The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-06-28
THURSDAY. JUNE rs, 1917.
Calling in the Farmer.

in Kencsha county this week. In school
houses and towns halls out in the
county meetings are being held to call
the farmers Of Kenosha county to sit
In - on the hig doins brought about as
result of the nation being at war.
Somehow the farmer has been over
looked up to this time. He has not
been given the privilege Of doing his
bit. Cities have contributed largely
for the support of the suffering people
of Belgium, for the Red Cross, for the
Armenians and the Poles and for the
work of the Y. M. G. A. in the army
camps and for q score Of other neces-
sary things which must be done in con-
nection with nation of war, but a
great ind liberal body of the citizens
Of the nation have not been asked to
participate. True the people of the
rural districts have kicked in a little
for the Liberty Bonds, but when man
gets the best investment in the world
for his money he need not be neces-
sarily praised as a patriot.
In lining up the real benefciaries of
war the first man at the Lead of the
list should be the farmer and it is only
fair that he should be asked to do his
part toward bearing the expense of
big movements connected with the
proper defense Of the nation at war.
TboA bo hos boor eo Jonce ouarlonlo1
in Kenosha county is matter of re-
greet. 1t is possible that his interest
in intensive farming has so engrossed
his attention that he has not thought
of the possibility of his volunteering
his pocket-book and his mind and hand
to these movements, No class Of peo-
pie in Kenosha county are more able to
give to the funds now being raised
than the people of the rural commune
ties. Their business has not felt the
crushing blow of high prices. In
supreme command of ground to produce
the things they eat, the farmers have
largely escaped the advancing costs Of
living. They have had bounteous
harvests at prices for commodities
which have seldom been exceeded in
tie country or in any other country.
There are no ''poor mem on Kenosha
county farms now. With the coming of
war taxes these farmers are to be
largely exempt from the heavy burdens
that will be laid upon other lines Of
business. They will not be harassed
with taxes on "excess profits"
Out of their bounty, largely brought
by the existence of worldwide war,
it is but fair to expect that they will
bear their share of the cost.
These meetings are not with a view
of draining the farmers purse, but
with a view of opening to him the
way to patriotic service. 1t is not all
to be in giving. Some of it is to be in
saving. Some of it is to be given in
service of the hands in more produc-
tion. This is a selfish call to the farm
er to be patriotic in order that he may
win higher profits for himself.
The farmer must be real entity in
the war now and in the future. He
must come to the realization that out
of his large winnings he~ must give
something to that great general fund
which goes for "overhead. - Like a
lot of the rest of gus, he is not going
to be expected to fight. He can not
deny himself the patriotic privilege to
give and to give in every way that his
service and his money may be of great
est value to the nation. He should be
willing to join in general organization
of the country. Every school house
and every town hall in the county
should have raised over it the flag of
the nation as a recruiting Office. If it
is not recruiting office for men it
should be recruiting office for funds.
We do not believe that the farmer is a
"slacker" but on the other hand we
are of the opinion that he is just wait
ing for some one to point out to him
the proper way to organize his resources
that they may flow into the general
fund for the defense of the nation
These meetings being held are with
a view of giving the initiative. He
must in his own patriotic way work
out the detail and work it out with a
view that as a part Of a great nation,
sharing the protection, the victories
and defeats of a great nation he is 60
ing to do his integral part to contri-
butte The farmers of Kenosha county
have never been found lacking. When
man. power was demanded in '61
hundreds of farmer boys responded to
the call and hundreds of farmer girls
and women worked the farms that hus-
bands and fathers and brothers might
serve on the field of battle, We know
that the patriotism of the Kenosha
county farms IN 1917 is no less than
the patriotism of the same smiling hills
aud valleys of 1861