Part 2
Those who have had opportunities to observe legislation in the making, are familiar with the fact that the only certain thing about it is its uncertainty. A resume of the career of this particular measure affords a shining example in point. The bill was introduced in both Senate and House in the spring of 1912, and was referred to committees in the usual manner. The Senate committee gave prompt consideration to the bill, and of its own accord increased the amount of the proposed appropriation to $400,000, after which it reported it to the Senate, which passed it without opposition. The Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds of the House, after hearings, submitted a unanimously favorable report to the House on the last day before adjournment for the summer of 1912.
When Congress met in December, 1912, the status of the Red Cross building bill seemed most fortunate. It had passed the Senate without opposition carrying an appropriation of $400,000. The House Committee had unanimously accepted the Senate bill and had recommended it for passage. All that remained was for the House to pass it and the President to attach his signature. The road looked straight and easy and not very long, with a bright blue sky overhead.
And then something interfered slightly with the forward movement. Many other bills with many active congressmen behind them crowded into the foreground. There seemed to be no opening for the Red Cross bill to slip through. Big bills for the support of the vast governmental departments had to be given precedence. Time flew and congressmen began to refer to the fact that it was a short session with much to be done. Also the leaders began to urge economy in appropriations.
It was found impossible to get a definite place or date set for a vote on the Red Cross bill. At one time it was proposed to try to call it up by unanimous consent, but nothing came of that. Then those in charge thought better to abandon it as a distinct measure and insert it as an item in the big Public Buildings and Grounds Bill, which contained appropriations for many buildings. Later the cry of economy became more strident and the plan for the Red Cross bill was again changed. Now it was decided not to bring it forward in the House but instead to pass the Public Buildings and Grounds Bill in the House without it and let it be inserted by the Senate when the big bill reached that body.
It is customary for the Senate to add numerous items to bills of this character after the House has passed them. Then the bills as amended by the Senate must go back to the House for the House to accept the Senate amendments. If the House declines to accept the Senate amendments a committee is appointed from each side to confer and try to agree on the items in dispute. Usually both Senate and House accept the recommendations of the conference committees.
So the House passed the Public Buildings and Grounds Bill without the Red Cross item and the Senate was asked to insert that item. It did so. Then opposition arose because the Red Cross building was a memorial to the _loyal_ women of the Civil War. It was argued that the Confederate women were just as brave and devoted and self-sacrificing as the women of the North; that no memorial should perpetuate sectional feeling. The proposition was made that the word _loyal_ be eliminated and that the building be a memorial to _all_ the women of the Civil War. This could not be done, however, because the gift of $300,000 by the Loyal Legion was conditioned upon the retention of the word _loyal_. A sharp discussion followed with the result that the Red Cross item was entirely stricken out. A little later the subject was reopened and the Red Cross item was again inserted and remained there when the Senate passed the bill.
The House refused to accept the Senate amendments and a conference committee was appointed. Several important Senate amendments, among them the Red Cross item, became the subject of prolonged discussion. Congress must adjourn on March 4th. It was now March 3rd and it became imperative that an agreement should be reached. Finally the dispute had narrowed down to this:
The House conferees would consent to the passage of the Red Cross item if the Senate would abandon the item for the purchase of the Rock Creek Valley in Washington for park purposes. The Rock Creek Valley purchase was of the utmost importance to Washington. It had been urged for years and there was no question that it was of greater public value at this time than the provision of a Red Cross building. The Senate forced to this hard choice wisely held on to the Rock Creek Valley item and the Red Cross item was lost.
Perhaps this story of high hope, of keen suspense, of alternating optimism and despair is not worth the space here given to its relation. It is, however, a tale of a gallant fight in which the Red Cross won many friends and made no enemies. Shall it fare better in Congress another year? Who so faint hearted as to doubt?
Vivid Glimpses of the American Red Cross in Turkey
_Following are several illuminating extracts from reports recently received from the fields of Red Cross activity in Turkey. The American Red Cross has been extremely fortunate in the character of its representation in this work. Some of those whose services have been particularly noteworthy are mentioned in the statement below by Mr. G. Bie Ravndal, American Consul General at Constantinople, who is also secretary of the Red Cross Chapter in Constantinople. The composite picture of widely extended and many-sided activity presented by these brief reports conveys an impression of magnitude and importance which must gratify every American who takes pride in the achievements of his fellow countrymen._—EDITOR RED CROSS MAGAZINE.
FIGHTING THE CHOLERA AT SAN STEFANO
BY G. BIE RAVNDAL, _American Consul General, Secretary Red Cross Chapter._
Our Chapter was just withdrawing from the earthquake stricken coast of the sea of Marmora, where, owing to the generosity of charitable Americans, acting through the American National Red Cross, it had been enabled to furnish medical and other timely aid, as described in my report of October, 1912, when the wardogs were let loose in the Balkans, and then began the initial scenes of that terrible drama which, during the winter, has monopolized the attention of the world.
