St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1917-04-28
PRES. TELLS WHAT is
EXPECTED OF THE
PEOPLE.
(Cnnfinued from page u

armies and the peoples now at war,
the whole great enterprise upon
which we have embarked will break
down and fail. The worlds food
reserves are low. Not only during
the present emergency but for some
time after peace shall have come both
our own people and a large proper
ton Of the people of Europe must
rely upon the .harvests in America.
Upon the farmers of this country,
therefore, in large measure, rests the
fate Of the war and the fate of the
nations. May the nation not count
upon them to omit no step that will
increase the production of their land
or that will bring about the most ef-
fectual cooperation in the sale and
distribution of their products? The
time is short. 1t is OF the most I'M
peratiye importance that everything
possible be done and done immedi-
ately to make sure of large harvests.
/ call upon young men and old alike
and upon the able-bOdied boys Of the
land to accept and act upon this
duty-to turn in hosts to the farms
and make certain that no pains and
no labor is lacking in this great mat
ter.
particularly appeal to the farm
ers of the South to plant abundant
food stuffs as we'll as cotton. They
can show their patriotism in no bet
ter or more convincing way than by
resisting the great temptation Of the
present price of cotton and helping,
AVsHfr 10f
the nation and the peoples every.
where who are fighting Tor their lib
critics and for our own. The variety
of their crops will be the visible
measure of their comprehension Of
their national duty.
The Government of the United
States and the governments of the
several states stand ready to cooper
ate. They will do everything pos
sible to assist the farmers in secur.
ing an adequate supply of seed, and
adequate force of laiOrers when they
are most needed, at harvest time,
and the means of expetliting ship
ments of fertilizers and farm ma
chinery, as we'll as of the crops them
selves when harvested. The course
Of trade shall he as unhampered as
It is possible to make it and there
shall be no unwarranted manipula-
ton of the nations food supply by
those who handle it on its way to
the consumer. This is our OppOr-
tunity to demonstrate the efficiency
of q great Democracy and we shall
not fall short of it
This let me say to the middlemen
of every sort, whether they are
handling our food stuffs or our raw
materials of manufacture or the pro-
ducts of our mills and factories: The
eyes of the country will he especial
~ upon you. This is your oppor-
tunity for signal service, efficient and
disinterested. The country expects
you, as 1t expects all others, to fore
60 unusual profits, to organize and
expedite shipments Of supplies OF
every kind, but especially of food,
with an eye to the service you are
rendering and in the spirit Of those
who enlist in the ranks, for their
people, not for themselves. shall
confidently expect you to deserve and
win the confidence of people of every
sort and station.
To the men who run the railways,
Of the country, whether they be man
ayers or operative employees, let me
say that the railways are the ar
teries of the nations life and that
upon them rest the immense respon-
sibility of seeing to it that those ar
teries suffer no obstruction Of any
kind, no inef1iciency or slackened
power. To the merchant let me sug-
gest the motto, "Small profits and
quick SERVICE" and to the shipbuild-
er the thought that the life of the
war depends upon him. The food
and the war supplies must be car
ried across the seas no matter how
many ships are sent to the bottom.
The places of those that go down
must be supplied and supplied at
once. To the miner let me say that
he stands where the farmer does:
the work of the world waits on him.
II he slackens and fails, armies and
statesmen are helpless. He also is
enlisted in the great Service Army.
The manufacturer does not need to
be told, / hope, that the nation looks
to him to speed and perfect every
process; and want only to remind
his employees that their service is
absolutely indispensable and is count
ed on by every man who loves the
country and its liberties.
Let me suggest, also, that every
one who creates or cultivates q gar
den helps, and helps greatly, to solve
the problem Of the feeding of the
nations; and that every housewife
who practices strict economy puts
herself in the ranks of those who
serve the nation. This is the time
for America to correct her unpar-
dOnablc fault of wastefulness and ex-
trayagance. Let every man and wO-
man assume tho duty OF careful,
pr0vident use and expenditure as a
public duty, as q dictate Of patriot.
ism which no one can now expect
ever to be excused or forgiven for
ignoring.
In the hope that this statement of
the needs of the nation and OF the
world in this hour OF supreme crisis
may stimulate those to whom it
comes and remind all who need re-
minder of the solemn duties of a
time such as the world has never
seen before. l beg that all editors
and publishers everywhere win give
as prominent publication and as wide
circulation as possible to this appeal.
I venture to suggest, also, to all adj
vertising agencies that they would
perhaps render q very substantial