The New York herald., 1922-09-24
Suffering Of Half a Million
Refugees Recalls Belgium,
Vickrey Says.
ALLIES NEGLECT PLEDGES
Honorable Treatment Of Mi
nority Races Suggested as as
Solution Of Problem.

"One of the colossal disasters of the
worlds history" is the description
given by Charles V. vickrey, general
secretary of the Near East Relief Of
the capture, burning and looting of
Smyrna, and the attendant massacre.
Mr.. Vickrey returned aboard the
Cunarder Mauretania yesterday from
Palestine, Anatolia and the Caucasus,
where he has been making a survey
of conditions.
THE whole Near East is in a horri-
BILE mess" Mr.. Vickrey said, land the
selfish fumblings Of politicians more
concerned about their little cargo boats
in the Dardanelles than they are about
the lives of hundreds of thousands of
defenseless women and children in the
interior are not helping the situation.
The whole business is worse than it
has been at any time since 1915
Smyrna and its hinterland are just be-
ginning to suffer what other sections
have endured more or less continu-
ously since the close of the world war.
Thirty days ago was in Mersin, the
port of Cilicia, with Gen. Harbord and
I was told that the nearby city Of
Adana, which was almost wholly Ar
menian. with more than $4,000 inhabit-
ants, has now less than 400 Armenian
residents, these being chiefly the aged
and infirm who were unable to fee when
the French evacuated. / saw thousands
of these former residents strewn along
the Mediterranean seaboard as refugees
living In improvised camps all the way
from Beirut TO Alexandria.
"The Smyrna disaster is colossal
That is the only word for it. Nearly
half million fugees are to-day suf-
fering hunger. Exposure and exile equal
in terribleness to anything endured by
Belgium or France. Reports received
from II. C. Jaquith. managing director
of the Near East Relief in CONSTANT
nople, and from DR.. Wilfred Post direct
tor of operations in Smyrna. indicate a
need for vast quantities of food and
other relief supplies far beyond the pres.
ent resources Of Near East Relief. A,
the first news Of the disaster, which
came while I was in Constantinople. our
Constantinople warehouses were emptied
OF surplus supplies which were put
aboard American ships provided by Ad-
miraI Bristol and rushed to Smyrna
within thirty-six hours. The sum OF
$4,000 has just been added by special
cash appropriation. but large additional
contributions must be secured from sne
philanthropc public.
THE future of the minoritles In the
Near East must be finally determined
within the next few weeks. The treaty
that closes the present Greco-Turklsh
war must not be purely a Greco-Turk-
ish treaty. The issues are world issues,
involving fundamental questions Of
righteousness and justice, as well as the
future peace of the world. The free
| dom of the straits Is but one OF the
questions. No less important are the
rights of the minority races. The total
! OF these make a majority of the citizens
| or the former Ottoman Empire The
majority must not be ruled in the future
| by a minority which chances to have
military power. Protection, IL not a
| national home. must be provided for
+, these minorities. or the great allied ma
tions will be branded as the embodi
ments of ingratitude. selfishness and
/ nroyincialigffl