The New York herald., 1921-01-09

Coppri1ht, 1921, by THE New YORK HERALD
New York Herald Bureau,
Paris, Jan. b.
OF all the misery with which Europe
is laden at the present time, no picture
is more tragic or distressing than that
of 800, 900 Russian refugees from the
Crimea whose condition is fast becom-
ing a menace to Europe and whose
future seems to be a world problem.
The most pathetic feature of this
presentation of human misery is the
fact that these people, many of them
scions of the nobility, the cultured as
we'll as the downtrodden, are to-day
among the worlds unwanted Confined
in concentration camps in Gallipoh,
Tchataldja and some of the Islands OF
the Mediterranean and Adriatic like so
many prisoners, no nation Will open
her doors to these unfortunates.
Greece is so afraid that some of them
might cross her borders that she has
hemmed in the Gallipoli camps with
bayonets. France has been importuned
to receive them so as to add to her re-
duced population, but for economic and
health reasons she has refused, although
she Is doing more than any other natlon
at present TO keep them alive
IJp to date France alone has been
feeding 10000 at n cost of 6 francs
day for each person. or total of 1000
900 francs a day. But the limit OF
French aid seems to have been reached
This is what makes the picture in this
respect so appalling in its tragedy, Tor
deprived of food and with no nation
willing to open her doors to them death
seems the only goal for these remnants
of the Russia that was-these people
that had pinned their hope on Wrangel
and lost all to the Bolshevists.
One proposed solution is that man.
datores for the one time German colo
MES shall agree to allow the refugees to
become settlers in the new possessions.
This scheme has just been formulated by
a little group of men who still go
through the form of meeting every day
in Constantinople as ministers or the
Wrange government.
In describing this plan the president
of these ministers says: Russia
played its part in the victory of the
Allies and 1t seems that she should
share in the distribution OF the German
colonies. Therefore we ask that the
nations avert this terrible disaster which
the death OF all tneSe peOple VIII mean
by transporting them to one OF the for
mer German colonies where, by the for
nation of one or more Russian colonies,
these refugees now dying by the thou
sands would be able to provide for
themselves If transported, for exam
pie, to an African colony the Govern
ment of South Russia would prosper
RAPIDLY and would not need much finan-
cial assistance. The whole world should
be interested in the solution of this
problem, for to leave 100000 people
wanderers on the face of the earth is an
indictment against the present clviliza-
ton"
The refugees are divided into two
classes, one composed of the members OF
Wrangers army numbering 10000 who
are in Gallipoli, Tchataldja and other
big camps while the remaining 100000
are civilians scattered in many small
camps Many thousands are still wan
dering about in Constantinople but are
RAPIDLY being corralled and put on Prin-
kipo Island where President Wilson once
suggested that a Russian conference be
held.
Typhus is raging in these camps and
the scenes of misery are said to beggar
description. Nevertheless. under these
terrible conditions the wonderful Rus
sian fecundity still asserts itself. In
the camp at Cataro where 10000 civil
fans are herded births have been ex-
ceeding deaths by so per cent.