The Washington times., 1917-05-04
Stop Feeding Germany

Germany's neutral nelghborS is ar
urgent war measure which we have
repeatedly pressed. While a bill tC
this purpose is being debated in the
Senate the drain on American fooC
stores, diminished to provision these
neutrals, continues, and so likewise
continues the steady passage of these
ne1trals' own foodstuffs into Ger
many.
The realization of this condition is
pretty general. The Swiss, one OF
the neutral nations, are much alarm
ed, for they know that Switzerland
by purveying cattle to her German
neighbor, has incurred the risk OF
losing her import allowance of bread
stuffs. In Paris, the assistance rem
dered by neutrals to Germany and
dependent on the victualling of these
neutrals by the allies is vividly real
lied. NJ. Jean Herbette writes in the
Echo de Paris to urge that the
United States have representative
on the commission charged with su-
pervision of the rations sent to neu-
tral countries.
1t is certain that the entry Of the
United States into the war has
changed the situation of the Euro
pean neutrals. Previously it was the
right of Americans to ship to Scan
dinavia, Holland, and even land
locked Switzerland. Entente efforts
to cut down the supplies to these
countries were limited by the need
t. consider America. With this
country now a belligerent, seeking
the defeat of Germany and the sus-
tenance of the western allies, a new
policy is due. We have presented
figures to show how heavily imports
of American food on the part of
Switzerland, Holland, Denmark, Swe-
den, and Norway have increased
since the war came and Germany's
food necessities grew. NJ. Herbette
now in turn cites figures at the other
side of the account. In the first nine
months of 1915, he writes, Switzer-
land sent Germany only 6,S61 head
of cattle 1.-THE war then being young,
and beef and mutton not to be grown
in a day.; in the same months of
1916 she sent Germany 21,951 head.
They were, to speak in the language
of the strategists, released for duty
on the German table by the arrival
of Americas food re-enforcements in
Switzerland itself. Exports of
cheeses and the like at the same time
went from 377 quintals up to 10,19S
quintals. Denmark, which had sold
Germany 1,44S tons of meat in 1913
(prior to the war; shipped her 96,200
tons in 1916; every pound of the
whole quantity Denmark's approx
mate normal meat supply for a year
was made good by food shipments,
chiefly from the United States. As
for Danish butter, the Germans got
50,520 tons of it in 1916. against
1,570 ,ons in 1918.
The question is whether the United
States shall go on making up the
equivalent of these huge food ship
ments to Germany. Shall we con-
tinue to nourish these five neutral
nations, so that they may bite the
hand that feeds them by turning
their own proper food stores over to
Germany? The neutrals take so
many tons of food from US, they turn
so many tons over to Germany, and
they profit to the extent of the high
er price they get from Germany. 1t
is precisely as if America were pay
ing these nations fat commission Of
several hundreds of millions yearly
to forward food to the Kaiser.
Could anything be more singular,
Or more tragically unreasonable.
than to let this go on? Yes, there is
one point in which the full folly of
the present course is yet to be re-
vealed, and that the chief point of
ALL The food which we thus send to
our enemy and in effect subsidize |
these neutrals to forward, is drawn
from a stock absolutely inadequate
for the safety, as to food, of our
selves and our allies!
The neutral feeders Of Germany
are estimable countries, and we can
not in fairness be indignant with |
them for taking the full advantage of
their neutrality. We can avoid being |
the dupes of the simple hocus-pocus
by which they put our food on their
tables and slip their own dinner out
to Germany, by the back door.
What will happen II the husband OF |