The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1917-04-21
APPEAL TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
President Wilson Points Out the Duty of All Glasses
in This Great Crisis-Increased Production, Econ
omy, Frugaty and Patriotic SeIf-Sacrihce Essential
to National Success in the World War

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 III hosts
to the farms and make certain that no
pains and no labor is lacking in this
great matter.
particularly appeal to the farmers
of the south to plant abundant food
stuffs as we'll as cotton. They can
show their patriotism in no better or
more convincing way than by resist
ing the great temptation of the pres
ent price of cotton and helping, help
ing upon great scale, to feed the
nation and the peoples everywhere
who are fighting for their liberties
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 coop
crate They will do everything pos
sible to assist farmers IN securing an
adequate supply of seed, an adequate
force of laborers when they are most
needed, at harvest time, and the
means of exediting shipments of
fertilizers and farm machinery, aS
tn as of the crops themselves when
til ,ested. The course of trade shall
covaeahampered as it is possible to
make it and there shall be no un-
warranted manipulation Of the ma
tion's food supply by those who han.
die it on it's way TO the consurilerr
This IS our opportunity to demons
strate the efficiency of great de-
mocracy and we shall not fall shoEt
of it!
This let me say to the middlemen
of every sort, whether they are
handling our foodstuffs or our raw
materials of manufacture or the
products of our mills and factories
The eyes of the country will be es-
pecially upon you. This is your op-
portunity for signal service. efficient
and disinterested. The country ex-
poets you, as it expects al others, to
forego unusual profi~ss~ 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 peo-
pie, not for themselves. ! shall con
fidently expect you to deserve and
win the confidence Of people OF every
sort and station.
To the men who run the railways
j Of the country, whether they be man
4 ayers or operative employees, let me
I Isay that the railways are the arteries
il of the nations life and that upon
j them rests the immense responsible
{ ity OF seeing to it that those arteries
, Isuffer no obstruction of any kind, no
inefficiency or slackened power. To
, the merchant let me suggest the mot
! to "smaIl profits and qe.ck service,
i and to the shipbuilder the thought
j that the life OF the war depends up
on him. The food and the war sup.
, plies must be carried across the seas
: no matter how many ships are sent
, to the bottom. The places Of those
!, that 60 down must be supplied and
: supplied at once. To the miner lei
: me say that he stands where the farm
: er does: The work Of the world waitl
ION him. If he slackens or fails, ar
: mics and statesmen are helpless. Ill
also is enlisted in the great servlc'
!, army. The manufactures does no
Ineed to be told, hope, that the ma
j Ition looks to him to speed and psIeci
Il every process; and want only to re
4od. his employees that their servlc'
atvGbsolutely indispensable and il
annted on by every man who love'
xsJt1h country and it's liberties,
+ Let me suggest, also, that ever!
4 one who creates or cultivates o gar
) den helps, and helps greatly, to solv'
/ the problem of the feeding OF the ma
r tons; and that every housewife VIII
= practices strict economy puts herset
t in the ranks of those who serve tn
y nation, This Is the time for Americ
n to correct her objectionable fault o
e lwastefuIness and extravaganza. lie
n Ieyery man and every woman assum
! the duty of careful, provident use ar
e Expenditure as public duty, as
It dictate of patriotism which no on
n can now expect ever to be excused
Is forgiven for ignoring.
:. In the hope that this statement
i she needs Of the nation and OF II
i world III this hour of supreme cris
> NAV stimulate those to whom
.e comes and remind all who need r
/, minder of the solemn duties of a tin
= Isuch as the world has never seen b
IS fore, / beg that all editors and pu
ic Fishers everywhere will give as pro,
4 inent publication and as wide circ
tation al possible to this appeal.
T. venture to suggest, also, to ali q
If vertising agencies that they wou
N perhaps give it widespread repetitie
lr And | hope that clergymen will n
th shink the theme of it an unworthy
IN inappropriate subject of CONNIE
ly md honaily from their puIpits.
IN The supreme test Of the natl
or has come. We must all speak,
h and serve together!
ae WOODROW WILSON
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