The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1940-12-05
sAuK CENTRE HERALD, Sank Centre, MINI.

OAOA
] erty Of any description whatso
ever to loan" to the government
a certain percentage of the value
thereof. The administration has Sc
100 billion dollars as the goal fol
our national income. It is now alb
out 70 billion. With constantly in
creasing taxes 1t is doubtful i
that figure can be attained, desir
able as it would be. AS a matter
of fact the tendency will be in the
other direction once we get bach
to normal spending.
Famine In Europe
Million of Americans share the
anxiety expressed by former Presi
dent Hoover, in recent address
at an eastern college, over the food
shortage in conquered European
countries. There can be on doubt
that suffering in such countries as
Poland, Finland. Norway, Den
mark, Holland, France and Bel
gium-seven democracies-will be-
come very acute with the coming
of cold weather, unless assistance
is given them from the outside.
It is not merely a question of
providing humanitarian relief of
hunger. when the food supply
F! falls to famine levels" Mr.. Hoov-
err said, people don't just lie down
and die from starvation. Rather
they fall easy victims to disease,
and plaques begin to spread from
country to county," The influenza
epidmic during the first World
War, Mr.. Hoover recalls, broke out
in starving central Europe and
then carried suffering and death
to all continents.
All the countries enumerated
have substantial credits in this
country that could be used for the
purchase of foods, clothing and
medicines. The objection most Of
ten expressed against extending
such aid Is that all supplies would
be seized by the totalitarian
peoples. That all depends.
During the great World War Mr..
Hoover was at the head Of a gigan-
tic relief organization that spent
million upon millions for food,
clothing and medicines for the af-
flicted peoples of Poland and Bel
GUM. Both of these countries were
then occupied by the Germans
who were also much in need. Not
withstanding this Mr.. Hoover
states practically every dollars
worth of supplies reached the
hands of those for whom it was in
tended. If it could be done then,
why not now? or course, any re-
lift plan adopted would have to be
so set up as to prevent the diver
sion of supplies to other than the
channels intended.
Insanity Rampant
The reading of European news
in the daily press these days leaves
one cold, discouraged and sick at
heart. Never in all the recorded
history of mankind has there been
such brutality and utter disregard
for the rights of human beings.
Cities are being laid waste marine
tonnage is sunk faster than it can
be replaced, and people are compel
led to live like sewer rats in bomb
proof shelters where future pestil-
ences are being bred.
The repercussions of the war are
being felt here. For fear that the
storm might spread to this hemis-
phere we have embarked upon a
preparedness program that will
call for the expenditure of at least
20 billion dollars which Is equiva-
lent to about eight per cent of our
total national wealth If the war
keeps on for any length of time
and we continue to register a few
err temperature, it will undoubted-
ly result in pyramiding the nation
al debt of the American people to
100 billion dollars, or 40 per cent
of our total national wealth.
From these staggering figures it
will be seen that we have a con-
siderable stake in the maintenance
of world peace and that we can no
longer hold aloof as we did before
the day of the aeroplane. This be-
ing the situation we should insist
on a place at the peace table and it
should be our Job to help write
a peace treaty that will be fair to
all interested countries. Such a
treaty must provide for the pooling
of the raw material supply of the
world. Then, too, the United States,
Britain and Germany should be
brought together into a working
group to preserve peace in the fu-
ture. Another treaty like Versailles
would merely sow the seed of fut-
ure and more devastating wars
Today we are but reaping the
fruits of the seed sown by that
treaty n years ago. Let us not re-
q cflxy fo1ly