The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-06-04
HOW EUROPE CAN
ESCAPE COLLAPSE
We Must Aid by Extending
Credits, Says Dawson.
GRAVE MENACE TO THE U. S. A.
European Ruin Would Involve
America-Starvation and
Disease Rampant.

Des Moines, Iowa.-Speaking before
the General Conference of the Meth
odist Episcopal Church, Henry p. Da-
yison, Chairman of the Board OF Gov
errors of the League Of Red Cross So
cieties, said: "As Chairman OF the
| Convention of Red Cross Societies,
composed Of representatives Of twenty
seven nations that met recently in
| Geneva, / am custodian Of authorita-
tive reports recording appalling condi-
tions among millions Of people living
in Eastern Europe.
| Zone Of the most terrible tragedies
In the history Of the human race is be-
ing enacted within the broad belt Of
territory lying between the Baltic and
the Black and Adriatic Seas.
This area includes the new Baltic
States-Poland, Czecho-Slovakia, the
Ukraine. Austria, Hungary, Roumania,
Montenegro, Albania and Serbia.
1.-The reports which come to us make
II 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
sufficient to make life tolerable.
Men. women and children are dying
by thousands, and over vast once civ
iized areas there are to be found
neither medicinal appliances nor med
ical skill sufficient to cope with the
devastating plaques.
"Wholcsale 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.
"1hiS is already one of the worst
typhus epidemics in the worlds his
tory in GaIicia whole towns are Grip
Piled and business suspended. In some
districts there is but one doctor to
each 10000 people.
in the Ukraine, we are told, typhus
and influenza have affected most Of
tn populations.
"A report from Vienna, dated Feb
ruary l., said: There are rations for
three weeks; death stalks through the
streets of Vienna and takes unhin-
dered toll Budapest, according to
our information, 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 char
ity There are 100000 workers idle.
"Typhus and smallpox have invaded
the four countries composing Czecho-
Slovakia. and there is lack of medi-
cneS, soap and physicians.
I'm 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 population Of 100000.
Returning to the United States a
few weeks ago with all these horrors
ringing in my ears, l found myself
once more in land whose granaries
were overfowing, where health and
plenty abounded and where life and
activity and eager enterprise were In
the full flood.
II asked myself: What II 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 So
million of our own people condemned
to idleness by lack Of raw material
and whose fields had been devastated
BY invasion and rapine were raeked
by starvation and pestilenge. and if we
had lifted up our voices and invoked
the attention of our brothers in hap
, pier Europe to our own deep miseries
would we not in our despair exclaim
5 against their hear.lesgness?
Only Three Ways to Help Europe.
+ "There are only three ways by
which these 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 people tried to buy materials
. and supplies in America at the present
> market value of their currencies, Aus
\ tria would have to pay forty times the
original cost, Germany thirteen times,
q Greece Just double, CZechO-Sloyakia
n fourteen times and Poland fifty times.
n These figures are official and are a
: true index of the economic plight of
s these countries.
t ut is clear, therefore that they can
not give us gold for the things they
n must have, nor have they either prod
0 ucts or securities for credit. If only
they could obtain raw material to offer
{ in return which these idle millions of
: theirs could convert into manufactured
= products they would have something
n to tender the world in return for Its
n raw material, food and medicine. But
v If they have neither money nor credit
/ how are they to take their first great
step toward redemption
"One-half of the world may not eat
d while tie other half starves. How
d long do you believe the plague of ty
g plus that is taking hideous deatf
toll In Esthonia and Poland and the
d Ukraine and eating along the fringe.
l. of Germany and CZeCho- SlOyakia vii