The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1920-05-25

- nlueous death toll In
Hstnonia and Poland and the Ukraine
ana eating along the fringe of Ger.
many and Czecho- Slovakia will con.
me Itself to these remote lands.
only last Saturday our health COM
missioner Of New York, DR.. Copeland.
saiied Tor the other side just to mea-
sure the danger and take precaution
against such an invasion,
This Is one menace at our threshold
the other, more threatening, more ter.
nole. Is the menace Of the worlds Ill
VIII. We can afford to die, but to be
oesplsed forever as . greedy and
pharisaical nation is a fate that we
must not incur. e..
The French government has many
serious problems to solve but the
french peasantry Il working and the
French artisan, while still sadly in
need OF raw materials. has not lost his
habit Of industry and thrift. The most
encouraging fact about France today
u that her people are alive to the ser
iousness Of Frances problems, and
they are going forward bravely to
solve that problem.
Italy, despite her great shortage Of
raw materials, u looking forward and
not backward. Italy can be relied up
on to do her part.
England Is meeting the problems Of
reconstruction just as those who knew
her past should have expected her to
meet them.
/, Plan 10 Aid Central Europe.
1t Is not for me perhaps, to give in
detail formula for solution Of the
worlds i'll, but as l have been asked
many times. "What would you dot"
am glad to give my own answer.
Accordingly I would ask:
THAT congress Immediately pass
. bill appropriating . sum not to ex-
coed $4,000, 900 for the use Of CEN
trail and eastern Europe.
2.-That congress call upon tho
president to appoint a non-pol1tical
commission Of three Americans, dis
tinguished for their character and ex-
ecutive ability and commanding the
respect of the American people. Such
commission should include men Of
the type Of General Pershing, Mr..
Hoover or sx-Secretary Lane. I
would invest that commission with
complete power.
al would have the commission in.
structed to proceed At once, accom-
panied by proper personnel, to survey
conditions in central and eastern Eu-
rope and then act for the restoration
Of those countries under such condi-
tons and upon such terms AZ the COM
mission itself may decide to be prac-
ticable and effective. Among the con-
ditions should be provided that there
should be no local interference with
the free and untrammelled exercise by
the commission Of its own prerogative
Of alloting materials. Governmental
politics should be eliminated; unreas-
enable prejudicial barriers between
the various countries should be re-
moved, and such substantial guaran-
tees as may be available should be ex-
acted in order that the conditions i'm
posed should be fulfilled.
4.-As to financial terms I should
make them liberal. I would charge no
interest for the first three years; for
the next three years 6 per cent, with
provision that much Of such interest
might be refunded II the economic con-
ditions Of the country were not ap-
preaching normal, or II its exchange
conditions were SO adverse as to make
payment unduly burdensome. should
make thD maturity Of the obligation
five years from itS date and should
hn~ ks. IN ANT
b.-Immediately the plan was adopt
ed I would have our government In
vite other governments In position
to assist, to participate In the under
taking.
Ito, set forth completely my
opinion, I should add that in the final
instructions the American people
through their government, should say
to the commission:
1--WE want you to 20 and do this job
in such q manner, ~ after study
you think 1t should be done. This ia
no ordinary undertaking. The Ameri-
can people trust you to see that 1t ID
done right"
would also say 70 the commission :
"Use SO much Of this money as ia
needed" Personally, I am confident
that with the assistance and co-opera-
don which would come from other
parts of the world the sum Of $780,
OOO, 900 from the United States would
be more than enough to start these
countries on their way to self support
and the restoration Of normal condi.
tons.
The whole plan. Of course, involves
many practical considerations, the
most serious Of which is that Of OBJ
tanning the money, whether by issuing
additional Liberty bonds, an increase
In the floating debt or by taxation
But I think we could properly say to