Williams news., 1920-06-11
HOW EUROPE GAN ESCAPE COLLAPSE Men, Women and Children Dying By Thousands Over Once
 Civilized Areas. GRAVE MENACE TO U. s. A. European Ruin Would Involve America-Starvation and Dis
 ease Rampant.
GRAVE MENACE TO U. s. 4.

Des Moines, Iowa.-Speaking before the general conference of the Metho- dist Episcopal church, Henry F. Davi son, chairman of the board of govern Ors of the League of Red Cross Socie- ties, said:
 As chairman of the convention of Red Cross Societies, composed of rep reSentativeS of tWenty-Seven nations that met recently in Geneva, I am cuS- todian of authoritative reports record ing appalling conditions among mill lions of people living in eastern Eu- rope.
 One of the most terrible tragedies i in the history of the human ra e is be. ing 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, Roumania, 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. 1 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 nei- ther medicinal appliances nor medical skill sufficient to cope with the dew astating plaques. Wholesale starvation is threatened fin pn1anI Sho procure food supplies in large quanti- ties. There are now approximately 25O,OOO cases of typhus in Poland and in the area occupied by Polish troops.
 Worst Typhus Epidemic in History.
 There is already one of the worst typhus epidemics in the worlds his tory. In Galicia whole towns are crip- pied and business suspended. In some districts there is but one doctor to each 150,O00 people. In the Ukraine, we were told, typhus and influenza have affected most of the population.
 A report from Vienna dated Febru- ary 12th, said: There are rat'Ons for three weeks. Death stalks through the streets of Vienna and takes unhin- dered toll.'
 buudpeSl, dCCOTulllS lO our luIOrlHd- tion, is one vast city of misery and suffering. The number of deaths is double that of births Of the 160,000 children in the schools, 100000 are de- pendent on public charity. There are 15O,00O workers idle.
 TyphuS and smallpox have invaded the four countries composing CZechO- Slovakia and there is lack of medi- cines, soap and physicians.
 In Serbia typhus has broken out and there are but POO physicians in lnin- ister to the needs of that entire coun- try
 In Montenegro, where food is run ming short, there are but five phySi clans for population of 100000.
 Returning to the United States a few weeks ago with all these horrors ringing in my ears, 1 found myself once more in a land whose granaries were overflOwing, where health and plenty abounded. and where life and activity and eager enterprise were in the full flood
 I asked myself: What if 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,- 000,O00 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 if we had lifted up our voices and in vOked the attention of our brothers in happier Europe to our own deep niserieS 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 is by payment, one by credit, and the third is by exchange of commodities. If these peoples tried to buy materials and supplies in America at the pres ent market value of their currencieS, Austria would have to pay forty times the original cost, Germany thirteen times, Greece just double, CZechO Slo- Vakia fourteen times and Poland fifty times. These figures are official and are true index of the economic plight of these countries.
 It is clear, therefore, that they can not give us gold for the things they must have, nor have they either prod tets or securities to offer in return for credit. If only they could obtain 'aw material, which these idle millions If theirs could convert into manufac- iured products, they would have some thing to tender the world in return for it's raw material. Food and medi-