Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-14
Help in an Emergency.

The difficulty facing the American
Rsd Cross in. raising. the sum of ten
million dollars for relief of the drought
sufferers, if any difficulty there is to be,
Is to picture the extent and the enor-
nifty of this disaster in a manner that
will bring it home to those citizens who
by reason of fortunate circumstance
have not felt its blighting effects. The
spontaneous response to such appeals in
the past has in large measure been due
TO the nature OF the disasters calling
for relief. Earthquakes in Japan floods
in the valley OF the Mississippi, the
havoc wrought by fire or cyclone, pre-
sent the horror of misfortune and sud-
den tragedy in SO tangible a form that
the urge to give springs from an other
wise uneXpressed sympathy and the
human desire to help.
The aftermath of the drought has
brought suffering and want and actual
hunger that is hard to realize, for it
lacks the spectacular elements of more
sudden and unexpected forms of
catastrophe. But as the President said
In his proclamation yesterday, 1.-THE
familiarity of this situation, due to
months of press reports of its progress.
should not blind us to the fact that it
Is an acute emergency, nor dull our
active sympathies toward our fellow
countrymen who are in actual want and
in many cases will lack the bare neces-
sites of life unless they are provided
for" The fact that the headlines have
been carrying the news of the calamity
of the drought since last Summer does
not make the emergency less pressing.
The first practical opportunity for the
average American to help his stricken
countrymen in the drought and
principal unemployment areas of the
Nation has now been provided.
"The American Red Cross is the
Nations sole agency for relief in such
a crisis. 1t is meeting the demand and
must continue to do so during the re-
mainder of the Winter"
During the height of the widespread
suffering resulting from the Mississippi
flood the Red Cross was feeding 325. 900
persons. Now, with the suffering from
the drought still to reach its peak, the
Red Cross is feeding 4o5, 900. It's fund.
held in reserve for disasters, is being
used and has been used for MANY
months. The new appeal is launched
after careful study of what must be
done during the remainder of the Win
ter. In radio address last night. Chair
man John Barton Payne described
some of the conditions in isolated COM
munities where families are, in
many instances, almost without cloth
ing. little children being clad in rags
roughly sewed together. None Of these
families has food Eight and ten in
families were sleeping on floors with a
few sacks for cover" Such cases are
multiplied by thousands.
Here in Washington, with a Red
Cross quota of $500 600. there is soon
TO be launched the annual appeal for
support Of the Community Chest. The
one call represents Washington's debt
to the Nation as it moves to the al
deviation of Nationwide suffering and
want. 1t is essential that the public
bear in mind the fact that not one
dollar Of the Red Cross fund will be
spent to relieve local unemployment or
distress. The Chest represents our debt
to our own community's year-round
work in behalf of the needy, intensified
this Winter by local unemployment con-
ditions. Response to one call does not
negative response to the other. The
two appeals do not conflict. Each is
imperative, and each will be met.