Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1917-04-20
Fight Or Work, Says MIR. Grain.

That there must be no shirkers while the
Nation is in state Of war was emphasized
by Robert Grain, Chairman of the Exten-
sion Committee Of the State Board Of Az
riculture. and large land owner of Charles
county. in a statement to extension work
ers today. Mr. Grain said. ITO meet the
demand for food here and abroad. believe
there should be an immediate survey made
in every State Of the untitled land avail
able for crop production. In Maryland this
survey should be made by the authorities
of the State College of Agriculture coop
Grating with the Council for National De-
Tense. Each county should be surveyed at
once so that we may know the amount Of
untitled land available and what crops it
is suited to produce. In time of war we
cannot allow any good crop-producing lands
to lie idle. This information should be re-
ported to our State College Of Agriculture
as promptly as possible. through its field
agents and workers, as matter Of first i'm
portance to the State. This will enable
the Council for National Defense to take
immediate steps for tilline this land and
producing the needed crops. Food produc-
ton in Germany is limited by the area
available. In this country we have thous-
ands Of acres lying idle. more good farm
ing land unused than all the land in Ger
many put together. AS soon as the survey
of these lands is completed, the State
and Federal Governments should make
them produce, The strong arm of the
Government should be used to provide the
necessary labor to till these lands. There
must be no bread lines in the cities this
winter. Every able-bodied man must fight
or work. | would have the Government
put tag on every man. Mark him either
Fighter" or worker" We should know
that every man is doing a service for his
country, II he is already worker Of any
kind-banker or bootblack-mark him.
Have him recorded as a worker. II man
is loafer, any or all of the time in the
city or in the country, find out what he can
do. II he can fight, enlist him. II he can
not fight, tag him as a worker and put
him to work. II he consumes food, he
must produce food or else fight. We must
have no idlers to feed. would make our
slogan-FIGHT OR WORK"
This plan will give US the needed labor to
work the untitled lands and provide
against shortage Of labor in the harvest
season. When the country boy volunteers,
as he will certainly do. there will be some
one to take his place on the farm He will
know. too. that no idlers in the city or
country will have to be fed without work
ing while he is in the army service. The
men in the country have been our back
bone in the time Of war in the past. They
will be the backbone Of our fighting ma
chine now but we do not want them fight
ing unless every other able-bodied man is
fighting with them or working to feed them
and the dependents they have left at
home. No man should be left in the city
who is not usefully employed. II he can't
fight, he can learn to pillow. grub and pitch
hay, as well as the countryman can learn
to shoulder and fire gun. Neither should
an idle man be left in the country while
there is land to work or crops to harvest.
Put him to work.
When the crops on these untitled lands
are harvested they should be supplied d.
rect to the army and navy. or offered to
the consumers at living price. There
should be only one buying and selling.
In war time we must have no waste Of
food or delay in supplying Il, where IL is
needed, at the least possible cost We
must see to it that our army fed and