Hardly had the curtain fallen after the first battles, which followed each other in swift, unrelenting succession, before the cholera began its fearful ravages, competing with the shrapnel in deadly work.
Thousands of families, mostly women, children and old men, fled before the onrush of soldiers from the north. Their suffering on the trail baffles all description.
No feature of the catastrophe proved more heartrending than the condition of affairs in the San-Stefano cholera camp, in which masses of sick and wounded soldiers were thrown together after the battles of Louleh Bourgas and Wisa. It is gratifying to be able to report the fact that it was Hoffman Philip, secretary of the American Embassy in Constantinople; Major Clyde Sinclair Ford, of the Medical Corps of the United States Army, and Frederick Moore, of the Associated Press, who taking their lives in their hands, first undertook the heroic work of organizing relief in this place of horror. They were nobly assisted by Reverend Dr. Frew, of the Scotch Mission in Constantinople, by two Swiss ladies, residents of San-Stefano, Miss Alt and Mrs. Schneider, and also by Hon. Maurice Baring, of London. The details of the relief furnished by our Chapter in the San-Stefano cholera camp have been described in letters by Mrs. W. W. Rockhill, wife of the American Ambassador at Constantinople, and I shall not attempt to add to the information submitted by her, as at the time under report I was in the United States. Mrs. Rockhill has taken a leading part in the relief work instituted by the Constantinople Chapter in the present emergencies, and the Chapter is deeply grateful to her. Ultimately the San-Stefano situation was taken in hand by the Red Crescent.
[Illustration: COMMITTEE OF NICHAUTACHE (SULTAN’S) HOSPITAL.]
[Illustration: EGYPTIAN RED CRESCENT MISSION UNDER DR. MAX REICH.]
Even before the San-Stefano need had been discovered by Mr. Hoffman Philip, whose action in this relation cannot be too highly praised, the Constantinople Chapter had established two Red Cross wards for wounded soldiers in the barracks at Tash-Kesla in Constantinople, and a fully equipped operating room. This hospital work has been, and is still being, conducted by Major Ford. Major Ford came here while on leave and generously offered his services to the Constantinople Chapter. His professional skill and administrative experience have enabled the Chapter to render invaluable help, which otherwise could not have been furnished by us, in saving lives and alleviating suffering. Major Ford has been ably assisted by D. Alton Davis, secretary of the International Y. M. C. A. in Constantinople; Dr. Walton, surgeon of _U. S. S. Scorpion_, and Dr. Kazakos, a graduate of Robert College.
Since Christmas the Chapter has been giving special attention to the “refugees.”
Dr. Wilfred Mellvaine Post, of the American Medical Mission in Konia, magnanimously volunteered to superintend the Chapter’s efforts in the field for the relief of refugees. Associated with him is Miss Jeannie Jillson, of the American School for Girls in Broussa.
Next to Broussa, as far as the Chapter’s present activities in behalf of the refugees are concerned, comes Salonica. Our relief work is also being extended into Monastir and Koricha in Albania.
SITUATION IN SALONICA
_Letter from Mr. E. O. Jacob._
Salonica, Jan. 3, 1913.
I trust you will forgive me for not writing you earlier. My trip unfortunately lasted 13 days. I had 5 days’ quarantine in Pireus and then had to wait 5 days for a steamer, so that I did not reach here till December 30. I found, as I had feared, that the most urgent need was over, and the work of relief in Salonica itself was already pretty well organized. It seems, however, that my services will meet a real need at least for some weeks. Some one is urgently needed to visit the towns and villages of the provinces and Mr. Haskell is certainly the best man for that.
I am writing this letter also as a sort of report, any material of which you are at liberty to use. You have already received, I understand, a copy of the “Independent,” describing the work of the “Societe de Secours aux Refugies.” This is a quite modest and impersonal description of the work of Mr. Haskell, Mme. Christo Hajji Lazaro and the association whom they have gathered, namely, Pastor Brunau, Mme. Yenny, the wife of a Swiss merchant; Sister Augustine of the Catholic Mission, and lately Mr. van Bommel. They began at once the collection of funds, the investigation of the condition of the refugees and the giving of bread. It must have been a terrible task to locate 50,000 refugees, scattered as they were all over the city, and still more so to inaugurate a system of distribution, for the imams of mosques and the former Mouhtars of different districts tried in every way to turn the funds into their own pockets. But by frequent and tiresome inspections a fair degree of efficiency is now maintained. The committee has now the aid of three native pastors, who are proving very effective in tracing irregularities, removals and other changes.
