Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-18
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

Assuredly one persistent question has
again been answered within the last 48
! hours, why is the Red Cross, since the
World War is ended?" A million ref
ugeeS Of the Porto Rico-Florida HURT
cane, homeless and starving, are dis
covering that in the United States there
exists an organization with more than
4,500,000 members for the sole purpose
of meeting disasters with organized re-
lief. and that already a cargo of 375
tons of food is shipped to their relief, at
a cost of 100000, and the local organi-
cation of Porto Rico has been given
cabled authority to expend $4,000 more
locally for special food supplies. The
National Red Cross is like fire depart
ment. instantly responding to an alarm.
1t has no warning.
X X Y
That total of 100000 will not las.
very long; it is like lunch between
meals for the million homeless refugees.
An Army ration in the United States to-
day costs a trif1e over 50 cents (50l2
centS); that means one days supply of
food. So million men, women and
children will require half million dol
lars worth of food daily, provided it b.,
purchased with as exact systematic
economy as are our Army supplies, with
no greater loss in distribution.
In that half a million dollars nothing
is counted for medical supplies and
clothing for the refugees. Nor is there
fair comparison with the Army ration,
since the present distribution is under
stress. If there were no organization
already existing in the United States
how would it be possible to get food to
a million, suddenly deprived of all sus-
tenance? Thousands would starve While
amateurs were arguing what is bal
anced ration and where can the food pe
bought and what food is needed and
how can 1t be carried to the island ana
how distributed?
President Coolidge calls for public
contributions. When news came of the
Japan earthquake the President of the
United States called for $4,000, 900 to be
contributed by the public through the
National Red Cross and within 8
days the public had given the full
amount and within 80 days had donat-
ed more than 100000, of which
every penny went by cable to the Japa-
nese Red Cross, without / cent of over
head charges by the American organi-
cation. No American agent accompa-
MED the remittance or had anything to
do with the distribution.
In the case of Porto Rico and its hur-
ricane. the situation is different, for
Porto Rico Is Territory of the United
States and the National Red Cross So
ciety Is part of the Government of the
United States. The President of the
United States is president of the So
ciety. If little Greece had not stag
gered when two or three millions of
refugees from Turkey poured in upon
the mother country, with no food and
little clothing, surely the great United
States will take care of its 100000
Storm-tosSed refugees of the island as
we'll as the fewer of Floridas storm
But it is not to be assumed that that
care is to be measured in 100000 units
when it will require five times that
much daily for rations only.
:: . *
The world is growing more and more
humane as the years go by. Sympathy
with the suffering of humanity is be-
coming standard in civilization, 1t is
less than a century since Florence
Nightingale spoke the first words of
mercy upon battlefield. even for the
stranger. even for the enemy. 1t is
only "a years since the first convention
was held in Geneva, Switzerland Tin
1864, to organize the Red Cross So
ciety and make mercy immune to at
tack upon the battlefield.
Up to that time it was the accepted
practice in war for the victorious army
to mop up the battlefield by killing
all the enemy wounded rather than per-
NIT them to prolong their sufferings.
AT that first Geneva meeting the