The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1920-06-03
HOW EUROPE CAN
ESCAPE COLLAPSE
We Must Aid by Extending
Credits, Says Dawson.
GRAVE MENACE TO U. S. 4
European Ruin Would Involve
America-Starvation and
Disease Rampant.


Des Moines. In.-SpcaAng before the
General Conference of the Methodist
Episcopal Church. Henry T.. Dawson.
chairman of the Beard ~ Governors
Of the League % Red Cross Societies,
said:
As chairman OF the Convention %
Red Cross Societies. composed 81 rep
resentntivcs Of twenty-seyen nations
that met recently IN Geneva. I am Gus
todlan Of authoritative reports record
ing appalling conditions among mil
lions OF people living In eastern Eu-
rope.
One Of the most terrible tragedies In
the history 81 the human race Is being
enacted within the broad belt OF terri.
tory lying between the Baltic and the
Black and Adriatic Seas
This area includes the new Baltic
States-Poland Czecho- Slovakia, the
Ukraine. Austria. Hungary. Roumanis.
Montenegro. Albania and Serbia.
The reports which come 10 us make
II clear that In these war-rayaged
lands civilization has broken down.
Disease. bereavement and suffering
are present In practically every house
hold. while food and clothing are in.
SUFFICIENT 20 make life tolerable.
Men, women and children are dying
by thousands. and over vast once-civi-
lized areas there are 60 be found mel
Their medicinal appliances nor medical
skin sufficient 10 cope with the devas.
tating plaques.
Wholesale starvation Is threatened
In Poland this summer unless she can
procure food supplies In large quaint
ties. There are now approximately
10000 cases Of typhus In Poland and
IT, the area occupied by Polish troops.
Worst Typhus Epidemic In History.
This Is already one OF the worst ~.
Plus epldemics Ia the worlds history.
In Galicia whole towns are crippled
and business suspended. In some dis
tricts there Is but one doctor TO each
10000 people.
In the Ukraine. we were told. typhus
and influenza have affected most Of the
population.
A report from Vienna. dated Febru-
airy L.. said: There are rations for
three weeks. Death stalks through the
streets Of Vienna and takes unhlnder-
ed toll
Budapest. according 20 our informa.
ton, Is one vast city Of misery and
suffering. The number Of deaths 10
double that Of births. OF the 10000
children In the schools. 10000 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 zoo physicians
20 minister TO the needs of that entire
country.
In Montenegro. where food Is run
ming short, there are but FIVE physl-
clans for a population OF 10000.
America Overlooking With Riches.
Returning 20 the United States a
few weeks ago with all these horrors
ringing In my ears. found myself
once more In a land whose granarier
were overhowing. where health and
plenty abounded and where life and
activity and eager enterprise were In
the full food.
asked myself: "what II this plague
and famine were here In the great ter.
ritsry between the Atlantic seaboard
and the Mississippi valley. which
roughly parallels the extent Of these
rayaged countries and that 65.Oo0.OOo
OF our own people condemned 10 idle
ness by lack Of raw material and
whose fields had been devastated by
invasion and rapinq were racked BY
starvation and pestilence and II we
had lifted up our voices and invoked
the attention OF our brothers In hap
pier Europe 20 our own deep mlseries
and our cries had fallen on deaf ears.
would we not In our despair exclaim
against their heartlessness I" 1
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 II
by payment. one by credit. and the
- ~ VI
IL these peoples tried 20 buy materials
and supplies In America az the present
market value Of their currencles Aus
tria would have to pay forty times the
original cost. Germany thirteen times
Greece just double. Czecho-Sloyakia
fourteen times and Poland nifty times.
These figures are Official and are
true index Of the economic plight OF
these countries.
II In clear therefore, that they can
not give Us gold for the things they
must have. nor have they either prod
ucts or securities TO offer In return foI
credit. II only they could obtain raw
material which these idle millions Of
theirs could convert into manufactured
products they would have something 20
tender the world In return for It's raw
material. food aud medicine. but n
they have neither money nor credit
how are they 90 take this first great
step towards redemption
One-half the world may not eat
while the other half starves. How
long DO you believe the plague Of ~.
phus that IL taking a hideous death