The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1917-05-03
UP TO THE FARMERS
TO WIN THE WAR
FOOD SUPPLY is IMPERATIVE IF
THE WORLD is TO DEFEAT
kAlSERISM
CLIFFORD P|McHOT SOUNDS WARNING
The Defeat of The Allies Means Sub
lection of World-Undersea
Boats Big Factor

In this great time, when every citi.
zen must do his part, the President
has made his chief appeal to the men
doing so, for the safety of our country
just now is in the hands of our farm
ers. What | mean is not merely our
safety and the safety Of our Allies in
the matter of food. | mean that the
safety of the United Stataes against
foreign invasion hangs on the decision
of the farmers of the forty-eight states.
Ihe two great weapons in this war
are arms and starvation. The wal
against German arms will be won or
lost in France-the war against starva-
ton will be won or lost in America.
and English armies and the English
navy while England has food. But it
is still possible that the German sub
marine 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
feet in his possession, the Kaiser will
be master of the world.
What will happen to us then? Every
man who stops to think knows the an
swer. We shall have money, food,
labor, land.-everything that is de-
sirable 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 a German army of
even 10000 men, with modern artil-
lery. Under such circumstance
would the Germans treat us better
than they have already treated Bel
GUM and France?
Even il the armies of our Allies
should crush the German military
power this summer, before the short
age of food can reach the point Of
want, the world would sill need vast
quantities of American food. But II
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 fool, in spite
of the submarines. tc the men who
are fighting our fight.
If the war lasts beyond this sum
mer, 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, ourselves included.
This is no fanciful picture, but sober
fact. Many a man will make light of
it until he m to think it over, but
I 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 a few days
before it began.
It is true that we can greatly in
crease the available food supply out
of grain now used in making liquors,
and by reducing household waste. But
when these two things are done, and
done thoroughly, they will not be
enough. The 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 a fair price for
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 demo
cracy against Kaiserism.
No such responsibility has ever rest
ed on any class of men since the world
began as rests today on the farmers OF
America.