Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1917-04-20
All Elements OF The Nation Urged
To Forget Self And Profit To
Win The Victory.

All Elements OF The Nation Urged
To Forget Self And Profit To
Win The Victory.
My fellow-oountrymen:
The entrance of our own beloved coun-
Try into the grim and terrible war for
democracy and human rights, which has
shaken the world. creates 80 many prob
lens Of national life and sction. which
call for immediate consideration and set
Element, that hope you will permit me
to address to you few words Of earnest
counsel and appeal with regard to them.
We are rapidly putting our Navy upon
an effective war footing and are about to
create and equip great army, but these
are the simplest parts Of the great task to
which we have addressed ourselves. There
is not a single selfish element, so far as
can see. in the cause we are fighting for.
We are fighting for what we believe and
wish to be the rights OF mankind and for
the future peace and security Of the world.
To do this great thing worthily and sue
cessfully we must devote ourselves to the
service without regard to profit or mate
rial advantage and with an energy and
intelligence that will rise to the level Of
the anfernrisa itselL We must realize to
the full how great the task is and how
many things, how many kinds and ele-
ments Of capacity and service and self
sacrifice ii involves.
These. then, are the things we must do,
and do well. besides fightine-the things
without which mere fighting would be
fruitIess:
We must supply abundant food for our
selves and for our armies and seamen not
only. but also for large part Of the ma
tons with whom we have now made
common cause. in whose support and by
whose sides we shall be fighting
We must supply ships by the hundreds
out Of our shipyards to carry to the other
side of the sea, submarines or no sub
marines. that will every day be needed
there, and abundant materials out Of our
fields and our mines and our factories
with which not only to clothe and equip
our own forces on land and sea. but
also to clOthe and support our people
for whom the gallant fellows under arms
can no LONGER work, to help clothe and
equip the armies with which we arc CO.
operating in Europe and to keep the looms
and manufactures there in raw material !:
coal to keep the fires going in ships at sea
and in the furnaces Of hundreds Of factories
across the sea steel out Of which to make
arms and ammunition both here and there,
rails for WORKOUT railways back Of the fight
ing fronts, locomotives and rolling stock to
take the place Of those every day going to
pieces mules, horses. cattle for labor and
military service; everything with which the
people Of England and France and Italy
and Russia have usually supplied them
selves but cannot now afford the men. the
materials or the machineryto make.
1t is evident to every thinking man that
our industries. on the farm, In the ship
yards. in the mines. in the factories. must
be made more prolific and more efficient
than ever, and that they must be more
economically managed and better adapted
to the particular requirements Of our task
than they have been and what want to
say is that the men and the women who
devote their thought and their energy to
these things will be serving the country
and conducting the fight for peace and
freedom just as truly and just as effectively
rs the men on the battlefield or in the
trenches. The industrial forces of the
country. men and women alike. will be a
Great national a great International. SER
vice army: a national and honored host
engaged in the service of the nation and
the world. the efficient friends and saviors
of free men everywhere. Thousands. nay
hundreds OF thousands. of men otherwise
liable to military service will of right and
OF necessity be excused from that service
and assigned to the fundamental, sustain.
ing work Of the fields and factories and
mines, and they will be as much part Of
the great patriotic forces OF the nation a,
the men under fire.
take the liberty, therefore. Of address
ing this word to the farmers OF the coun'
try and to all who work on the farms -
The supreme need OF our own nation and
of the nations with which we are cooper
ating is an abundance Of supplies anC
especially Of foodstufs. The importance
Of an adequate food supply, especially fo
the present year. is superlative. Withou
abundant food, alike for the armies anC
the peoples now at war, the whole grea
enterprise upon which we have embarked
will break down and fail. The world
food reserves are low. Not only durini
the present emergency. but for some tim,
after peace shall have come. both our owl
people and large proportion Of the PEG
pie Of Europe must rely upon the harvest
in America. Upon the farmers of thil
country, therefore in large measure. rest
the fate Of the war and the fate Of tn,
nations. May the nation not count upoI
them to omit no step that will increas,
the production of their land or that will
bring about the most effectual cooperation
in the sale and distribution Of their prod
uctsi The time is short. 1t is Of the mos
imperative importance that everything
possible be done. and done Immediately
tomake sure Of large harvests. call upoI
young men and old alike and upon the able
bodied boys Of the land to accept and ac
upon this duty-to turn in hosts to thu
farms and make certain that no pains anC
no labor is lacking in this great matter.
particularly appeal to the farmers o.
the South to plant abundant foodstuffs al
well as cotton They can show their patriot
ism in no better or more effective way
than by way Of resisting the great tempta