrossing
subject is not victory, but domestic
rehabilitation. What's more, the taxes
are heavy and the American does not
feel that he is called upon to give to
foreign charities any longer. 1t is not
that he is uncharitable, but that he is
unthinking. The subject of the
lC1echoslovaks is put up to him, he IS
told that hey are hungry and starving
for want of food, and he is inclined
to take the attitude that things can't
be as bad as they are painted; that
the war Is over and things are hitch
ing up all around; that if the Armen-
ian or Czechoslovak is hungry today,
he is no hungrier than he was before
tie war started.
"Things, however, are as bad as
they are painted, or more truly, things
aren't painted as bad as they are.
Starvation in war is to be expected,
but starvation in peace means one
thing only, the breeding of anarchy.
Gust now the most urgent needs
for food are being met. Wheat and
fats are going across and people are
being rationed But much more is
needed than the fund can ever expect
to accomplish. America, must con-
tinue to live up to it's ideal of democ-
racy and help these people to their
feet Just now the urgent need Is
not for political freedom, but for