Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-03-22

OOD AMI OIHEK NECESSAHlES AS MEANS VI DEF ENCL
resident Burlington is said to have received from
close friend in Germany the following concealed and aconc
but graphic and highly significant message I'VE starv
ing"
Tuesdays Free Press contained the of the
Associated Press correspondent in France concerning the
treat of the Germans, including this sentence "The in
habants assert that the German soldiers told them weeks
they about retreat they unable to with
stand the constant attacks from the allies on all parts of the
line and further that they suffering from shortage
of food supplies"
The three wireless words" received by resident of
this city thus confirmed to conditions in the Father
and It safe say the troops will be fed first of all and
if they short Of supplies what must be the fate Of ord
nary citizens?
We are thus brought face to face not only with
Of instant destruction in Europes and Fastening
but also with problem which the people Of the United
When the people of an interior State like Vermont with
its great agricultural interests forced in time Of
in our land to consider seriously the question whether
they to be able food and fuel must ask
People in iddlebury and other towns directly on the
railroad to-day running limited supplies OF coal Even
residents the of Lake Champan wondering
why adequate supply of fuel not secured last summer
when boats running and resolving to take steps to
guard themselves against repetition OF present experiences
the coming summer with reopening of navigation.
With KINDS @ we to
necessities and substituting cheaper foodu while some
households various beserent countries where food cards
are issued
We have consider what conditions similar lnf1u
ences must combine in the more centers
of population throughout the United States to realize the
it, be Of Ss m
of attack by any power Of Europe or Asia.
any combination Of We must be PREPARED to de-
fend ourselves both coasts and be ready
antic and the Pacific the time The attempt of the
Kaiser to induce Japan to unite with Mexico against the
new alliance after the close Of the war shows us as
plain as day what should be prepared to encounter
demands that this nation become to far
greater degree than at present To-day we are importing
ing the fiscal year ending June 3d. 1915 imported meats
and dairy products to the considerable total of
to v the aggss fruits and
aus the extent cees ths value Of slos
Sed at '"'0s0 ana val
posed, and ought produce all meats and
importation of many of these food necessities Our
and prosperity combine to add emphasis to the con-
sdcraon that preparedness also the mobilization OF
food necessities and the ability to produce Them
Vermont for example is Just beginning to realize that we
not producing what should farms in single d
rection whether we consider beef pork mutton poultry
o o we s paess
to crowd Vermont farmers out of city markets and
are the does aa we ss It
ginning to realize that we have allowed outsiders to fix the
pie ourselves and have allowed farming industries to
lag accordingly
What is true Of Vermont is true of every other State
in the Union in similar and other directions We must be-
sefsusainng for national defense and for
advancement in prosperity well against the
time in the not distant future at present rapid rate of
increase when this nation will number 2O0OOO0OO people
We must prepare for national defense against possible
famine whether that famine from the efforts of foes
from without from lack of of transportation null
tpyng population other internal influences Sooner
later either all three of these factors combine to
force the people Of the United States to consider
regulation of food in quantities. just insisting
that shall the right kind of food to
purity and of transportation by railroad and We
all that sort of thing than have supposed
What need to consider at this particular time how
ever the food supplies at the very present
time We rapidly drifting into actual hostties with
Germany. We riding toward smoothly that do
not realize perous position. We short of
food supplies in many directions now We not produce
this region for four months at least and in of
crops it will take considerably longer What of the
immediate future in of war?
The experiences of the past three in Europe dem
onstrate that nation which enters this what