The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-02-27
Shall Chaos or Reconstruction
in Europe Follow the Great
World War?
IMPERATIVE NEED FOR ACTION
Twelve Months Since the Signing OF
the Armistice Practically Wasted
Call for Aid From America
Must Be Needed.
Article v.
BY FRANK coMERFoRD.


these acts restored devastated Europe.
The great job ahead is the work Of re-
construction, and when I write the
word Reconstruction" / have not in
mind the mere rebuilding of the war
stricken areas of france, Belgium,
Italy, Poland and Russia. Gigantic
and important as this task is, neces-
sary as 1t is, 1t is only small part OF
the work of real reconstruction. Hun
dreds of thousands Of square miles
make up the actual war zone, the
ground marched over, the territory I'M
der shell fire. Millions of acres of land
that once yielded food in response to
the touch of the pillow have for the
past four years been titled by high ex-
| plosives.
Belgium was literally looted. pill
LACED and ravished. Almost the en-
tire state was violated. Nearly one
eighth of France. her industrial sec
ton, was crushed. Buildings were de-
stroyed, factories dismantled. Sixty
thousand square miles in Poland were
laid waste. Italy suffered terribly.
The ground is filed with high explo-
slves. undischarged mines and shells.
Every day since the work of recovery
| and restoration began men working
in this zone have been blown to pieces.
| Billions of feet of barbed wire and
millions of tons Of metal make dan
gerous wilderness out Of what was
once highly productive area.
Cities and villages are jungles OF
twisted, broken, torn wood, iron, brick
and stone. have walked through
these villages and have stood stunned
by the completeness of the destruc-
ton. The streets are uneven and
lumpy with brick and stone and plas-
ter and glass, aisles of wreckage. Roof
less houses with walls Quilted and torn,
heaps and piles Of broken building ma
terlaI; jagged, ragged pinnacles, masses
Of debris meet the eye. Had not known
of the war and come upon one of these
unsightly, shapeless masses Of materi-
al, / should have thought nature had
entered into a mad conspiracy, com
bining and concentrating all of the
powers of cyclone. tornado fnd
an earthquake, and spilled their fury
on these mangled dead villages.
Sights to Wiring the Heart.
Picture the refugees returning to
) these villages-coming back home.
What the sight must have meant TO
them. / have seen them, their faces
gray as the gray ruins. standing in the
midst of their destroyed homes. l
have seen them picking their way over
piles of stone and brick through great
, openings made In the broken walls
saw In their eyes inconsistencies, hurt
: of heart never shall forget. Old men
and old women and little bare-legged
children; now and again boy with
! worn, soiled uniform, some limping
, on crutches, others wearing an empty
sleeve. One thought surged through
my mind until 1t almost sickened me
War. The land of the war zone
must be reclaimed. These acres are
: needed now more than they were be-
fore the war. The worlds food sup
ply Is low. Hundreds Of miles OF
> trenches must be filled up. Trees
must be planted, the ground must be
. cleaned of shells, cleared of barbet
wire; villages, cities. must be rebuilt
sewer systems must be installed. The
mess must be moved. 1t is big job.
One great misfortune is that al
h though II months have come and gon'
| a. cd, IF hn lot n
general comprehensive plan of recon
G struction has been started. Here ant
; there small sections of the devastated
> regions are being partly reconstructed
Temporary provision is being mad'
for the homeless. This is all well ant
good, hut intelligent, economical, eff
cient and speedy reconstruction de
u mands general plan and an organiza
ton big enough to put II over. TIL
doing of this work requires vision ant
y capacity for doing big things well. I
a the physical reconstruction Is left t
Europe it will not be finished in 8
J. years. Here Is chance for America
We have faculty of doing things o.
It q big scale and In short period o
IL time. Europe needs our help. II W
l. are to give It eventually. why not now
d But the clearing up Of the wreckag
n and the rebuilding Is minor probler
q compared with the other greater an
! more important question Of reconstru'
ton. the reconstruction Of industr,
the establishment of normal life.
The reclamation of the devastate
l. area is, after all, only matter Q
plan. time and money, and notwitl
Is standing the fact that Europe is banl
le rupt today, the money must and wi
N come. The barbcd wire will be role
up, the mines and shells will be du
Il from the fields, the villages will be r
~ built; everything that has been d.
2 stroyed will be replaced. Physical RI
construction is the least of Europe
k problems.
The great problem Is the reconstru