The Bowbells tribune., 1920-11-12
HOW EUROPE CAN
ESCAPE COtLAPS
1--WE Must Aid by Extending
Credit" Says Dawson.
GRAVE MENACE TO U. S. A.
European Ruin Would Involve
America--S Starvation and
Disease Rampant.

the general conference Of the Metho-
dist Episcopal church, Henry p. Davi-
son, chairman of the board of gov
societies, said: -.
AS chairman of the convention of
Red Cross societies, composed OF
representatives Of - nations, that met
recently in Geneva, I am custodian of
authoritative reports recording appall-
ing conditions among millions Of peo-
pie 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
states-Poland, Czecho-Slovakia, Uk-
raine, Austria, Hungary, Roumania
Montenegro, Albania and Serbia.
The reports which come to us make
it clear that in these war-rlvagel
lands civilization has broken down.
Disease, bereavement and suffering
are present in practically every house
sufficient to make life tolerable.
Men, women and children are dying
by thousands and over vast once-civil
lied areas there are to be found
neither medical appliances nor medi-
cal skill sufficient to cope with the
devastating plaques:
Wholesale starvation is threa tened
in Poland this summer unless she can
procure food supplies in large quanti-
ties There are now approximately
25O.O0O 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
crippled and business suspended. In
some districts there is but one doctor
to each 15O,0O0 people.
In the Ukraine, we We're told,
typhus and Influenza have affected
most of the people.
A report from Vienna dated Febru-
ary - said: '"There are rations for
three weeks. Death stalks through
the streets Of Vienna and takes un-
hindered toll"
Budapest, according to our informa-
ton, is one vast city of misery and
suffering. The number Of deaths is
double that of births. OF 100000
children in the schools, 100000 are
dependent 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 two hundred
physicians 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, I found myself
once more in q land whose granaries
were overf1owing. where wealth and
plenty uhounded. and where life and
activity and eager enterprise were in
the full flocd.
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 65,-
100000 of our own people condemned
to idlencss 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
voketl 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
despair exclaim against their heart
lessneSS ~
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 peoples tried to buy ma
terials and supplies in America at the
present market value of their curren-
cies Austria would have to pay forty
times the original cost, Germany thir-
teen times, Greece just double,
Czecho-S -Slovakia fourteen times, and
Poland fifty times. These figures are
official and are true index of the
economic plight Of these countries.
It 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 millions
of theirs could convert into manufac-
tured products they would have some
thing to tender the world in return
for its raw material, food and medi-
cine. But IL they have neither money
nor credit how nre they to take this
first great step towards redemption? ?
. One half the world may not eat
while the other half sstarves. How
long do you believe the plague Of
tSphus that Is king a hideous death.
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