[Illustration: HOSPITAL IN CONSTANTINOPLE IN CHARGE OF GERMAN OFFICERS.]
[Illustration: TASH-KESHLA HOSPITAL, CONSTANTINOPLE.
FRONT ROW (BEGINNING FIFTH FROM LEFT)—MAJOR FORD C. S. A.; TURKISH DOCTOR; MADAME DEPAGE IN NURSING COSTUME; UNKNOWN LADY; MARCHIONESS PALLAVACINI, WIFE OF AUSTRIAN AMBASSADOR; MRS ROCKHILL, WIFE OF AMERICAN AMBASSADOR; DR. DEPAGE.]
This group of people has thus far had to confine its activities to the giving of bread, the most immediate necessity of the unfortunate “muhajjirs.” For a long time they gave at the rate of 9 ounces per person per day, surely a minimum ration. Since this week it has fortunately been possible to raise the rate to 12 ounces a day. Four distribution centers are operated, the people coming to these places for their allowances. At the one where I am working we are now distributing 2,700 loaves a day. The total daily distribution is 8,000 loaves and costs a little over 100 Lt. a day.
In certain directions the financial support has been very encouraging. The largest giver, unofficial, of course, is the Greek government, which has put into the hands of this society about 180,000 francs. Queen Olga has in addition given the good sum of 40,000 francs out of her own purse. From Holland came, as the result of an unsolicited appeal from the Dutch Red Cross Mission here, 25,000 francs. The American Red Cross is credited with about Lt. 350 and about 7,300 francs have come to Mr. Haskell from friends in Switzerland. So up to the present the work has been maintained without a deficit.
It seems clear, however, that as the harder part of the winter comes, aid will, in many instances, have to be given in other ways than the one I have mentioned, as 12 ounces of bread a day will not indefinitely keep the body and soul together. Thus far, in fact, most of those who have received aid have enough money for a little salt and a few olives, for a few candles and a bit of charcoal. But lately we get the complaint more and more frequently that these resources are exhausted and that the bread ration no longer suffices alone. Once in two weeks, in fact, each person gets a half bowl of soup. This is made possible by a very efficient little soup kitchen which the Catholic sisters have opened. But this, too, is certainly only a trifle. Again, as wintry weather comes, we get calls for clothing, bed quilts, etc. Practically nothing has yet been given in this line.
I have thus far been speaking exclusively of the people under the care of the “Societe de Secours.” There is also in the city an “International Committee,” which has been taking up other sides of the same work. It has, for example, in operation an observation camp for those who have been exposed to smallpox. It also charters steamers to convey to Asia Minor free of charge those who wish to seek employment there. I had a long interview with Mr. Forbes in Smyrna and brought to the committee details about his offer to employ several thousand men in licorice digging. They are therefore now sending him a first load of 1,100 persons by the steamship _Assouan_. It strikes us all that to give them like this an opportunity for steady work is about the best service that can be rendered. The largest enterprise of this committee is the maintenance of a concentration camp, which houses 6,000 refugees. Though they have to live in tents they are otherwise under the best of care. The government is military, the sanitary conditions are excellent and everyone directly under the eye of the workers. Unfortunately the operating cost of this camp (about Lt. 80 a day) is so great that the scheme cannot be extended to the others. This committee, moreover, finds itself in a less encouraging financial condition than the “Societe,” and with a deficit already on hand, is not venturing beyond its present range of work.
Then, finally, the needs of the towns in the provinces are begging to be brought to our attention. In many respects they are more sadly in want than Salonica itself. Naturally the armies have absorbed all the available foodstuffs. Moreover, dozens of villages have been burned to the ground and many towns have been quite thoroughly looted. The same sort of story comes from all the surrounding regions, Monastir, Uskub, Strumitza, Brama, etc.
The British Balkan Committee has begun to help in several places. Mrs. Lazaro has gone with a member of the Macedonian Relief Committee to Gumendje, and Mr. Haskell expects to start next week on a two weeks’ tour in the region of Strumitza. Those trips should make clear just what the most urgent needs are.
RED CROSS WORK FOR REFUGEES IN WESTERN ASIA MINOR
_Part of a letter from Dr. Wilfred M. Post._
The number of refugees who have passed over from European Turkey into Western Asia Minor since the commencement of the Balkan War is probably in the neighborhood of 56,000; the large majority of these have settled in the Broussa vilayet, a smaller number having found their way to the Konia and Angora vilayets. Most of the refugees have traveled by rail, their carts and oxen having been carried with them at the expense of the government, but a fair proportion have “trekked” into the interior all the way from European Turkey, spending several weeks on the journey. The main distribution is along the line of the Anatolian railway, the usual plan having been for a definite number to be allotted to each city or large town along the line, and then sent off as fast as possible to the villages—a few families to each village—the government hoping by this arrangement to cause the refugees to amalgamate with the Anatolian population, and also by allotting a few families to each village, to throw the burden of maintenance on the people and avoid the problems arising from concentration in large camps and settlements. This policy has been carried out most thoroughly and the many hundreds of villages from one or two hours to two or three days distance from the railway have almost all received their quota of unfortunates to care for, an exception having been made for the Christian villages, few, if any, of the latter having been thus called upon.
