The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1920-05-22

of Germany and Czecho-Slovakia VIII
confine itself to these remote laHdsE
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 precautlon
against such an invasion.
This is one menace at our TIRES
hold. The other, more threatenlns'
more terrible, is the menace OF the
worlds Ill will We can afford to
die, but to be despised forever as
greedy and pharisaical nation Is
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 10
the seriousness of Frances problem,
and they are going forward bravery
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
know her past should have expected
her to meet them.
Plan to Aid Central Europe.
It is not for me perhaps to give
in detail a formula for solution OF the
worlds ills, but as have been asked
many times, What would you DO!
am glad to give my own answer
Accordingly l would ask:
1. That congress Immediately pass
a bill appropriating q sum not to eX-
coed $500, 0oO, 900 for the use OF Cen
trail and Eastern Europe.
2. That congress call upon the
president to appoint non-polncal
commission of three Americans, dis
tinguished for their character and eX-
ecutive ability and commanding the re-
spect 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
instructed to proceed at once, accom-
panied by proper personnel, to survey
conditions in Central and Eastern Eu-
rope and then act for the restoration
Of these countries under such conol-
tons and upon such terms a. the
commission itself may decide to be
practicable and effective. Among the
conditions should be provided that
there should be no local interference
with the free and untrammeled sxer-
else by the commission of its own pre-
rogative of anocatlng materials. Ere
governmental politics should he elm
mated: unreasonable and preJudicial
barriers between the various countries
should be removed, and such substanr
tial guarantees as may be available
should be exacted in order that the
conditions imposed should be fulfilled.
4. AS to financial terms, | should
make them liberal. / would charge no
interest for the first three years; for
the next three years, s per cent with
provision that such interest might be
funded if the economic conditions or
the country were not approaching nor
NAL. or If its exchange conditions were
so adverse as to make payment I'M
duly burdensome. / should make the
maturity of the obligations Is years
from its date and should have no
doubt as to its final payment.
s. Immediately the plan was adopt
ed I would have our government In
vite other governments in a position
to assist to participate In the under
taking.
8. To set forth completely my 0pin-
ion | should add that in the final
instructions the American people.
through their government, should say
to the commission:
1--WE want you to go and do this
Job in such = manner as, after study,
you think IL should be done. This 10
no ordinary undertaking. The Ameri-
can people trust you to see that 1t IL
done right"
would also say TO the commission:
'Use so much of the money as 10
needed" Personally, am confident
that with the assistance and cO-opera-
ton which would come from other
parts of the world the sum Of $780,
0O0, 900 from the URited States would
be more than enough to start these
countries on their way to self sup
port, and the restoration 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 l think we could properly say to
the treasury department:
"We know how serious your finan-
cial problems are. We know the diff
ficulties which are Immediately con
fronting you; we know the Importance
Of diflation, and we Know that the
government must economic and that
individuals must economic, but we
also know that the American govern
ment advanced 10000, 900, 900 to It's
allies to attain victory and peace.
Certainly it Is worth making the ad-
ditional advance in order to realize
the peace for which We have already
struggled, fer nothing is more certain
than that until normal conditions are
restored in Europe there can be No
peace"
Above all things, would say that
whatever action Is taken sheuld be
taken Immediately. The crisis IL %
acute that the situation does not ad.
NIT of delay, except with the POssi'
bility of consequences one hardly
dares contemplate.
The situation that / have spread
cut here IL far beyond the scope Of
Individual charity. Only by the nc.
ton Of governments, our own and the
others whose resources enable then
to cooperate. can aid be given In suf