The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-05-22
HOW EUROPE GAN
ESCAPE COLLAPSE
1--WE Must Aid By Extending
Credits" Says Dawson.
GRAVE MENACE TO U. S. A.
European Ruin Would Involve
America---Starvation and
Disease Rampant.


odist Episcopal church, Henry P. Dav-
ison, chairman of the Board of Gov
ernors of the League of Red Cross
Societies, said:
AS chairman of the Convention OF
Red Cross Societies, composed Of rep
resentatives of twenty-seven nations
that net recently in Geneva, am GUS
todian of authoritative reports record
ing appalling conditions among mil
lions OF people living in Eastern
Europe.
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 the Black and Adriatic Seas.
This area includes the New Baltic
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. Dise-e,
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
civilized areas there are to be found
neither medicinal appliances nor med
ical skill sufficient to cope with the
devastating plaques.
Wholesale starvation is threatened
in Poland this summer unless she can
procure food supplies in large quanti-
ties. There are now approximately
250,000 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
pied and business suspended. In some
districts there is but one doctor to
each 100000. people.
In the Ukraine, we are told, typhus
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 un-
hindered 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
dependent on public charity. There
are $50 1000 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 the
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 q
few weeks ago with all these horrors
ringing in my ears, ! found myself
once more in a land where granaries
were overflowing, where health and
plenty abounded, and where life and
activity and eager enterprise were In
the full flood.
asked myself: What If this plague
and famine were here in the great
territory between the Atlantic sea-
board and the Mississippi valley,
which roughly parallels the extent OF
these ravaged countries, and that Co.
900 900 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 II
we had lifted up our voices ana IN
yoked the attention of our brothers
in happier Europe to our own deep
miseries and our cries had fallen on
deaf ears, would we not, in our de-
spair. exclaim against their heartless'
ness?"
on,v 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 tv credit, and the
third is by exchange of commodities.
II these peoples tried to buy materials
and supplies in America at the pres
ent market value Of their currencies'
Austria would have to pay 40 times the
original cost, Germany thirteen times
Greece just double, Czecho-SiovaKla
fourteen times and Poland fifty times.
These figures are official and are
a true index of the economic plight OF
these countries.
1t is 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
for credit. If only they could OBTAIN
raw material which these idle mil
lions Of theirs could convert into man
ufactured products, they would have
something to tender the world IN
eturn for its raw material, food and
medicine. But il they have neither
money nor credit, how are they to
take this first great step towards re-
demption.
One-hslf the word may not eat