The evening herald. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1906-1942, 1917-05-08
CLIFFORD P|NCH0T
SAYS TO PREPARE.
FOLLOWING LerreR Recg,veo
FROM the eoaMsa FORESTER
sR'Nos OUT MEcess,rv OF
MAKING PREPARATIONS

Clifford Pinchot. formerly prominent
In the nations public affairs and man
Of public once. has sent out the fol.
lowing letter On preparedness:
In this great time. when every cit.
isen must do his part. the president
has made hts chief appeal to tho men
who live on the land. He 10 right In
doing 40. for the safety Of our country
just nov is In the hands Of our farm.
ens What mean Ia not merely our
safety and the safety Of our allies ln
the matter of food. I mean that the
safety Of the United States against
foreign invasion hangs on the deci.
sion of the farmers Of tho sorty. .eisht
states.
The two great weapons In this war
are arms and starvation. Tue war
against German arms will b won or
lost In France--thc war against starva.
ton will BE- won or lost In America.
The kaiser cannot whip the French
and English armies and the Britisn
navy while England has food. But Il
b still possible that the German sub.
marines may b. able to keep food
enough from reaching England TO-
starve her Into submission.
II the submarines win. the arst
item in the kAiser's terms OF peace viii
b the English neet With the Eng.
lish deet In his possession. the kaiser
will Be master OF the world.
What will happen to Us then! Ev.
cry man who stops to think knows the
answer. We shall have money. food,
labor. land-everythinE that 10 desir.
able in the world except the power to
protect what We have. Experts esti.
mate that Il will take 10 nine months
to get ready to meet . German army Of
even 10000 men. with modern artil.
lery. Under such circumstances,
would the Germans treat ~ better !
than they have already treated Del. |
GUM and France?
Even II the armies Of our allies
should crush the German military
power this summer. before the short.
age Of food can reach the point Of
want the world would stlll need vast |
quantities Of American food. But II
they do not. only one course can make
M safe. and that II to grow food
enough on our farms for ourselves and
our allies. and to put ships enough on
the sea to carry the food. in spite Of
the submarines. to the men who are
lighting our Asht.
III the war lasts beyond this sum.
mer. 1t will be the American farmer
who will win or lose the war. who viii
overcome militarism and autocracy. or
allow them to spread and control the
world. ourselves included.
This IL no fanciful picture. but 80.
Der fact. Many man will make light
II It until he comes to think It over.
but venture to say that few will
reat 1t lightly after careful thought.
I IL no more impossible than the great
var itself appeared to be. only few
lays before It began.
1T IL true that we can greatly in.
:rease the available food supply out
4 grain now used in making liquors
md BY reducing household waste. But
vhen these two things are done. and
lone thoroughly. they will not BE-
Tho nnal decision will still
eat In the hands OF the men who raise
ur food in the hrst place.
The clear duty Of the nation Ii to
the farmers q fair price for
heir crops when grown. and . reason. I
ble supply Of labor At harvest. The q
lear duty Of the farmer Ii to raise h
,od enough to win this war for democ. n
acy against kaiserism.
No such responsibility has ever rest. :,
q on any class Of men since the world
egan a. rests today on the farmers
! America" III