The midland journal., 1917-04-20
FIGHT OR work."

That there must be no shirkers
while the Nation is in a state of war
was emphasized by Robert Grain,
Chairman of the Extension Com
mittee of the State Board of Agri-
culture, and large land owner of
Charles County, in a statement to
extension workers. Mr.. Cain
said,-"To meet the demand for
food here and abroad, I believe there
should be an immediate survey made
in every State of the untitled land
available for crop production. In
Maryland this survey should be made
by the authorities Of the State Col
lege of Agriculture cooperating with
the Council for National Defense.
Each county should be surveyed at
once so that we may know the
amount of untitled land available
and what crops it is suited to pro-
duce. In time of war we cannot
allow any good crop-producing lands
be reported to our State College of
Agriculture as promptly as possible,
through it's field agents and wol kers,
as a matter of first Importance to
the State. This will enable the
Council for National Defense to take
immediate steps for tilling this land
and producing the needed crops.
Food production in Germany is
limited by the area available. In
this country we have thousands of
acres lying idle, more good farming
land unused than all the land in
Germany put together. AS soon as
the survey of these lands is COM
pleted the State and Federal Gov
duce. The strong arm of the Gov
ernment should be used to provide
the necessary labor to till these
lands. There must be no bread lines
in the cities this winter. Every able
bodied man must fight or work.
would have the Government put a
tag on every man. Mark him either
lighter or worker" We should
know that every man is doing a
service for his country. If he is al
ready worker of any kind,-bank-
er or bootblack, mark him. Have
him recorded as worker. If man
is a loafer, any or all Of the time, in
the city or in the country, find out
enlist him. If he can't fight, tag
him as a worker and put him to
work. If he consumes food he must
produce food or else fight. We
must have no idlers to feed. I
would make our slogan-"F1GHT
OR WORK."
This plan will give us the needed
labor to work the untitled lands and
provide against shortage of labor
in the harvest season. When the
country boy volunteers, as he will
certainly do, there will be someone
to take his place on the farm. He
will know, too, that no idlers in the
city or country will have to be fed
without working while he is in the
army service. The men of the
country have been our backbone in
time of war in the past. They will
be the backbone of our fighting ma
chine now, but we do not want them
lighting unless every other able
bodied man is fighting with them or
working to feed them, and the de-
pendents they have left at home.
No man should be left in the city
who is not usefully employed. If he
can't fight, he can learn to plow
grub and pitch hay, as well as the
country man can learn to shoulder
and fire a gun. Neither should an
idle man be left in the country Will =
there is land to work or crops to
harvest. Put him to work.
When the crops on these untitled
lands are harvested they should be
supplied direct to the army and
navy, or offered to the consumer al
a living price. There should be
only one buying and selling. In
war time we must have no waste OF
food or delay in supplying it, where
it is needed, at the least possible
cost. We must see to it that our
army is fed and our workers are fed.
There is no room for profit or specu-
lation between the producer and the
consumer. Every man must be en-
listed as fighter or worker. This
must be done If we are to maintain
production and feed our people. All
untitled farm lands must be put
under cultivation. The needed
crops must be titled and harvested.
Every man must work or fi0htto