About a quarter or a third of the refugees have come with some personal clothing and bedding, and with some property in the shape of carts and oxen, cooking utensils and money. These have been allowed to shift for themselves, but the remainder have arrived in the interior in more or less wretched condition, having little or nothing but the clothes they wear, and in many cases only half-clad and in very poor condition to meet the rigors of the cold Anatolian winter. As long as this class of refugees remains in cities the government makes regular distributions of bread to them, about 50 paras’ worth to each adult, and 25 paras to each child per day, in some cases giving the money instead of the food, but as soon as the refugees have been shipped off to the villages the government ceases to distribute help.
[Illustration: HARBIE HOSPITAL.
ESTABLISHED BY DUTCH RED CROSS MISSION UNDER DR. LINGHEEK.]
Those refugees remaining in the cities have also been scattered as extensively as possible, a notable instance being Konia, where 2,500 people have been scattered all over the city and surrounding gardens, a few dozen having been put into each “mahle” or quarter of the city, so that it took a week of careful search and inquiry to obtain statistics that were anywhere near accurate. This extensive scattering makes the work of relief very difficult; nevertheless much has been accomplished already and by systematic canvassing by American missionaries and native agents it is hoped that much of the suffering and need of the refugees will be discovered and relieved. Relief of over-crowding, supply of adequate clothing and bedding, opening of soup kitchens and supply of food other than the dry bread given by the government, distribution of fuel and medical aid, indicate the principal lines along which the Red Cross must work for the next two or three months. The officials everywhere express the hope that they will be able to send the refugees back to Europe for the spring, but, of course, nothing definite can be planned as yet. Whatever may be the political outcome of the Balkan war, a large number of the refugees will undoubtedly remain in Anatolia, and the Red Cross may then consider the advisability of providing employment for these people, supplying them with farm implements, etc. The large majority of the refugees are women and children, many of these having been rendered widows and orphans by the war; the few able-bodied men who have come have for the most part, been drafted into the Turkish army and sent to Chatalja, so that the question of employment will have to be considered later on. A few of the refugees are able to earn money by carting wood and grain, using their primitive oxcarts for the purpose, but most of them are idle, and on account of the great scattering throughout the country they must, unfortunately, remain so for some time to come. It is most fortunate that the general health of the refugees is good, and from the hygienic standpoint the policy of scattering has no doubt been a good one. There are, of course, many cases of sickness among them, and in the process of investigation we have found many people at the point of death from exposure and cold, the most pathetic cases being among the children. Here again the scattering makes it impossible to do much visiting, and though the communities may be saved from epidemic, many individuals, sad to say, will perish from cold, hunger and disease this winter.
[Illustration: MACEDONIAN REFUGEES FLEEING TO CONSTANTINOPLE.]
Our investigations have been confined chiefly to the cities, where several hundreds or thousands of refugees are gathered, but we have also looked into the condition of a dozen or more villages and have found that in general the villagers have been kind to the refugees and have given them food and shelter, and have lent them clothing and bedding; but in some places the villagers have thrust the refugees into stables and broken-down hovels, with little or no clothing and bedding, and just enough food to keep body and soul together. In some instances the unfortunate, defenceless women and girls have been forced into prostitution.
The Constantinople Chapter of the American Red Cross has established relief work in Konia and Broussa along the lines indicated above. In Konia a systematic canvass of the city and surrounding villages has been made, and bedding and clothing distributed according to need; in many cases eight or ten people were found sharing one quilt, and women and children walking about the frozen streets with bare feet. For people in the city we distributed tickets having the articles they were to receive indicated on them, and the distribution was made on the mission premises. The government, however, forbade us to carry on independent work and insisted that all articles for distribution must be handed over to them; we were unwilling to accept this condition, so work was stopped for the time being. In Broussa an effort has been made to get the people into more sanitary quarters than they now occupy; we found many places where eight, ten and even twelve people were packed into a tiny mud-floored room about ten feet square, damp and dismal, and with one or two of the family sick—in one case three people, one with ulcers and two with dysentery, reposing under one small and filthy quilt. Not only must these people be gotten speedily into more healthy surroundings, but some sort of sanitary supervision must be established over the quarters to which they are to be removed. It is our expectation to open one or more soup kitchens and inaugurate some medical work.