The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1920-05-22
We Must Aid by Extending
Credit, Says Dawson.
GRAVE MENACE TO U. S. A.
European Ruin Would In
yolve America-Starva-
ton and Disease
Rampant.

Des Moines, Iowa.-Speaking De
fore the general conference OF the
Methodist Episcopal Church, Henry r
Dawson. chairman of the board OF gov
srnors of the League Of Red Cross
Societies, said:
AS chairman Of the convention OF
Red Cross Societies. composed OF rep
resentativss of twenty-ssven nations
that met recently in Geneva, L am
custodian of authoritative reports re-
cOrding appalling conditions among
millions OF people living in Eastern
Europe
One of the most terrible tragedies
in the history Of the human race is
being enacted within the broad belt OF
territory lying between the Baltic and
the Black and Adriatic seas.
This area includes the new Baltic
states--Poland, Czecho-SlOvakia, the
Ukraine. Austria, Hungary, Roumanla'
Montenegro, Albania and Serbia.
The reports which come to us make
It 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 civ
ilized areas there are to be found
neither medicinal appliances nor medi-
cal skill sufficient to cope with the
devastating plaques.
Wholesale starvation is threatened
in Poland this summer unless she can
procure food supplies in large guam
titles. There are now approximately
$50, 900 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
typhus epidemics in the worlds his
tory. In Galicia whole towns are
crippled and business suspended. In
some districts there is but one doctor
to each 10000 people.
In the Ukraine, we were told, ty-
plus and influenza have affected most
of the population.
A report from Vienna, dated Febru'
airy IL, said: There are rations for
three weeks. Death stalks through
the streets Of Vienna and takes I'M
htndered 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 100, 900
children in the schools, 1905 are de-
pendent public charity. There are
$4,000 workers idle.
Typhus and smallpox have invaded
tAe four countries composing Czecho.
SIoVakiR and there IL lack Of Redi-
zines, soap and physicians.
In Serbia typhus has broken out
again, and there are but 200 physi.
clans to ministsr to the needs Of that
entire country.
In MontsnsgrO, where food is run
ming short, there are but five physi
clans for q population Of 100000.
Returning to the United States a
few weeks ago with all these horrors
ringing in my ears, found myself once
more in a land whose granaries were
overlooking, where health and plenty
al al nh HRn oAA ont9uiAv
and eager enterprise we're in the full
flood.
asked myself: what II this
plague and famine were here in the
great territory between the Atlantic
seaboard and the Mississippi valley
which roughly parallels the extent Of
these ravaged countries and that 65,
600, 900 of our own people condemned
to idleness by lack of raw material
and whose fields had been devastated
by invasion and rapine were rackeC
by starvation and pestilence and II
we had lifted up our voices and in
voked the attention of our brothers in
happier Europe to our own deep mis-
cries and our cries had fallen on dea
ears, would we not in our despair ex
claim 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 IL
by payment, one by credit and thu
third is by exchange Of commodities
II these peoples tried to buy materials
and supplies in America at the pres
ent market value Of their currenciei
Austria would have to pay forty times
the original cost, Germany thirteen
times, Greece just double, Czecho-Slo
vakia fourteen times and Poland fift!
times. These figures are official ant
are true index Of the economic pligh
Of these countries.
It is clear, therefore, that they cal
not give US gold for the things the.
must have, nor have they either prod
uets or securities to offer in return
fer credit. II only they could obtaiI
raw material which these idle million
Of theirs could convert into manufaC
tured products they would have some
thing to tender the world in return 70
It's raw material, food and medicine
But II they have neither money ne