Gilpin observer., 1920-03-04
HUNGER KNOWS
NO ARMISTICE
IN CAUCASUS
Colonel Haskell Reports to Near
East Relief on Desperate
Needs of Helpless.

peace may come elsewhere In the
world, but hunger knows no armistice
In the Near East" says Colonel Will
liam N. Haskell, allied high commits
son In the Trnns-Caucasus, in an ap-
peal to Near East Relief, l Madison
avenue, New York city, for food and
supplies for the relief of the starving
millions.
Colonel Haskell is in charge of all
operations and disbursements of Near
East Relief in the Caucasus.
"There is no fuel or shelter for the
greater part of them during the terri
BILE winter in the mountains" he says,
land the existing food supply Is en-
tirely inadequate for the great num-
Der of refugees without resources of
any kind.
"By recent agreement between
the premiers of the republics of Ar
menia, Azerbaidjan and Georgia to
cease hostilities and settle all differ
ences by arbitration one obstacle to
relief work in the Caucasus has been
removed and makes accessible n great
number of destitute people who other
wise would perish this winter.
1.-Two hundred thousand destitute
Armenians and Tartars can now be
reached in the districts of Karabagh,
Shusha and Nakhichevan, in the south
east section of the Trans Caucasus,
and we are planning to extend our
work there. The economic situation is
so desperate and food supplies so
scanty that the Georgians have or
dered 100000 persons, mainly Russian
refugees without employment, to leave
the city of Tiflis. About $4,000 work
ers in the oil fields of Ballu have been
ordered by the Azerbaidjahese to
leave the city because there is no
work for them and food is scarce.
Around every station along the rail-
way are gathered groups of hundreds
of homeless people lying hudded to-
gether on the ground, the majority of
them too weak even to try to help
stronger ones climb on freight cars
and move elsewhere, always seeking
better conditions which do not exist.
Two hundred and siXty-thrce thousand
homeless refugees from Turkish Ar
menia thus are constantly milling
about throughout Russian Armenia,
making the relief work conducted by
the Americans a problem requiring in
finite patience and organizing ability.
"This Is especially true in view of
the existence of 2IS,000 destitute in
habitants of Russian Armenia who
| possess homes, but no food, as well rs
10000 Greeks, Russians, Persians, Sy-
rians and Yezidis who have been
driven out of parts of Transcaucasia.
"One hundred and forty thousand
Moslems, whose villages were destroy
ed in the course of five years of con-
slant warfare, are helplessly en-
camped in the open around villages of
their former enemies, begging infini-
tesimal quantities of flour. which they
mix with dirt to give the illusion of
nourishment.
"1'heSe hundreds of thousands OF
suffering adults, mostly homeless and
lacking every necessity of life, having
nothing more to lose, are concentrated
In country as yet inadequately po
Iced or governed. They constitute Il
| leTlne Ilelu LOT lnt StcuS VI DoiShc
vism or any form of anarchy, the
spread of which once loosed would be
impossible to predict.
"It is generally admitted in the eau
casus that the Americans of the Neal
East Relief already have saved tho
lives of nt least 10000 babies ant
children and of 100000 adult refugee,
and destitute. This work still is con
tlnuing."
In an effort TO procure funds to car
~ on the work and save the lives OF
these hundreds of thousands who 9th
erwise will die OF starvation and ex
pOsure Near East Relief, of which
Cleveland ii. Dodge IL treasurer, Il
making an appeal to the American
people.
IS PER MONTH FEEDS ORPHAN.