Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1920-05-27
HOW EUROPE
CAN ESCAPE
We Must Aid by Extending
Credits, Says Dawson.
GRAVE MENACE TO U. S. A.
European Ruin Would Involve
America-Starvati0n and
Disease Rampant.


odist Episcopal church. Henry Z. Da-
Vison, chairman Of the board of gov
errors Of the League Of Red Cross
societies, said
"As chairman Of the convention Of
Red Cross societies, composed Of rep
resentatives of II nations, that met
recently in Geneva, l am custodian
of authoritative reports recording ap-
palling conditions among millions of
people living in eastern Europe.
Zone Of the most terrible tragedies
in the history of the human race is
being enacted within the broad belt Of
territory lying between the Baltic and
the Black and Adriatic seas.
"The area includes the new Baltic
states-Poland, C@echO-Slovakia, the
Ukraine, Austria, Hungary, Roumanla,
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
household, while food and clothing are
insufficient to make life tOlerable.
"Men, women and children are dying
by thousands and over vast once civ
ilized areas there are to be found
neither medicinal appliances nor med
ical skill sufficient to cope with the
devastating plaques.
"WhOleSaIe 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
typhus epidemics in the worlds his
tory. In Galicia whole towns are Grip
pred and business suspended. In
some districts there is but one doc
tor to each 100000 people.
'In the Ukraine, we were told, ty-.
plus and influenza have affected most
of the population.
"a report from Vienna, dated Feb
ruary Il, said:
""There are ratiOnS for three weeks.
Death stalks through the streets of
Vienna and takes unhindered toll
Budapest, according to our informal
tion is one vast city Of misery and
suffering. The number of deaths is
double that of births. OF the 100000
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-
cines, soap and physicians.
'In Serbia typhus has broken out
again and there are but 200 physi-
clans to minister to the needs of that
entire country.
'In Montenegro, where food is run
ming short, there are but five physi-
clans for a population of 100000.
Returning to the United States a
few weeks ago with all these horrors
ringing in my ears, | found myself
once more in a land whose granaries
were overlooking, where health and
plenty abounded and where life and
activity and eager enterprise were in
the full flood.
81 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 Co.,
100000. 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 mis-
cries and our cries had fallen on deaf
ears, would we not in our despair ex'
claim against their heartlesSness?
Only Three Ways to Help Europe.
There are only three ways by
which the stricken lands can secure
supplies 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 currency
Austria would have to pay 40 times
the original cost, Germany Is times
Greece just double, CzechO- Slovakia
IA times, and Poland so times.
at is clear, therefore, that they
cannot give us gold for the things
they must have, nor have they either
products or securities to offer in re-
turn for credit. If only they could
obtain raw material which these idle
millions of theirs could convert into
manufactured products they would
have something to tender the world
in return for its raw material, food
and medicine.
"One-half the world may not eat
while the other half staryes. How
long do you believe the plague of ty.
plus that is taking a hideous death
tor in Esthonia and Poland and the
Ukraine and eating along the fringes
"a