Smyrna times., 1920-06-02
HOW EUROPE CAN
ESCAPE COLLAPS
We Must Aid by Extending
Credits, Says Dawson.
GRAVE MENACE TO U. S. A.
European Ruin Would Involve
AmeriCa-StarVati0n and
Disease Rampant.
GRAVE MENACE TO U. S. A.

SdIO.
AS chairman of the Convention of /
Red Cross Societies. composed of rep |
resentatives of tWenty-seven nations |
that met recently in Geneva, l am Gus !
tOdian of authoritative reports record |
ing appalling conditions among mil |
lions of people living in eastern Eu- |
rope.
One of the most terrible tragedies in
the history of the human race is being
enacted within the broad belt of terri
tory lying between the Baltic and the
Black and Adriatic Seas.
This area includes the new Baltic
States-Poland, CZecho-SlOvakia, the
Ukraine Austria. Hungary, Roumana,
Montenegro, Albania and Serbia.
The reports which come TO us make
II clear that in these war-ravaged
lands civilization has broken down.
Disease, bereavement and suffering
! are present in practically every house
| hold, while food and clothing are in
| sufficient to make life tOlerable.
Men. women and children are dying
by thousands, and over vast Once-civi-
! liZed areas there are to be found nei-
ther medicinal appliances nor medical
skill sufficient to cope with the devaS-
'ating plaques.
Wholesale starvation is Threatened
in Poland this summer unless she can
procure food supplies in large quaint
ties. There are now approximately
250O00 cases of typhus in Poland and
in the area occupied by Polish troops.
Worst Typhus Epidemic in History.
This is already one of the worst ty-
phus epidemics in the worlds history.
In Galicia whole towns are crippled
and business suspended. In some dis
tricts there is but one doctor to each
100000 people.
In the Ukraine, we were told typhus
and influenza have affected most of the
population.
A report from Vienna, dated Febru-
ary 10, said: "There are ratiOns for
three weeks. Death stalks through the
streets of Vienna and takes unhinder-
ed toll.
Budapest, according to our infOrma-
ton, is one vast city of misery and
suffering. The number of deaths is
double that of births. OF the 100000
children in the schools, 100000 are de-
pendent on public charity. There are
10000 workers idle.
Typhus and smallpox have invaded
the four countries composing CzechO-
SlOvakia, and there is lack of medi-
cines, soap and physicians.
In Serbia typhus has broken out
again and there are but 200 physicians
to minister to the needs of that entire
country.
In Montenegro, where food is run
ming short, there are but five physi
clans for a population of 100000
America Overlooking With Riches.
Returning to the United States
few weeks ago with all these horror:
ringing in my ears, I found mysel
once more in a land whose granarie'
were OverfOwing, where health ant
plenty abounded and where life ant
activity and eager enterprise were il
the full flood.
asked myself: "What if this plagu,
and famine were here in the great ter
ritOry between the Atlantic seaboart
and the Mississippi valley, whicl
roughly parallels the extent of thes
ravaged countries and that 65000,00
of our own people condemned to idle
ness by lack of raw material ant
whose fields had been devastated b.
invasion and rapine were racked b
starvation and pestilence and if W
had lifted up our voices and invoke
the attention of our brothers in haI
pier Europe to our own deep miserie
and our cries had fallen on deaf ears
would we not in our despair eXclaiI
against their heartlessness ~
Only Three Ways to Help Europe.
- There are only three ways by whic
= these stricken lands can secure SUI
plies from the outside world. One
| by payment, one by credit and tn
! third is by exchange of cOmmoditie
If these peoples tried to buy material
and supplies in America at the preSeI
market value of their cutrences Au
tria would have to pay forty times IL
original cost, Germany thirteen time
Greece just double, -SlOvak
] fourteen times and Poland fifty time
I These figures are official and are
J true index of the economic plight
these countries.
I 1t is clear, therefore, that they ca
! not give us gold for the things tn,
must have, nor have they either pro
ucts or securities to offer in return f
! credit u only they could obtain ra
material which these idle millions
theirs could convert into manufacture
. products they would have something
- tender the world in return for its ra
. material, food and medicine. But
they have neither money nor cret
how are they to take this first gre
step towards redemption
One-half the world may not. g
while the other half starves. HI
long do you believe the plague of
phus that is taking hideous dea
toll in Esthonia and Poland and t
Ukraine and eating along the firing