The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1922-05-05

The international Cooperative Al
lance, representing the combined CO.
operative sentiment of thirty million
co-operators in twenty-siX different
countries, sends out the following APP
peal to the workers and co-OperatOrs
Of the world to combine in unanim-
Gus effort to stem the tide of the
Russian famine. and save from star
walton. agony and death the 10000
famine victims who are now perish
ing. The appeal states:
eve call upon the Central Cooper
ative Organizations of every country,
ard indeed, upon every member Of
the Alliance, in the name of human
ity, in the name of all the ideals
for which Cooperation, national and
international, stands, to act quickly
and come to the relief of their starv-
ing fellow-creatures in Russia and
Georgia. Everyone can help"
Quoting the words of the great
Norsk humanitarian, DR.. Frithiof
Nan3en, who has recently returned
from a personal survey of the famine
area, the Cooperative appeal con
tinues
'"The Russian people are not re
sponsible for the misfortune that has
overwhelmed them. Never before has
the Volga region experienced such &
calamity. Were the mistakes laid al
the door of the Soviet Government Z
reason for condemning an entire
population to die of starvation
When it is a question of saving q
shipwreck, we do not stop to ask
if the wreck was due to the fault OF
the captain. With regard to the eX-
tent of the disaster, the horrors OF
the situation is beyond imagination
D.. Nansen states that the work OF
relief organized by himself, by the
Americans, Quakers, and by the In
ternational Union for Saving the
Children, is no more than drop Ii
the ocean, it is too little, too made
quate."
Indorsing the plea of the Interna.
tionai Cooperative Alliance, the Al
American Cooperative Commission
now calls upon the co-operators OF
the United States. including the or
ganiZed farmers and workers, to give
and give Immediately to save from
famine and death the 100000 PEG.
pie who are outside the relief areas
already established. The trade union
lists of Europe are going without
necessities to give food to then
Russian brothers. Mexico is send
ing five shiploads of grain. Canada
is contributing much more. Ever
the Mohammedan workers of Persia
and Turkey have answered Russia'S
appeal. The organized workers anC
farmers of every land but rich Am
erica have sent bread to Russia. Here
lust few individual trade unions
and farmers co-operatives have Sc
far responded. Yet American ship.
lie idle. Our harvests have beer
bountiful. Our corn is even being
burned for fuel. A small sacrifice OF
our part will lift the doom of dealt
from those who must otherwise per
ish. Only millions of American
workers and farmers giving, cal
save millions of Russian workers an(
peasants from dying.
The All American COOPERATIVE
Commission makes it plain that TIL
cooperative relief extended to Rus
STA is to be administered on an abso
| lutely non partisan and non-politica
! basis. The present famine has moth
| ing to do with politics of the Sovie
government. The great fertile plain
| Of the Velga river. which in norma
years feeds most of Russia. received
| less than two inches of rain las
year instead of the forty inches ne
cessary to produce abundant crops
or a blade of grass. The animals il