WHY THE RED CROSS Needs a War Fund of $100,000,000 I PROCLAMATION OF RED CROSS WEEK INASMUCH as our thoughts as a nation are now turned in united purpose towards the performance to the utmost of the services and duties which we have assumed in the cause of justice and liberty. INASMUCH as but a small proportion of our people can have the opportunity to serve upon the actual field of battle, but all men, women and children alike may serve and serve effectively by making it possible to care properly for those who do serve under arms at home and abroad. AND INASMUCH as the American Red Cross is the official recognized agency for voluntary effort in behalf of the armed forces of the nation and for the administration of relief. Now, therefore, by virtue of my authority as President of the United States and President of the American Red Cross, I, Woodrow Wilson, do hereby proclaim the week ending June 25, 1917, as Red Cross Week during which the people of the United States will be called upon to give generously and in a spirit of patriotic sacrifice for the support and maintenance of this work of national need. WooDEOw Wilson. Washington, D. C, May 25, 1917. THE CALL TO RAISE A WAR FUND OF $100,000,000. Remarks on behalf of the War Council of the American Red Cross, made by the chairman, Henry P. Davison, to delegates from American Red Cross Chapters assembled in Washington, D. C, May 24 and 25, 1917. The most stupendous and appealing call in the history of the world to aid suffering human- ity confronts our Bed Cross. Millions of men who have been fighting for liberty lie dead or wounded; millions of women and children are homeless and helpless; hundreds of towns and villages have been destroyed; disease and distress are rampant. 3 Up to now, our own people have not suffered. While Europe has been pouring out her life- blood, America has experienced a prosperity she had never known before. But now we ourselves are in this gigantic war. We now see that the struggle against autocracy, and tyranny which our Allies have been making is and has from the first been, in reality, no less our struggle than theirs. We ourselves must now share the sutf ering which they have endured ; we, too, must bear the burdens and we must do our part in a real way. The Red Cross a vital factor in the war. Our Red Cross is a vital factor in the strug- gle. To promote efficiency in administering its great responsibilities, the President of the United States has created a Eed Cross War Council. We of the Council know now only what the minimum requirements are. But we know already that the needs which our Red Cross can alone supply are at present beyond com- putation. I would like to call your attention to the par- ticular difficulty there is in explaining with any definiteness a program or outlining a budget for the expenditure of money. The field is so broad, the demands so great, that we can not form a campaign or form a budget until we know in which direction we are to move. 4 Of course, our first obligation is to our people at home. It is very difficult to estimate, even to approximately estimate, the requirements here. As to other parts of the world, it is absolutely impossible. That estimate can only be definitely made and presented when we know the amount of money we have to expend. The vision that the War Council has of the Red Cross is a very great one. The Eed Cross is a recognized official organization to carry on a humanitarian work. It is the recognized in- ternational organization in all the civilized countries of the world — and I might also add, in Germany. AVe are now facing a situation the like of which has never before existed. It is most im- portant that every man and every woman in this room carry back from Washington some sense of that obligation, som.e idea of what the people of this country are looked to to supply if we are going to begin our work. We shall need $100,000,000— and more! We ask for $100,000,000. It is a large sum of money, but, believe me, the people of this country are not only going to supply that one hundred million, but a very great deal more ! There has been some question about the obliga- tions of the Red Cross and its particular field 5 of work. If the Red Cross is to be the recognized organization through which this work must be carried on, it must work in many new fields, in many new ways. Our great trouble today is that our people do not realize the situation throughout the countries now at war. They must be made to realize them, and the obligation upon us is to see that it is done as soon as possible. The Red Cross is doing a noble work. And, ladies and gentlemen, it is an obligation upon every man, woman and child in this country. I hope that it will be sufficiently well realized that we shall not only enjoy the satisfaction of con- tributing our energies and our money, but we will also have thereby received a very great benefit. We need a sense of sacrifice. Certainly there is nothing that this people need more than a sense of sacrifice. This is no time to listen to the man who says, "I am con- tributing so much here and so much there, taxes are very high, and the cost of living is growing.'' The question of opportunity comes up — whether we shall do it at this time or another time. There is no calendar on the battlefield. There is no awaiting for conditions there, and we cannot wait for conditions here. There are many very fine activities through 6 other organizations throughout all parts of this country, born of the very best spirit, based on patriotism, on something of appreciation of the needs. In our campaign we can have but one thing in mind, and that