The Elk Mountain pilot., 1920-05-20

while the other half starves. HsW
long do you believe the plague Of b.
phus that II taking . hideous death
toll in Esthonia and Poland and the
Ukraine and eating along the fringes
Of Germany and Czecho- Slokavia viii
confins itself to these remote lands3
Only last Saturday our health COM
missioner Of New York, Dr. Copeland,
sailed for the other side just to meas
ure the danger and take precaution
against such an invasion.
This is one menace at our threshold.
The other more threatening. more ter
rible. is the menace of the worlds ILL.,
will We can afford to die, but to be
despised forever as greedy and phar-
isaical nation is a fate that we must
not incur.
The French government has many
serious problems to solve, but the
French peasant is working and the
French artisan while still sadly in
need Of raw materials. has not lost his
habit of industry and thrift. The most
encouraging fact about France today is
that her people are alive to the seri-
BUSINESS Of Frances problem and they
are going forward bravely to solve that
problem.
Italy, despite her great shortage Of
raw material, is looking forward and
not backward. Italy can be relied up
on to do her part.
England Is meeting the problems Of
reconstruction just as those who knew
her past should have expected her to
meet them.
Plan to Aid Central Europe.
1t Is not for me, perhaps, to give in
detail q formula for solution OF the
worlds ills, but as I have been asked
many times, "What would you dor
am glad to give my own answer.
Accordingly. l would ask:
i. That Congress Immediately pass
bill appropriating sum not 70 e1-
ceed S500,O0O,0OO for the use of Cen
tral and Eastern Europe.
2. That Congress call upon the
President to appoint q non-political
commission of three Americans, dis
tinguished for their character and ex-
ecutive ability, and commanding the
respect Of the American people. Such
commission should include men Of
the type of General Pershing, Mr..
Hoover, or ex-Secretary Lane. would
| invest that commission with complete
power.
3. l would have the commission in
| structed to proceed at once, accOmpan-
| led by proper personnel, to survey con-
1itions in Central and Eastern Europe,
and then act for the restoration of
those countries under such conditions
and upon such terms as the commits
sion itself may decide to be practical
BILE and effective. Among the condi-
tions should be provided that there
should be no local interference with
the free and untrammeled exercise by
the commission of its own prerogative
Of allocating materials. Governmental
politics should be eliminated, unreason-
able and prejudicial barriers between
the various countries should be re-
moved and such substantial guarantees
as may be available should be exacted
in order that the conditions imposed
should be fulfilled.
4. As to financial terms, I should
make them liberal would charge NO
interest for the first three years, for
the next three years, 6 per cent, with
provision that such interest might be
funded II the economic conditions Of
the country were not approaching ner-
NAL, or II its exchange conditions were
SO adverse as to make payment unduly
| burdensome. should make the matur-
ity of the obligation fifteen years from
it's date and should have no doubt ~
to it's final payment.
| s. Immediately the plan was
adopted l would have our government
invite other governments In position
to assist to participate In the under.
taking.
6. To set forth completely my opin-
ion l should add that In the final in
structions the American people
through their government should say
| to the commission: I'VE want you to
| go and do this job in such manner
| as after study you think 1t should be
done. This is no ordinary undertak-
ing. The American people trust you
to see that it is done right" l would
also say to the commission: use so
much of this money as is needed Per-
sOnaily, 1 am confident that with the
assistance and cooperation which
would come from other parts of the
world, the sum Of $500, ,00O, 600 from the
United States would be more than
enough to start these countries on their
way to self support and the restora-
tion Of normal conditions.
The whole plan of course involves
many practical considerations, the
most serious of which is that Of OBJ
tanning the money, whether by issuing
additional Liberty bonds, an increase
in the floating debt or by taxation. But
think we could properly say to the
Treasury Department:
1--WE know how serious your financial
| problems are we know the difficulties
which are Immediately confronting
you; we know the Importance of de-
flation, and we know that the govern
ment must economize and that individ-
uafs must economize, but we also know
that the American government ad-
vanced $4,000, ,0O0, 900 to its allies to
attain victory and peace. Certainly 1t