Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1917-12-13
E DIT O R L
Continued from page y

In the interests of increased production, why not 50 amend the
seective draft law, if amendment be necessary for the purpose
as to assure a supply of farm labor throughout the country?
We have the rght-the moral right as yell as the legal right
to provide for the doing of all those things which will afford US the
greatest measure of assurance of victory in this crisis.
We have the right, in selecting men for military purposes, to
designate their respective duties, We send some Of them forth to
pairing the meals; still others are required to construct bridges
build roadways, and lay railroad tracks; Each ma man rs assigned to
best fitted for.
1t is our duty to see that the men whom we put into the trenches
are properly fed and provided with equipment for fighting. If nee
essary, in the furtherance of the general scheme for winning the.
They may be soldiers, nevertheless, Notwithstanding they are pro
ducng foodstufs instead of carrying forward bread and meat TO
We have a right to go still further: the right to demand that
every available acre shall be titled, and with this right goes the add
There may come a time in the history Of self-government and
exercise extreme autocratic power to protect itself from the evils
of impending autocracy.
Members of the cabinet re appealing through the press for
Tt is held to be vital to the successful prosecution Of the war. Sec
rotary Houston, in a statement issued last Friday, declares that
feedstufs o clothing
Z cannot emphasize too strongly, z he AYERS, the urgent nee.
essity of doing everything possible to bring about a still further in
crease in the production of all essential commodities, particularly of
the stable crops and live stock
before them a condensed life history of every man about to be
called under the seective draft; His vocation will be disclosed, to
gether with the experience he has had therein.
Without interfering with their military training, pending the
Saa@sase@s far@ q m saefh e r rsssrxea I fr ss sgseia, ' datv 'i 2n the e0S Ssr wno
fields in 1918. One hundred Of them are equal in output of labor
TO two hundred inexperienced hands, or even five hundred young
men who have never performed manual toll, We know because we
have employed both types on the farm.
Certain units, for instance. composed of companies or battalions
properly differed, would report to a certain locality when the
harvest begins about May, 1918, in the southern regions. Other
units would report elsewhere, all proceeding northWard as the har
vest advances, finishing along the Canadian border. or even within
Canada If our northern ally Is in dire need of farm help, returning
to the military camps when the crops shall have been garnered for
such further duty as may be required, perhaps joining the other
American forces in Europe.
Among those selected under the draft in the fall Of 1918 or the
early winter of 1919 other fresh eontingents may be reserved for
labor on the farm, The chief point being to assure the farmer thai
adequate and experienced help will be ready for him when needed
thus enabling him to till the maximum acreage and thus adding tic
the nations resources in foodstufs and stable crops.
Of course, the farmers would pay these soldiers the ssgoine
wages !. the earnings to be retained by the soldierfarmers or otk 4
wise disposed of under a plan mutually satisfactory to the mel
performing the work and the government.
We care not how it is done, or who does il, so long as the work
ls done, for 1t IS obvious that We cannot afford to permit our pro
duchon to decrease in hesface of such overwhelming need
Possibly we may manifest undue anxiety with reference to th
question, but when we perceive crops on the border of waste, as w
saw them during the late harvest. and when we learn of men plan
ming to reduce their acreage in the event of further restrictions
regarding farm labor, we feel justified in sounding a note Of warn
ing.
The time to organize for relief is NOW. 1T Win7he too lat
when the next harvest As upon rs. IT may be ealamitous il We val
until the harvest of 1919.