is the Eed Cross. It must be the Red Cross first, last and all the time, because if we begin to recognize this agency or that agency, we will lessen our effectiveness, and no one will succeed. Appreciating the importance of that, and rec- ognizing the fine work these fine organizations are doing, a committee has been appointed by the War Council, with Judge Robert S. Lovett, Chair- man of the Board of the Union Pacific Railroad, at its head to coordinate the work of these organization with the Red Cross. Where there is duplication, where there is waste of effort, that committee will recommend to this activity or that activity that bring its influence in through the Red Cross. Their character, fine personnel, fine pride, and that proper esprit de corps, which makes them feel that they want to live in history, should be recognized. We should say to such an organiza- tion, ''You are doing a fine work. We need your organization. We ask you to continue, and we would like you to continue under your own name, but in cooperation with our organization." The great patriotic movements throughout the country should be driven in a way which will 7 be the most effective; and as the Red Cross is the recognized official organization, there seemed but one thing to do, and that was to coordinate them through our Eed Cross. Our first duty is at home. First, our duty is at home. We hope never to be found wanting here. We hope, and we have every reason to hope, that through an organization to be effected by Mr. Hurley, there Avill be no camp, after mobilization in this country, which will not be supplemented by the Red Cross. Of course, the position of the Red Cross relative to our own army is that purely of supplementing our medical department. Something of what we must expect to do and something of the sacrifices which we must ex- pect to make will be indicated by the following summary of the very present situation : Work to be done abroad. Hundreds of American doctors and nurses are already at the front. A force of 12,000 American engineers will soon be rebuilding the railroads of France. Upwards of 25,000 American men are now on the battlefields of Europe, fighting as volunteers in the Allied 8 armies; soon, 25,000 American regulars will be added to their number. All our National Guard is to be mobilized, our regular Army is to be recruited to full strength, and 500,000 other men are shortly to be called to the colors. Within a few months we should and will have in service an army of 1,000,000 and a navy of 150,000 men. These men must have of our best. To pre- pare against their needs in advance will be a stupendous task which the Red Cross must undertake. Doctors, nurses, ambulances, must be made ready. Vast quantities of hosi)ital stores, linen, bandages and supplies of every kind must be prepared and at once. If we wait, it may be too late. When we ask our own sons and brothers to fight for our liberty 3,000 miles from home in a country already sore and afflicted, surely we cannot do less than prepare to take care of them in their day of suffering. What Canada and England have done. Gallant Canada from 8,000,000 population raised an army of 450,000 men. Eighty thousand are dead or injured, and Canada has raised in value $16,000,000 for the Red Cross to relieve her sick and wounded. Her Red Cross, thus vitalized by the sacrifice of those at home, has been able to save thousands from death or misery. 9 I think I have never been impressed with anything so much in my life as I have with the development in Great Britain, a country with a people less than half our own, which had a standing army of only two hundred and fifty thousand soldiers on the first day of August, 1914; and today with five million soldiers equipped and on the field. Have they stopped there! Not at all. They have a Eed Cross ac- tivity in every nation of the world now engaged in battle on the other side — perfectly marvelous! Would not one be apt to think Great Britain has enough to do to take care of the seas and to raise an army of five million men, without think- ing of sending her ambulances all through South Africa, into Eg}^pt, into the Balkans, into Russia, as well as into France? But they have failed nowhere — and this alongside of their wonderful military undertakings. Immediately our soldiers go into camp, their dependent families will become a problem. Ob- viously, in a country the size of our own, the proper and practical way to distribute both the burdens and the benefits fairly and uniformly will be through the Government itself. This is es- pecially fitting when voluntary contributions must meet such enormous requirements in other fields. There will undoubtedly arise a large number of special cases requiring additional or unusual as sistance. Such assistance should be made sys- 10 tematic largely through local chapters of the Red Cross. The Red Cross a Foster Parent. When our men go to France, we must not only prepare to take care of them when sick and wounded: another very serious problem will con- front them and will confront us in our care and forethought on their behalf. Englishmen and Frenchmen, when from time to time they are relieved from their grim duties in the trenches, go home. The soldiers from other countries on the firing line cannot go home; there is no home to go to! They go to Paris. Many of them do not return from Paris as efficient soldiers as they were when they went there. Our American soldiers must have a home in France, somewhere to rest, somewhere to find a friendly atmosphere, somewhere to go for recreation and wholesome amusement. These men will be returning to this country some day. We want to make it certain that as many as possible return in health and strength, and not afflicted with disease from which our forethought might have protected them. The Red Cross must — and it alone can — become a real Foster Parent of our soldiers while they are in Europe. To perform that function well will require a large sum of money. 