The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1917-04-26
AN APPEAL TO THE BEST IN you
Patriotism and Loyalty to Those De-
pendent on You'll is Also an APP
neal to Self Interest - Read and
Reason and Thus Draw an intelh-
gent Conclusion.


gent Conclusion.
The manhood and the womanh0Soo
pf linton county are on trlal' Inc
eyes of the nation and the Worla are
nnop us and our sister southern com,
nnnities. and the next few days win
demonstrate whether we possess the
savino graces Of common sense ana
natriotisn. or the vices of blind greed
and reasonable eupidity' .,.,,4
There IS a food shortage throughout
the world. President Wilson says So
The limited States Department 81 Ag,,
rienltnre saws SO. The International
Institute of Agriculture sa%a 50, ana y
speaks as the worlds greatest authoF-
ifv an the food conditions.
Even now food prices have passed
the high water mark, They have
reached and passed the flood stage |
Flonr Il $500 a barrel; sugar is u
cents. bacon 30 cents and lard - cents
j hound. corn is SITS and peas S5.9O
hughei: potatoes a dollar a peek;
Ann ROOD PRICES ARE STILL
RISING. -. a4.a
N under present conditions, cotton
Il me- cheapest commodity on the mar
ket. When pound OF lint cotton VII
not buy pound Of bacon OF q leaI
lard, it is too cheap to be MADE our
sole dependence for the purchase OF
food supplies. 1t is cheaper to raise
our own hogs, corn, potatoes, vegeta'
HES chickens, and eggs than to raise
.cn4tnn ID exchange for these at pre-
vailing market prices. IA.
And the present outlook is that
there will be a greater advance ~
Food prices than in cotton prices
should the war end in GO days which
Il hardly possibility--it will be too
late for the munition makers ana me
soldiers to raise food crops this year
Europe would still be dependent upon
America and other countries for her
food supplies. When mustered out OF
service. her soldiers can patch UP their
oId civilian clothes and press theTa m
to service, but they can not patch their
last years dinner and make it satisfy
a present hunger. There is, therefore,
FAR less of the element of speculation
n producing food crops this year than
there is in raising cotton.
But If cotton should reach an aD-
normally high price next fall, and our
cotton crop brings US much goid,
where would we profit If we could not
INV foodstuffs with the proceeds fon
can't eat cotton and you can't eat gold.
Even now. money will not buy all you
want ii the way Of food. If you do
not believe this. try to purchase a
barrel of sugar and a sack OF eofeea
from your local grocer. These can n .,.
be had in these quantities BY any citl-
zen Of the county, regardless OF ms
wealth or social standing
The world must be fed from TINS
years food crops. II tins crop i
short, somebody must go hungry, ano
that somebody may be you and yours
Mr.. Cotton Planter: There Is dan.
ger ahead, STOP. LOOK! LISTEN
Our country is at war, and it is mo-
j plav war either. For America !
may involve the dread issues OF lif'
or death,
ADEQUATE food supplies are as es
-sential as guns and soldiers for win
ming this war. Our allies can no
force back the Germans unless there !
the driving power Of bread ana mea
behind their shot and shells. Our owl
brave soldier boys can not carry tn
flag to victory on empty stomachs.
IN naval battle the engineers O
the ship play as important and q
dangerous a part as the men wh
sight the big guns. Should these ia
n their duty the work of the gunner
would be in vain and so it is with tn
farmers in this war. They are Tn
engineers Of the Ship Of State and ca
and should furnish the power ths
keeps it ahoat and ready for actlol
and, unlike the engineer on the battl
ship, they can do this without risk
life or limb.
In the face of SO tremendous r
sponsibility it is unthinkable that an
farmer, or citizen, Of Upton count
should be SO false to the flag and
humanity as to refuse to do his dut
IA a soldier Of the commissary III
man who plants nothing but cote
on his farm this year aids and abe
the enemies Of his country
President Wilson has requested Il
aid of every farmer and every citi2'
in the work of conserving the food +
sources of the country. Under prese
conditions, this is equivalent to cor
mand, and in time of war it is da
gerous thing to disobey the orders
the chief magistrate Of the nation
matters pertaining to national defen'
The farmer who turns his back on I
country now by running his farm
the interest Of its enemies may eXpe
the government, next year, to ia
charge of that farm and run it in t
interest of America rather than tn
Of Germany.
But in this crisis, an increase
food production is no more essent
than the prevention Of waste in fo
consumption. Extravaganza is the
setting sin of the American peoI
and in the campaign for food p
paredness too much emphasis can !
be placed upon the necessity for thr
and frugality in the management
every household.
In this war, when thrifty patri
ism is SO much needed, let us place
flag in the kitchen, rather than on
housetop. On the housetop it wo
serve chiefly as an ornament; in
kitchen it ~would daily remind
housekeeper that there is q genu
patriotism in household economy.
Our women are as patriotic today