The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1917-12-27

ton. In recognition of his value as
a local leader Congress has supplied
him with funds for the immediate ex-
tension of this system to every agri-
cultural county in the United States.
State and County Councils of De-
Tense and all rural organizations can
do, patriotic service by assisting the
government and the state in accom-
plishing this end.
David Houston,
Secretary of Agriculture.
Excerpts From the Address of As
sistant Secretary of Agriculture
Hon Carl Vrooman.
There is no body of men in the
United States to whom would rather
speak than to the County Agents, the
men who were the captains of the
army of food producers in a fight,
the like of which was never made be-
fore. If we of the Department of
Agriculture, who, while the fight was
on, from the headquarters tent offer
ed prayers and plans, can serve you
in any more effective ways in the
future than we have in the past, you
have only to command us. / want to
ask you also to take back to the men
in the burrows an expression of their
govrnment's gratitude for an essen
tial service faithfully done. Will
you say further, "Your country needs
your services a little longer Not
only your country but humanity,
requires for its salvation that you
plant and plow, sow and save and
send forth to the needs of the nation
for another season, even as you have
fo rthe season that is past"
No man knows when the war will
end. Against the sort of foe we face
no man can guess how long the war
must be waged. There is only one
thing we do know to a certainty, and
that thing is that the war will be won,
no matter how long it takes, nor how
much it costs in treasure and blood.
And we know, too, that to win, that
war armies on the fair field of France
are but as chaff before the wind, ex-
cept as they are supported by other
armies as large, as heroic, as devoted
to their country and their country's
flag, and as ready to undergo suffer-
ings and sacrifices, in the burrows
and foundries at home.
You county agents out in the
counties of every state have render
ed and still have to render, service
to your country the Importance of
which cannot be estimated. You are
holding a salient almost as important
as Verdun, for except as you con-
tinue to hold it, the forces of democ-
racy must fail.
Your government has not failed to
realize that important fact. 1t has
outlined very definite program for
the development of County Agent
work by the end of this fiscal year
that, in the ordinary course of things
would have required six years. For
that purpose, Congress has placed at
the disposal of the Department of
Agriculture millions of dollars.
This wide and rapid development is
military necessity because of war
conditions. We need and must have
a county agent in every agricultural
county in the United States by the
beginning of the next planting sea.
son and that means by February list.
Not all of this stupendous work
can be done by the department of
agriculture unless it has the co-opera-
ton of the Agricultural colleges and
the other agencies that are working
with it. Nothing must be left undone
to speed up the work of organization
in the counties, to get agents ap-
pointed in the counties promptly
enough that they will be on the
ground ready to direct the efforts of
the farmers even before the actual
planting begins.
For the county agent is the direct
ing genius in the agricultural indus
try Of his county. There has rested
on him always very great personal
responsibility. There rests on him
now more imperative public respon-
sibility that he must discharge as
part of his duty to his country in time
of war. 1t is no small task 1t will
require ability of the highest order
and application of the closest kind.
Now the task devolves upon us
you are out there in the field and the
Secretary of Agriculture and his as
sociates back yonder at the center of
the nations agricultural activities
to see to it that the soldiers of this
greatest of the nations armies (the
men and women of the farms) are
enlisted for the entire duration of the
war. The duty is ours, too, to hold
down the casualty list to the lowest
margin possible. We must procure
the planting of large crops, to be sure
but we must take particular care that
the individual farmer does not be-
come bankrupt because of his patri-
otic efforts, that fertility is not drain
ed for this years crop at the expense
Of crops that must be grown in other
years-for it is to be remembered
that the army in the. burrows must
hold its lnies until the war is won
and that even when the soldiers of
the trenches are mustered out and
sent to their homes, our food pro-
ducts must still flow across the seas to
feed the peoples Of desolated lands.
Rest assured that from now on the
Department of Agriculture. FORTH