Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-08-27
ARE NOW
REALIZING WAR
Understanding Of New Prob
lens is Growing in Middle
West.
BY RAY STANNARD BAKER,
(Of the Vigilantes.)


(Of the Vigilantes.)
DIES MOINES-To one who has
been travelling thru the middle west
for month or more. as l have been
doing. the steady change and develop
ments in public interest as related to
the war Is most extraordinary. l sup
post there never were in America such
campaigns Of educational publicity us
those which have accompanied, wave
upon wave. the registration, the bond
sale and now the Red Cross and the
Y. NJ. c. A. movements They have
involved a repeated house-to- house
canvass and every family, rich or
poor. foreign or American, has been
reached. | have recently made trips
by motor car thru country districts In
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana and
other states, and have talked with the
farmers themselves, and l am certain
of the great change that Is going on.
The bond issue was slow in these
country district because Amcricai,
farmers have never had any ex-
perience in buying securities. They
have saved their money by investing
in more land, lending on their neigh
bors farms or sailing their surplus
down in certificates of deposit. In
one of the well-to do districts in Iowa.
occupied by farmers of foreign origin.
one of the canvasscrs told Inc that
he had to prove to the people that
when they bought a bond they would
not be compelled to pay the interest
upon 1t instead of receiving it. The
next Liberty loan will be much more
easily sold than the first.
Another great instrument in popu
larizing the war and making the issues
clear has been the campaigns for the
Red Cross and the Y. NJ. c. A. These
have been especially effective among
the great numbers of German Amer
lean and other foreign American
| farmers who have come rather grudg-
, ingly to an acceptance of the war. 1t
furnishes them an easy way of get
ting into the big band wagon; and
many who have been cold to the
Liberty bonds have contributed genef-
ously to the Red Cross | made a
most interesting trip thru one of the
rich and conservative German Amer
ican communities of Washington
county, MINI. In front of many of
the farms l found tackled up n large
card bearing the Red Cross in the CEN
ter and these words:
1--WE are growing crops to be do
mated to the American Red Cross"
Farmers Give to Red Cross.
found w. S. Moscrip, a leading
cattle breeder. and his assistants at
work on their canvass. He told me
that practically every farmer in the
country was pledging himself in writ
ing to do his bit in the present war by
contributing the products of one acre
of land in wheat, corn or other crops.
In the fall these products are to be
gathered and sold by auction for the
Red Cross. They represent very
/ high average OF giving-from S25 to
! $50 to each family. The great masses
of the foreign Americans, whose
sympathies were with Germany are
going to be wholly loyal to this war.
The only disturbing element is certain
of the German and Swedish language
newspapers, which owe their very ex-
silence to the maintenance of alien
| feeling. Some of these papers are
edited by men who are not even Amer
/ lean citizens and who are still sup
! porting covertly the German point of
view.
| Another great influence OF the Red
| Cross movement has been to interest
\ the women of the west in the war
A large proportion of them have been
against the war, and especially against
conscription. The vote of the gentle
woman from Montana in the house of
| representatives against conscription
! sentiment of a majority Of western
women. But the Red Cross work, the
French ambulance campaign, and now
| the conscription of their sons, brothers
and sweethearts, have awakened the
women everywhere.
People Want More Speed.
1t is most important that these
waves of activity which have been so
successful up to this time, be kept
vigorously in motion. The impetus
and enthusiasm must be steadily
maintained. The whole process of
selecting the men who are to be
soldiers should be pressed as rapidly
as possible, for this is movement
which will reach and interest every
community and every family. II the
administration at Washington does not
drive the preparation. there is ceStain
f, to be a backwash in the steadily
growing public enthusiasm. In fact,
found at Des Moines and other places
where army camps are being orga-
nized. a good deal of impatience at
| the slow progress of the work. When
first came out here the adminstra-
ton was far ahead of the people, but
the people are likely soon to be ahead
Of the administration. Having &C.