The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-05-03
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Milford CO.. Pa,
April &c, 1917.

h' JourHhl,
Manchester, VI
Dear Mr.. Bennett;
In this great time, when every ciu-
zen must do his part, the President
has made his chief appeal TO the men
who live on the land He is right In
doing so, for the safety Of our coun-
try just now is in the hands Of our
farmers. 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 States
against foreign invasion hangs on the
decision Of the farmers Of the forty
eight States.
The two great weapons in this war
are arms and starvation. The war
against German arms will be won or
lost in France--the war against star
walton will be won or lost in America
The Kaiser cannot whip the French
and English armies and the English
navy while England has food. But Il
is still possible that the German sub
marines may be able to keep food
enough from reaching England to
starve her into submission.
II the submarines win, the first item
in the Kaiser's terms of peace will be
the English fleet With the English
fleet in his possession, the Kaiser will
be master Of the world.
What will happen to US thcn1
Every man who stops TO think knows
the answer. We shall have money,
food, labor, land,--everything that II
desirable in the world except the
power to protect what we have. Ex-
perts estimate that it will take W
nine months to get ready to meet .
German army Of even 10000 men,
with modern artillery Under such
would the Germans
,reat US better than they have already
,reated Belgium and France?
Even if the armies of our Allies
should crush the German military
power this summer, before the short
lge Of food can reach the point OF
want, the world would still need vast
Quantities of American food. But IL
hey do not, only one course can make
is safe, and that is TO grow food
nough on our farms for ourselves and
ur Allies, and TO put ships enough on
he sea to carry the food, in spite
( the submarines, to the men who
re fighting our fight.
If the war lasts beyond this sum-
ner,. it will be the American farmer
,ho will win or lose the war, who
ill overcome militarism and auto
racy, or allow them TO spread and
ontrol the world, ourselves included
This is no fanciful picture, but
ober fact. Many man will make
ght of it until he comes TO think it
yer, but ! venture to say that few
ill treat it lightly after careful
lought. It is no more impossible
IAN the great war itself appeared to
g, only a few days before it began.
1t is true that we can greatly in
ease the available food supply out
grain now used in making liquors,
nd by reducing household waste. But
hen these two things are done, and
me thoroughly, they will not be
lough. The final decision will still
st in the hands Of the men who
Use our food in the first place.
The clear duty of the Nation is to
larantee the farmers fair price for
cir crops when grown, and reas-
able supply Of labor at harvest. The
ear duty of the farmer is TO raise
cd enough to win this war for de-
ocracy against Kaiserism.
No such responsibility has ever
sted on any class Of men since the
,rld began as rests today on the
rmers of America.
Sincerely yours,