The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-04-19

81 take the liberty, therefore, OF ad-
dressing this work to the farmers OF
the country and to all who work on
the farms. The supreme need OF our
own nation and Of the nations with
which we are cooperating is an abun-
dant supply, especially for the pres
ent year. The importance of an ade-
quate food supply, especially for the
present year, is superlative. Without
abundant food alike for the 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 peop.e and
large proportion 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
effectual cooperation in the sale and
distribution of their products? The
time is short. 1t is Of the most imper-
ative importance that everything pos
sible be done and done Immediately to
make sure of large harvests. ! call
upon young men and old alike and up
on the abe-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 matter.
81 particularly appeal to the farm
ers of the South to plant abundant
foodstuffs as well as cotton. They
can show their patriotism in no better
or more convincing way than by re-
sisting the great temptation of the
present price of cotton and helping,
helpiag upon a great scale, to feed the
nation and the peoples everywhere
who are fighting for their liberties
and fer our own.
"Thc variety of their crops will be
the visible measure of their compre-
besion of their national duty.
"Thc government of the United
States and the governments of the
several states stand ready to cooper
ate. They will do everything possible
TO assist farmers in securing an ade-
qsatc supply Of seed, an adequate
force of laborers when they are most
needed, at harvest time, and the
: means Of expediting shipments of fer
tilizers and farm machinery, as vel
as of the crops themselves when har-
vested. The course of trade shall DC
as unhampered as it is possible tc
make it and there shall be no unwar'
ranted manipulation of the nations
food supply by those who handle 1t or
its way to the consumer. This is oul
opportunity to demonstrate the efiic
, iency of great democracy end W.
, shall not fall short of it.
, "This let me say to the middlemer
! of every sort, whether they are handl
ing our foodstuffs or our raw materl
: ais of manufacture or the products ol
p our mills and factories: The eyes o.
the country will be especially upol
s you. This is your opportunity 10
: signal service, efficient and disinter
\ ested. The country expects you, as i
f expects all others, to forego unusua
profits, to organize and expedite ship
ments of supplies of every kind, bu
S especially of food, with an eye to tn
g service you are rendering and in tn
spirit of those who enlist in the rank
c for their people, not for themselves
), shall confidently expect you to de
I serve and win the condolences o
h people of every sort and station.
d "To the men who run the railway
d of the country, whether they be man
c ayers or operative employees, let m
y say that the railways are the arterie
of the nations life and that upo
n them rests the immense responsibilit
n of seeing to it that those arteries SUI
J fer no obstruction of any kind, no in
d efficiency or slackened power. 10 Tn
Y merchant let me suggest the motto
d Small profits and quick service an
r to the shipbuilder the thought that tn
Y life of the war depends upon him. In
IS food and the war supplies must b
: carried across the sea no matter hoy
o many ships are sent to the bottom
e The places Of those that go down mus
If be supplied and supplied at once. l
d the miner let me say that he stand
e where the farmer does: The work Q
j. the world waits on him. If he slack
n ems or fails armies and statesmen ar
i HELPLESS. He also is enlisted in tn
q great service army. The manufactui
n or does not need to be told, hops