Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1917-04-26

omically managed and better adapted
our task than they have been; and
what | want to say is that the men
and the women who devote their
thought and their energy to these
things will be serving the country
and conducting the fight for peace
and freedom just as truly and just
as effectively as the men on the
battlefield or in the trenches. The
industrial forces of the country, men
and women alike will be a great ma
tionat, great International, Ser
vice Army.-a notable and honored
host engaged in the service of the
nation and the world, the efficient
friends and saviors of free men
everywhere. Thousands, nay, hun
dreds of thousands. of men other
wise liable to military service will OF
right and of necessity be excused
from that service and assigned to
the fundamental, sustaining work of
the fields and factories and mines,
and they will be as much a part of
the great patriotic forces of the ma
ton as the men under fire.
| take liberty. therefore, of ad
dressing this word to the farmers of
the country and to all who work on
the farms: The supreme need of
our nation and of the nations with
which we are cooperating is an
abundance of supplies and especially
of food stuffs. The importance of
an adequate food supply, especially
for the present year, is superlative.
Without abundant food, alike for
the armies and the peoples now at
war, the whole great enterprise upon
which we have embarked will break
down and fail. The worlds food re-
serves are low. Not only during the
present emergency but for some
time after peace shall have come
both our own people and large
proportion of the people of Europe
must rely upon the harvests in
America. Upon the farmers of this
country, therefore. in large measure,
rests the fate of the war and the
fate of the nations. May the nation
not count them to omit no step that
will increase the production of their
land or that will bring about the
most effectual cooperation in the
sale and distribution of their pro-
ducts? The time is short. 1t is of
the most imperative importance that
everything possible be done and
done Immediately to make sure of
large harvests. ! call upon young
men and old alike and upon the
able-bOdied boys to accept and act
upon his duty.-to turn in hosts TO
the farms and make certain that no
pains and no labor is lacking in this
! great matter.
| particularly appeal to the far
mers of the South to plant abundant
| food stuffs as well as cotton. They
can show their patriotism in no
| better or more convincing way than
! by resisting the great temptation of
the present price of cotton and help
| ing, helping upon a 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 comprehen-
sion of their national duty.
The Government of the United
| States and the government 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 ade-
quite force of laborers when they
are most needed, at harvest time,
and the means of expediting ship
ments of fertilizers and farm ma
chinery, as well as of the crops
themselves when harvested. The
course of trade shall be as unham-
pered as it is possible to make it