The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1920-07-01

few weeks ago with al these horrors
ringing in my ears, l found myself
once more In a land whose granaries
were overlooking, where health and
plenty abounded and where life and
activity and eager enterprise were in
the full food
asked myself: What II this
plague and famine were here IN thu
great territory between the Atlantic
seaboard and Mississippi Valley,
which roughly parallels the extent Of
these ravished countries, and that 65,-
100000 Of our own people condemned
to idleness by lack of raw material
and whose fields had been devastated
by invasion and rapine, were racked by
starvation and pestilence. and II we
had lifted up our voices and invoked
the attention of our brothers In hap
pier Europe to our own deep miseries
and our cries had fallen. on deaf ears
would we not in. our despair exciaim
against their heartlessness.
Only Three Ways To Help Europe.
There are only three ways by which
these stricken lands can secure sup
plies from the outside world. One is
by payment one by credit and the
third is by exchange Of commodities.
II these peoples tried to buy materials
and supplies In America at the present
market value of their currencies Aus
tfia would have to pay forty times the
original cost, Germany thirteen times,
Greece just double, Czecho-Slovakia
fourteen times and Poland fifty times.
These figures are official and are
true index of the economic plight Of
these countries.
1t is clear, therefore, that'they can
not give us gold for the things they
must have, nor have they either pro-
ducts or securities to offer in return
for credit II only they could obtain
raw material which these idle millions
of theirs could convert into manufac-
tured products they would have some
thing to tender the world in return for
It's raw material, food and medicine.
But if they have neither money nor
credit how are they to take this first
great step towards redemption.
One half the world may not eat
while the other half starves. How
long do you believe the plague OF
typhus that is taking hideous death
toll in Esthonia and Poland and the
Ukraine eating along the fringes OF
Germany and Czecho-Slovakia win
eonfine itself to these remote lands?
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 sucA an invasion.
This fs one menace at our thresh-
hold, the other more threatening, more
terrible, 10 the menace Of the worlds
Al will. We can afford to die, but to
be despised forever a. q greedy and
pharisaical nation 10 q fate that we
must not incur. ~..
The French Government has many
serious problems to solve. but the
French peasantry is working and the
French srtisan, while still sadly In
need Of raw materials, has not lost his
habit Of industry and thrift The most
0AAOOOA08 A0SS oOOAS G400SO kOu0J
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
upon 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.
It is not for me, perhaps. to give IN
detail formula for solution of the
worlds ills, but as have been asked
many ttmes, What would you dor"
am glad TO give my own answer.