11 Tuberculosis in France. The needs of France cannot but stir the heart of every American. Tuberculosis has become prevalent as a result of this trench war. And the disease is spreading. Here is a call not only to aid the brave and liberty-loving French l^eople, but also to help make this afflicted country healthy for our own sons and brothers who are soon to be there in such great numbers. Some 1500 towns and villages have been de- stroyed in France. In her devastated regions, men, women and children are homeless and suf- fering for the barest necessities of life. We ought at the earliest moment to provide these people with the simplest essentials to begin life anew. They need clothing, agricultural implements, domestic animals, especially horses and cows, seeds, fertilizers, tools, bedding, stoves and the elementary materials with wiiich to cover themselves by day and by night. Some idea can be formed of the amount involved in such an undertaking with the knowledge that Mr. Hoover through his magnificent organiza- tion, has advanced for Governments and from private subscriptions $350,000,000 for relief in Belgium. If there were no thought of protec- tion and provision for our own people in France, can we hesitate to provide generously from our plenty that we may show some appreciation of 12 our everlasting debt to the people of our sister republic? The great need of Russia. We should do something and do it immediate- ly to hearten afflicted Russia. On the Eussian line of 1,000 miles there are only 6,000 am- bulances, while on the French front of 400 miles there are 64,000 ambulances fully equipped. Be- hind the lines in Russia are millions of refugees from Poland, Lithuania and Western Russia — driven from their homes by the German and Aus- trian armies, wandering from city to city, crowded into unfit habitations, huddled in stables, cellars and outhouses, and dying from disease due to exposure and insufficient food. Russia needs our trained women to instruct hers in the art of nursing; she needs enormous quantities of the elementary articles necessary to relieve the very worst cases of pain and suffering. Probably nothing that can be done immediately will do more to win this war than to strengthen Russia. The opportunity and the duty here alone are almost without limit in ex- tent. Our Red Cross is the one agency which can exert itself effectively in this terrible emer- gency. The foregoing are but the greater and * more urgent needs of the moment. Other work of 13 great magnitude must be done. Our Red Cross must maintain a supply service whereby all the contributions in kind which our people make can be efficiently distributed. We must organize comprehensive plans to keep the families and friends of our soldiers and sailors informed as to the wounded and missing. Needs greater than ever known. Indeed the duties and the opportunities which confront our Red Cross have no precedent in history and are not within human estimate today. The War Council, however, can make definite plans and budgets only to the extent to which it is supported by the generosity of the American jDeople. At the moment, the real question is not so much how much money we need but rather how much can be spent wisely and made effective in the immediate future. The War Council, therefore, after carefully considering the matter, is certain that even to approach compliance with the most pressing needs will require at least $100,000,000. It is an enormous problem; it must be handled with a big heart, with a broad vision, and with the highest business ability. The War Council regards its task as a very sacred trust and it will 14 give to this labor of humanity the best ability at its command. All helping, America will not fail. If each individual American now contributes his "bit/' there can be no failure. America will, we feel sure, in this again demonstrate her ability to handle a big task in a big way. That we may be able to perform this great task, we shall ap- peal to the generosity and for the hearty co- operation of the whole American people. Are the people of this country going to be content with a Red Cross organization which will take care of only our own army here and abroad? Is that our mission? If it is, then we need no such campaign. Eather, are we going to stamp the rest of the world with patriotism and an appreciation on the part of one hundred and four million Am.erican people? It remains for each and all of you to so imbue the rest of the people in your various and respective localities that we will respond in a way which will electrify the world! If, in making a survey of the obligations and opportunities of our Eed Cross, a gloomy pic- ture is drawn, we must not be discouraged, but rather rejoice in this undertaking and in the con- fidence that we can by our voluntary action ren- 15 der a service to our afflicted allies which will for all time be a source of pride and satisfaction in a good deed well done. As President Wilson has said: ''But a small proportion of our people can have the opportunity to serve upon the actual field of battle, but all men, women and children alike may serve, and serve effectively.'' We must and will all immediately concentrate our energies and efforts and by contributing freely to this supreme cause, help win the war. 16