The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1921-02-09
EXPLAIN THE "INvISIBLx
GUEST DINNERS


Mr.. Hoover: Mr.. Chairman, Governor
McCrsy. Ladies and Gentlemen, 7 never
know how 10 express my gratitude for
. reception such es this. 7 do feel that
there Is a tendency amongst our people
TO over ersonalize our national Efforts
that so far as I am personally concern
Ell I am but one Of n large hand OF
American men and women comprising
thousands in numbers who have repre-
scented tho spirit and character Of the
American people during this last six
ears to the best Of our ability but in
that We have been giving only express
sion and service TO our own national
character.
Now 7 feel also > CREST responsibility
IN introducing snd undertaking 70 dt-
rect such an appeal as this TO the Amer
lean people at this time. we are in
deed ia the midst OF q great economic
depression; We are troubled in every city
and town with unemployment; our far
mers are finding difficulty in marketing
/ their produce at prices that viii return
/ their cost, but this indeed. is no new
venture in American charity. These
/ three and one-half millions of children,
finding refuge To-Day under the Amer
can nag IN seventeen thousand different
/ canteens. kitchens. asylums and hospit-
ais. have been in our charge almost since
Tho arnistice. They have boon all thls
time the invisible guests OF tho Ameri-
can pcope and tho question that We
are endeavorfRg to solve now is shall
We turn this three and one-half millians
or children into the streets?
The eight American orEanizati ons who
B. F- F.t m xsare .
reason that many of US are less able 70
give. are much diminished in their re-
/ sources. and they sre compelled to
make this appeal at this time. or VIC
shall have to abandon these helpless
mites It is therefore no easy task
that We have undertaken. a task only
| spablo Of accom- ltshnent - ve car
have your service, that you become
yourselves individually part Of this
organic cation deav1rins 10 preserve
the lives Of this mass Of holples5 hi
nsnity.
I sometimes zeal that It is desirsble
that We do not forget the setting Of
this work IN what VIC have been doing
during the last five or six years. Do
you realize that we are the one nation
/ Of the world who have systematically
and at enormous burden and sacrifice
to ourselves. extended our moral. our
| physical and our financial strength con
/ stantly and consistently since this ar
broke out in the prevention Of starVa-
ton? That early in 1914. within thir-
ty days after the first gun was fired in
Europe. America awoke to = realization
! that civilization itself had taken such
form Of development as 10 make tho
! ?
States had passed from agricultural
/ to industrial States, With populations
! that could no longer De- supported u pom
their own soil. ard within thirty days
after the war p O realized that the Bel
! gian people were dependent for seventy
| per cent. Of their food supply on I'M
ports from overseas: that the occupa-
ton Of Belgium by the German Army,
and its blockade Of the allies. had pre-
jected Z position in which ten millions
Of people must die, helpless TO help
| themselves. II was at that time that
We saw the first great awakening Of the
moral strength of the United States
that we, as a nation. through public
4 opinion. and through our Government
insisted that tho rules of war must be
i abrogated. There resulted from this
an organ cation founded originally on
1 public charity az the American people
i ortenplat.ng an expenditure of 8 mil
i llon or t9to rtlion dollars Ter month
+ then thous-t. 20 BE- "a gigantic cnterpri Sc
in charity. sat within twelve months
that commission was budgeting twonty
! five millions OF dollars month through
q period of four and one-haif years, had
been compelled 20 find from the hand Of
ten governments a total Of a billion OF
dollars In order that these ten millions
Of lives might be preserved. It had
developed far FROM an institution Of
charity in that 1t had become an organ
ization III control Of the entire econor-
ic life of q people directing their pro
duction and taking possession Of thei1
| products, that they might be distributed
10 their people as if they were rationed
in a jail. controlling their transporta-
ton ard their communications direct
ing practically their whole daily life anc
their very economic endoavor- And
during the process of those great meas
ures one fact soon stood out. and that
was that under the close and hard regi-
nae on famine ratienins Of population