The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1920-06-12

Hz4ZSNAA4IA DW far Is Europe from nnanclal
~ and social bankruptcy is
question Of vital importance to all
y the world. Herewith is concrete
n summary Of facts of great value
kCEzssBsEElEzz- on this question, gathered at first
hand by Henry z. DAWSON Con-
h{s.ZlHaE \ corning these facts and the man
Y SSSS who gathered them Rowland
-: - Thomas in the New York Sunday
A~NN1EtN World makes this statement:
Ax&ANE4TT At this time Mr.. II. z. DAWSON
tFNs% partner in the firm of J. T. Nor
"a y':%<sT gan, seems more thoroughly quail
60 1919 fed than any other person in Amer
lea TO express an authoritative
opinion conditions in Europe.
lie has an extremely keen, clear mind. He Is a
hlau of Sie largest affairs, accustomed by many
years of business experience to grasp the essen
da details of complex situations. And on top of
MS up>lsual personal qualifications a trustwOr
thy observer and reporter. he has just, through
his position as head of an international organiza-
tnG had put In his possession the latest and COM
ple'ts mass of information obtanable anywhere
He Is chairman of the board of governors and
Therefore ex-olcio head of the League of Red
Gross societies which comprises all the Red Cross
societies In the world except those of the central
powers, end has just returned from the first con-
ference Gt this organization, held In Geneva.
Al thF conference the European situation
the map object of consideration, and to give
brought Ia from the field all over Europe and
their hrst-hand reports were received and exam
med The result the composite picture OF
postwar Europe In the winter and spring of 1871
which MIR. Dawson holds in his mind
BY fxeI rule, Mr. Dawson does not give inter
views to iTlividual representatives of the press,
nor write signed statements for individual papers
He has nor broken his rule in this instance. This
Is not an Interview. But when his unique POSI-
ton as urce of Information was pressed on
his attentiel, he granted the Sunday World ac-
cess to his f77ta and what follows may be taken as
substantially accurate and complete statement
of the factr as he sees them. It's significance can
therefore hE' dly be overemphasized
The catastrophe" wrote Mr. Balfour, chair
man OF the Council Of the League of Nations, to
the Red Cross conference at Geneva "is of ur-
exampled magnitude" and in the same conD2:unl-
cation referred TO "the horrors with which we are
faced" and stated they had reaches appalling
proportions"
These are very stropg expressions. coming
from Q parsonage - such standing. They indicate
a recognition of disaster.
Is there any hope of setting matters right? Can
Europe "eome baek?" or Is she bankrupt? The
present summary of known facts will be an at
tempt TO Indicate an answer to that question.
At the outset II is necessary to clarity the SIT
uation by making certain distinctions. Europe
stretches 100000 square miles, Its people
number 460.0000O0, more than a quarter of the
globes estimated population. Furthermore. at
present Europe as unit Is non-exstent, ifit ever
existed 1t has been split by the war iHto various
groupings in which conditions widely differ.
The neutrals, unravaged Spain. Switzerland,
Denmark Norway and Sweden with over 10000
600 population. constitute group Defeated
Germany and Austria form another. Russia is a
third The "Big Four" of the European allies
England, France Italy and Belgium-are another
And the less stabilized countries of the central
.r.L
groups conditions vary greatly and this must be
kept In mind in considering whether Europe Is
solvent or bankrupt.
About our principal allies In the west there Is
no question. They are strongly going concerns
still and. despite their own distress are doing
their best to pull their neghbors out OF the Slough
of Despond. Tie French peasant Is working and
the French arlsan. despite a sad need of raw
materials. has not lost his habit of Industry and
thrift. The encouraging fact about France today
Is that her people fully alive to the serious
ness of her problem and are going forward brave
ly to solve It.
Atnly, too, despite her great shortage of raw
material Is looking forward. not backward led
by one of the great men produced by the war Mr.
Nitu. He Is truly wise statesman, and under
his leadership Italy can be relied on to do her
part by herself and her neighbors Belgium as
might have been expected is strongly on the mend
and England Is meeting her problems OF recon-
struction with quiet courage and sturdy common
sense. She is doing each days work, and at the
same time rendering all assistance her resources
will permit to the countries the continent
Belgium and France and Italy and England
are asking no charity Of the United States. Their
peoples are as proud as we are-eager as we are
TO work out their own national destnies and car
ry on their own businesses. They seek only the on
portunity to regain their economic strength And
these countries have population of 125OO0O0O
combining them with the 100000 neutrals II
appears that about third of the people of Eu
rope could not be referred to as bankrupt Some
Of them are In serious difficulties. but they have
plenty of hope left. well as energy, for tie
tasks Of reconstruction
This distinction drawn. and 1t being under.
stood that Germany. because her problems are 90
peculiar to herself. is left out of the discussion
Il is not too much to say that In all the rest Of
Europe excepting, possibly. Russia. about which
reports are Observation-Disclosures has broken
down. For something like 2OOO00OOO people.
disease, bereavement and suffering are present
IN practically every household. while food and