Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1920-05-20
HOW EUROPE Can
ESCAPE COLLAPSE
We Must Aid BY Extending
Credits, Says Dawson.
GRAVE MENACE TO U. S. A
European Ruin Would Involve
MISUNDERSTANDING and
Disease Rampant.

ulsease Rampant.
Des Moines, Ia.-Speaking before
F.: the General Conference of the Method
LIST Episcopal church, Henry p. 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, am Gus
todian 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 of the human race is
being enacted within the broad belt of
territory lying between the Baltic and
Black and Adriatic seas.
This area includes the new Baltic
statesvPoland, Czecho-Slovakia, the
Ukraine, Austria Hungary, Roumania,
Montenegro, Albania and Serbia.
| The reports. which come to us make
1t clear that in these war ravaged
lands civilization has broken down.
Disease, bereavement and suffering
are present in practically every house
hold, while food and clothing are in
i sufficient to make life tolerabe.
! Men, women and children are dying
by thousands and over vast, once civ
ilized areas, there are to be found
neither medical appliance nor medical
skill sufficient to cope with the de-
vastating plaques.
/ Wholesale starvation is threatened
In Poland this summer unless she can
procure food supplies in large guam
titles. There are now approximately
25O,OOO cases of typhus in Poland and
In the area occupied by troops.
Worst Typhus Epidemic in History.
This Is already one Of the worst ty-
phus epideInics in 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.
report from Vienna dated Febru-
ary II said: There are rations for
three weeks. Death stalks through the
streets of Vienna and takes unhindered
toll
Budapest, according to our informa-
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 physicians
to minister to the needs Of that entire
country.
In Montenegro, where food is run
ming short, there are but five phys
clans for population of 100000.
Returning to the United States 8
few weeks ago with all these horrors
ringing in my ears, found myself
: once more in land whose granaries
: were overfiowing, where health ant
plenty abOunded and where life and ac
tivity and eager enterprise were il
the full flood
: I asked myself what if this plague
: and famine were here in tie great ter
ritOry between the Atlantic seaboart
and the Mississippi valley, whicl
roughly parallels the extent of thes,
e ravaged countries and that 65,00O,00'
r of our own people condemned to idle
4 ness by lack of raw material, ant
whose fields had been devastated b.
! invasion and rapine, were racked b.
: starvation and pestilencc, and if W.
: had lifted up our voices and invoked
!. the attention Of our brothers in hap
:, pier Europe to our own deep miseries
e and our cries had fallen on deaf ears
s would we not in our despair exclail
against their heartlessne.
Only Three Ways to Help Europe.
+ There are only three ways by whic
: these stricken lands can secure SUI
!, plies from the outside world. One
/. by payment, one by credit, and tn
: third is by exchange of commoditie
q II these peoples tried to buy material
n and supplies in America at the pres
i. ent market value Of their currenc,
Y Austria would have to pay forty time
= the original cost, Germany thirt
+ times, Greece just double, Czecho-Sl'
+ vakia fourteen times and Poland fift
o times. The figures are official and al
v true index Of the economic plight (
4 these countries.
/. It is clear, therefore, that they cal
J. not give us gold for the things the
i. must have, nor have they either pro-
'. ucts or securities to offer in return fl
d credit. If only they could obtain ra
r material, which these idle millions {
q theirs could convert into finished pro-
O ucts, they would have something
= tender the world in return for its ra
material, food and medicine But
they have neither money nor credi
> how are they to take this first gre'
step towards redemption?
i, One-half the world may not e'
! while the other 5alf starves. How lo1
q do you believe the plague of typh'
: that is taking a hideous death toll
J Nsthonia and Poland and the Ukrail