The Morgan County press. (Wartburg, Tenn.) 1916-1926, 1920-06-11
tating MIA g,les

Wholesale starvation is threatened
in Poland this summer unless she can
procure food supplies in large quanti-
ties. There are now approximately
100000 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-
plus 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
10000 people.
In the Ukraine, we were told, typhus
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 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 10000
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-
eines, 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 shert, there are but i've physi-
clans for population Of $4,000.
America Overlooking With Riches.
Returning to the United States
few weeks ago with all these horrors
ringing In my ears, found myself
once more in land whose granaries
were overlooking, where health and
plenty abounded and where life and
activity and eager enterprise were I'm
the full food.
asked myself: "What II this plague
and famine were here In the great ter
ritory between the Atlantic seaboard
and the Mississippi valley, which
roughly parallels the extent Of these
ravaged countries and that 65, 600
Of our own people condemned to idle
ness by lack Of raw material and
whose fields had been devastated by
invasion and rapine were racked by
starvation and pestilence and If 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 exclaim
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 Ia
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 /
tria would have to pay forty times the
original cost, Germany thirteen times.
Greece Just double, Czecho- Slcvakia
fourteen times and Poland fifty times
These figures are official and are i
true index Of the economic plight Of
these countries.
It is clear, therefore, that they can
not give us gold fer the things they
must have, nor have they either prod
ucts or securities to offer in return for .
credit. II only they could obtain raw
material which these idle millions OF
theirs could convert into manufactured ;
products they would have something to
tender the werld in return for its raw
material, food and medicine. But If
they have neither money nor credit
how are they to take this nrst great
step towards redemption
One-half the world may not eat
while the other half starves. How
long do you believe the plague Of ty-
plus that Is taking hideous death
toll in Esthonia and Poland and the
Ukraine and eating along the fringes
Of Germany and Czecho-S lovakia Will
conflne itself to these remote lands7 !
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 Such an invasion.
This Is one menace at our threshold.
The other, more threatening, more ter
rible, is the menace of the worlds Ill
will. We can afford to die, but to be
despised forever as a greedy and phar-
isaical nation is a 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