The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1917-05-03
THE PEOPLES FORUM.

rlr. Clifford Pinchot Close Friend of
Col. Roosevelt, and at One Time
Head of The Conservation Com
mission Sends a Timely Note of
Warning.
Mr.. B. H. Sincell,
The Republican,
Oakland, Md.
Dear Mr.. Sincell:-In this great time,
when every citizen must do his part, the
President has made his chief appeal to
the men who live on the land. He is
right in doing SO, for the safety Of cur
country just now is in the hands of our
farmers. What | mean is not merely
our safety and the safety of our Allies
in the matter of food. I mean that the
safety of the United States against for
eign invasion hangs on the decision of
the farmers of the forty eight States.
The two great weapons in this war
are arms and starvation. The war
against German arms will be won or
lost in America. The Kaiser cannot
whip the French and English armies
and the English navy while England has
food. But it is still possible that the
German submarines may be able to keep
food enough from reaching England to
starve her into submission.
If the submarines win, the first item
in the Kaiser's terms of peace will be
the English fleet. With the English
fleet in his possession, the Kaiser will
be master of the world.
What will become of US then? Every
man who stops to think knows the
answer. We shall have money, food,
labor, land-eyerything that is desir-
able in the world except the power to
protect what we have. Experts esti-
mate that it will take US nine months
to get ready to meet German army of
even $50, 900 men, with modern artil-
hery. Under such circumstances, would
the Germans treat US better than they
have already treated Belgium and
France?
Even if the armies of our Allies should
crush the German military power this
summer, before the shortage of food
can reach the point of want, the world
would still need vast quantities Of
American food. But if they do not,
only one course can make US safe, and
that is to grow food enough on our
farms for ourselves and our Allies, and
to put ships enough on the sea to carry
the food, in spite Of the submarines, to
the men who are fighting our fight.
If the war lasts beyond this summer,
it will be the American farmer who will
win or lose the war, who will overcome
militarism and autocracy, or allow them
to spread and control the world, our
selves included.
4. This is no fanciful picture, but sober
'.Iaet. Many a man will make light of it
-.4ntiI he comes to think it over, but l
venture to say that few will treat it
lightly after careful thought. 1t is no
more impossible than the great War
itself appeared to be, only few days
before it began.
1t is true that we can greatly increase
the available food supply out of grain
now used in making liquors, and by re-
ducing household waste. But when
these two things are done, and done
thoroughly, they will not be enough.
TIE final decision will still rest in the
hands of the men who raise our food in
the first place.
The clear duty of the Nation is to
guarantee the farmers fair price fol
their crops when grown, and a reason
able supply of labor at harvest. The
clear duty of the farmer is to raise
food enough to win this war for dem
ocracy against Kaiserism.
No such responsibility has ever rested
on any class of men since the world be-
gan as rests today on the farmers of
America.
Sincerely yours,
CLIFFORD PINCHoT.
Milford, Pike Co., Pa.
Anril 20 1917