Evening journal., 1921-08-02
BY COL. ROBERT L. OLDs
or st. Paul. Mimi,
American Red Cross Commander OF
Europe,

American Red Cross Commander OF
Europe,
Cwritten for the United Press.)
PARIS, CBy Mail)-For some
time the Russian refugee situation
in Eastern Europe has been going
from bad to worse. It is far and
away the most battling and stubborn
problem of the kind which the war
has left behind. Every hope of
solution has failed and every plan
has gone wrong.
The Russian refuge crisis grows
more terrible as the days and weeks
pass. The Russian refugee is unique
in this. that he is literally a man
without a country. There is no
state to which he owes allegience, no
government to which he can look
for favor or protection. His legal
status is not merely undehned-it is
a nullity. The degree of helpless
ness to which he has been reduced
is. for all practical purposes. zero.
Nothing quite like it has ever been
known before.
During more than two years eX-
perience with these people, 1 have
been deeply impressed by their
sincere and heroic efforts to help
themselves and by the absolutely in
tolerable conditions which have de-
feated them at every turn.
We have thought that the solution
OF the problem might be brought
about through the process of grad
ual absorption To a very slight ex-
tent only has this happened. The
/ reason is that European nations, un-
| der existing circumstances have
Q taken up extraneous elements every
where to the point of saturation.
The case is quite evidently one for
/ bold and exceptional treatment on a
large scale. All measures which
have been taken have been confess
edly temporary; their justification
has been the belief that in some un-
eXplainable way the situation would
| solve itself 1t has been like having
faith in miracles. American relief
has played a large part. Our pres
ence as an active factor in the situa-
tion during the past winter held
these things together and prevented
a disaster of capital proportions.
should say that American aid saved
at the very lowest estimate. 100000
lives. 1t is hard to convey an ade-
quate conception OF the state OF
chaos which has prevailed in Europe
in regard to this Russian refugee
problem. Because of the peculiar
lack Of status Of the Russian refugee
nobody accepts a primary respon-
! sibility for him. Appeals fly about
from one relief organization to an
other and each does its bit. but moth
ing important happens except thai
the unfortunate refugees keep righi
on dying. This sort of thing has
been going on for more than two
years and it will go on for another
two years or until the refugees are
all dead, unless the world comes to q
realization of the magnitude of th'
task and takes it up in earnest.
1t is now four years since thes'
successive waves Of refugees begaT
=, TO roll out from European Russia
They came first after the revolution
Of May. 1917. then after the seconS
revolution in November Of that year
and they have kept coming at irreg
ular intervals ever since.
Nobody knows with certainty how
, many men, women and children havl
, left Russia in fear and panic and ar,
now living in want and destitution
without friends or country. Th'
figures compiled by the state De
g partment in January. 1921. gave al
/ / aggregate OF more than two million
e Since then there has been the Kron
stadt migration into Finland, an