Evening star., 1932-09-15

The text of President Hoover's ad.
dress at the opening meeting OF tht
Welfare and Relief Mobilization Con.
ference at the White House this morn.
ng follows:
For the third time representatives
of the great voluntary relief agen-
cies Of this country are here assem-
bled to consider with earnestneSs
and sympathy what measures may
be undertaken for the relief of those
In distress among our people.
To that great work two years ago
Col. Arthur Woods gave devoted ef-
fort When Col. Woods was reluc-
tantly obliged to return to other
commitments Mr.. Walter Clifford as
Sumed command for the Winter OF
1882. Unable because of other great
responsibilities to continue the work
this year, Mr.. Clifford leaves the
Craftsmanship to another man Of
leadership and proved ability. Mr..
Newton Baker.
You are here again to discuss ways
and means, to estimate resources
and needs. Our tasks are definite.
The first is to see that no man,
woman or child shall go hungry or
unsheltered through the approach
ing Winter.
The second Is to see that our
great benevolent agencies for char
acter building. for disqualification,
for care of children and all their
vast number of agencies of voluntary
solicitude for the less fortunate are
maintained in full strength.
The third is to maintain the bed
rock principle Of our liberties by the
full mobilization of individual and
local resources and responsibilities.
The fourth is that we may main
tain the spiritual impulses in our
people for generous giving and gen.
erous seryice-in the spirit that each
is his brothers keeper Personal
feeling and personal responsibility of
men to their neighbors is the soul of
genuine good will; it is the essential
foundation of modern society A
cold and distant charity which puts
out its sympathy only through the
tax collector yields a very meager
dole of unloving and perfunctory
relief
Problem Grows Greater.
With each succeeding Winter in
this period of great distress our
problem has become larger and more
difficult Yet the American people
have responded to meet it. o,
The extent of that response has
been obscured bv the breadth and
depth of the suffering which it has
sought to relieve The sensation
produced upon every observer of our
present national scene, and particu-
larly upon every active participant
In efforts TO mitigate its evils, has
been primarily one Of profound per-
sonal distress in association with the
distress of the country. The time
has gone by when depression could
be regarded only as depression of
business. 1t must be regarded now
as something deeper, involving So
cial responsibility not merely for
measures helpful to- the restoration
of business, for fundamentally they
are actions on behalf Of those whom
business has ceased to be able to
employ. They are not the authors
Of the misery which is upon the land.
They are its victims. In the mean
time the suffering about us is so
intense and the demands upon our
sympathy are so penetrating that
often in so dark a picture we can see
no ray of light and no trace of ale
waiting accomplishment.
Yet accomplishment there has
been-accomplishm in the highest
degree creditable to the generosity
and effectiveness of the American
people.
That the American people have
made broad and courageous attack
upon the consequences of our pres
ent unparalleled calamity is amply
suggested by the state of public
health in the Nation. I recognize
that there are exceptions, both local
and individual, to any general state
ment, yet no one can deny the scien-
tific determination of our public
health officials throughout the land.
Their reports to the Surgeon General
final word upon the efficient and de-
voted sense of responsibility of our
people in this obligation to our fel-
low citizens. Overwhelmingly they
confirm the fact that general NOR
tality rate, infant mortality rate,
epiGemicS, the disease rate, are less
than in normal times. There is but
one explanation. That is that
through an aroused sense of public
responsibility those in destitution
and their children are receiving ac-
tually more regular and more ade-
quate care than even in .,ormal
times.
WuvI ~