Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-10-13

by one. our allies across the SEA have
been taking the men from the farm
and from the factory and sending
them to the firing line. Each man
sent TO the firing line meant one less
who could be relied upon to help
produce the food that will win the
war
England, France, Italy and Belgium,
says the war creed OF the kitchen,
which. after all, completely states the
problem and presents the solution,
taken together. even in times OF
peace. import 80 percent of their
foodstuffs. bur now with their mil
lions upon the firing line. they must
import more heavily than before,
There are stores OF wheat in Aus
tralia. there is food in South America,
but ships are scarce, Time is vital
factor. The voyage to Australia and
TO South America takes too long. II
int HttuS VI llipSt NhO HShA ioi uH
across the sea are to be met the food
that sustains those fighters must
come from this country.
Ii the laborer is worthy of his hire
surely the fighter is worthy OF his
food. Tha, is a principle universally
accepted by the American public.
However, warns the United States
Food Administration, it is not every
product that can be sent across the
sea. Corn will not serve the need;
our allies have never used II as q
food, they have no mills to grind II;
turn il into meal in this country and
ii would spoil before is could reach
European port. There are just
four classes OF products, the expert
says, that We must send TO our allies
ii our duty to them is 10 be dis
charged They need meat. wheat,
sugar and dairy products. But, say
the experts. who have gathered the
figures. unless American consumption
OF those foodsfuffs is reduced below
the normal consumption our reserve
will not he large enough TO meet the
need. And so the problem becomes a
simple one. at least when studied.
We can conserve our wheat by in
creasing our consumption OF other
grains. We can conserve our meat by
making a greater demand upon the
resources of the fish market. All OF
these expedents are known to the
American housewife.
II the United States We're an auto
cratic country there would be no pop
uar appeal for the conservation OF
food control The mailed fist would
rule in the kitchen. Imperial food
DEGREES would be enforced at the point
of the bayonet. But ours Is not an
autocratic country Food control is
in the hands of the people themselves,
and it is to the people that the Food
Administration has appealed in the
Food Pledge Card Campaign.
Herbert Hoover has termed this
appeal an unprecedented adventure
in democracy an adventure that will
determine whether or not demo
cratic form OF government is after
all, fitted to engage ina death crap
pie with an autocracy.
The appeal in the Food Pledge
Week Campaign is that the homes OF
this country be enrolled as members
of the United States Food Admnistra-
ton. Broadly speaking the United
States Food Administration includes
every man, woman and child in the
United States because food control is
in the hands of the people.
The Food Pledge Week Campaign,
therefore, resolves itself into an eff
fort to secure as result Of voluntary
agreement pledges insurng the gen
eral support for a well-defned pro-
gramme of food conservation. The
Food Pledge Weew Campaign repre-.
sents an effort to induce as many OF
the American homes as possible to
unite in a common policy. Our wheat
reserves can be conserved II every