Middletown transcript. [volume] (Middletown, Del.) 1868-current, 1917-07-21
Presidents Embargo on Foods
and Other Supplies, Hard
Blow at Enemy.
AMERICAN CROPS TO Be Big
Russians, in Tremendous Drive on
Eemberg, Break Through Teuton
Line-GovernmentaI Crisis in
Germany May Result in
Internal Reforms.
BY EDWARD w. PiCKARD.


The matter of food, its production
and control, is becoming more i'm
.portant daily as a factor in ending
the war. The international aspect
was brought sharply to the front last
week when President Wilson pro-
claimed an embargo on shipments Of
food and certain other articles. No
one has been blind to the fact that
Holland and the Scandinavian coun-
tries have been shipping great guam
titles of foodstuffs into Germany ever
since the war began. This was with
in their rights, but to do it and still
feed their own populations, they have
been importing very heavily from
America. Therefore it is equally with
in the rights Of America, certainly
the part Of wisdom, to shut off the
expectation to neutrals Of all food
stuffs beyond what they need for their
own sustenance and what we and our
allies can spare. It would be stupid
to continue to supply food, even indi-
rectly, to our enemy, and the United
States, though slow to act, is now act
ing firmly. The neutral nations of
course are wailing, but If they are not
for US they are in degree against US
and must stand the consequences.
President Wilson, being a humani-
tartan, insists that the neutrals named
must be permitted to ship into Ger
many dairy products provided that
they can give guarantees that such
products will be consumed only by
women and children and other nom
combatants. This is kindly, but ig-
nores the fact that the German women
are doing most of the work in the en-
pire, releasing all the men for fighting.
Great Crops In America.
The success of the American cam
paign for the increase of production
is demonstrated by the highly encour-
aging government forecast Of crops.
The acreage sown was immense and
the general outlook is for correspond
ingly immense yields of all grains ex-
cept wheat, and even in wheat there
will be fair average crop. The yield
of corn will be tremendous, and in q
word, the United States will have not
only an abundance of food grains for
itself, but also great surplus stocks for
its allies. The crop of potatoes will
be the biggest on record, and the hay
crop, also Of prime importance, will
be heavy.
On the other hand, Food Controller
Batocki, says Germany's fruit and veg
etable harvest is far below the aver
age and that the yield of grain will be
''as good as In 1916" which was
the empire
The senate is still trying to formu-
late q law to regulate the distribution
and use Of the country's food and prob
ably other supplies of vital Importance,
and has agreed to vote on the bill on
July 81. The long and patience ex-
hausting wrangle over this measure
has been caused largely by the deter
minatiOn of the "drys" to take advan-
tage of the circumstances and make
it prohibition law. Whether the dis
tillation of whisky shall be prohibited,
whether the stocks in bond shall be
Communicated and used for munitions,
whether beer and wine shall survive |
or perish. and a dozen other like ques-
lions have been the subjects of argu |
ment and dispute. The inclusion or
exclusion Of fuel, steel and other prod
ucts also has been debated at length.
Meanwhile President Wilson and Mr.. |
Hoover have fdgeted and fumed and
urged in vain, the food spectators
have been making immense unearned