The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-04-16

try, men and women alike, will be 9
great national, great international
service army-a notable and honored
host engaged in the service of the
nation and the world, the efficien'
friends and saViors Of freedom every
where. Thousands, nay, hundreds
of thousands, of men otherwise liable
to military service viii of right anc
of necessity ought to be excused from
that service, and assigned to the fund
amental, sustaining work of the fields
and factories and mines, and they
will be as much part of the great
patriotic forces of the nation as the
men under fire.
/ take the liberty, therefore, of ad
dressing this word to the farmers OF
the country and to all who work on
the farms:
The supreme need OF our own ma,
ton and of the nations with which
we are cooperating is an abundance
of supplies and especially of fooG
stuffs. The Importance of an ade
quate food supply, especially for the
present year, is superlatiye. Without
abundant food, alike for the armies
and the peoples now at war, the whole
great enterprise upon which we have
embarked will break down and fail.
The worlds food reserves are low,
Not only during the present emery
ency, but for some time after peace
shall have come both our own people
and large proportion of the people
Of Europe must rely upon the har-
vests in America. Upon the farmers
of this country, therefore. in large
measure rests the fate of the war
and the fate of the nations. May the
nation not count upon, them to omit
no step that will increase the pro-
duction of their land or that will
bring about the most effectual CO.
operation in the sale and distribution
of their products. The time is short
1t is of the most imperative import
ance that everything possible be
done and done Immediately to make
sure of large haryests.
l call upon young men and old alike
and upon the able-bodied boys of the
land to accept and act upon this duty
to turn in hosts to the farms, and
make certain that no pains and labor
is lacking in this great matter
/ particularly appeal to the farm
ers of the south to plant abundant
foodstuffs as well as cotton. They
can show their patriotism in no BET
ter or convincing way than by resist
ing the great temptation of the pres
ent price of cotton and helping,
helping upon a great scale, to feed
the nation and the peoples every.
where who are fighting for their Gib-
critics and for our own. The variety
of their crops will be the visible meas
ure of their comprehension of their
national duty.
The government of the United,
States and the governments of the
several states stand ready to CO.
operate. They will do everything
possible to assist farmers in securing
an adequate supply Of seed, an ade
quate force of laborers when they
are most needed at harvest time,
and the means of expediting ship
ments of fertilizers and farm machine
cry, as well as of the crops them
selves when harvested The course
Of trade shall be as unhampered as
it is possible to make 1t, and there
shall be no unwarranted manipuln-
ton of the nations food supply by
those who handle it on its way to the
This is our opportunity to
demonstrate the efficiency of great
democracy, and we shall not fall short
Of it.
This. let me say to the middlemen