Evening star., 1928-11-13
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

Don't mention my name, but do you
know that the American Red Cross So
ciety requires 65 per cent of its gross
income to cover overhead expenses, and
only 35 per cent goes to the relief Of
veterans? Now, don't you indorSe the
Red Cross, nor any organization except
the Salvation Army, for the relief of
veterans" He spoke confidentially.
1t was supposed that the invention Of
whispering campaign" had been in
cluced and outlawed in the Kellogg
multilateral treaty or the Hoover-Smith
argument; that it could persist in the
period of good will between Arn1istice
and Thanksgiving day seems too pre-
posterous.
How did that whisperer remember
that all the Army and Navy fell in love
with the Salvation Army during the
war, and how could he forget how the
Red Cross performed prodigies of relief
in ways that no other organization could
undertake?
The absurdity of the whispering cam
paign as to alleged inflated overhead is
disclosed by the fact that the organiza-
ton is part of the Government of the
United States, that the President of the
United States is the actual president
(not a figurehead) of the Red Cross So
ciety, and Chief Justice Taft is vice
president, and that two auditors Of the
War Department are assigned to sit N
the Red Cross Building and make
daily-or hourly-check on every cent
that is paid out. The society under its
charter must give to Congress an an
nual deta1ed report of all receipts and
expenditures.
It may be true that the general di-
rector's or chairman's salary might be
clipped, except for the fact that Judge
John Barton Payne, the chairman, when
he left the Office of Secretary of the In
terror under President Wilson. and ac-
cepted the responsibility of this great
organization, which would take all his
time and require much travelling and
the solving of manv problems with the
organization of relief in tragedies of
worldwide Importance. accepted upon
the express condition that he be
permitted to serve without salary and
pay all his personal expenses. And
that set the Stvle for several other
chief officials, although of course the
SubordinateS and the clerks are paid
ordinary wageS-and earn it.
All readers who are in favor Of re-
ducing such expenses" will say AYE"
and get out and hustle from now un-
til Thanksgiving day in doubling the
membership. The "aves'' are too timid
the mays" have it!
x X X X
This is just like the whispering" as
to the great graft" some one was sup
posed to have had in feeding all
Europe after the World War. until it
was proved that that world-host was
working, organizing and distributing
without salary or commission. or any
rake-otf whatsoever, and was paying his
own expenses while doing it.
NAL soft qui NAL pense" This is
a mighty good world after all, for there
are so many really big, unSelfiSh
humans in it! That does not include
all the 'whispererS" who would sweep
the multiplication table to get grain
Of justification for some Sordid thought.
Yet some of the "whiSpererS" are only
themselves are noble and
upright.
What a mighty good world this is!
Just few days ago the old French
Tiger" Clemenceau, the war premier,
stopped growing to say how futile is
glory, but how beautiful is life in such
a world. The meanest Vestige of our
monkey descent is seen only in chat
tering at others who are giving their
lives for suffering humanity. The mil
lennium will come when everybody does
what they are doing.
x X x
There is a chance to start some |
thing toward that happy time by join !
ing or renewing membership in the |
Red Cross. between now and Thanks |
giving day-the period of the one |
drive" a year for members.
1t costs 81 year to have a part as |
member in the work of the Red Cross, |
but some members insist on giving value |
or $1,000. When that |
is the case, the national headquarters |
receives only the regular Share-50 cents |
per member-and the rest--$999 so per- |
with the local chapter: |
the organization is decentralized to II"
extent
X X X X
In 1918, on the eve of the armistice, |
Gen. Petain, commander -in-chief of the |
armies of France, said:
when the war is over I'm going to |
the United States. New ties unite |
our countries, and I would like to see
but the purpose of my visit |
will be to thank the American people |
for what 1t did for France through the /
Red Cross. In the hour of our deepest |
anxiety your Red Cross ministered TO |
our civilian population, our women and