The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1917-07-05
HOW THE U.s.. IS
TO WIN The WAR
Food Commissioner Hoover Wants
Extravaganza Stopped.

United States Food Commissioner
Herbert Hoover has sent the following
timely article to The Republican and
requests its publication:
The weapons in this war are fighting
men. munitions, food, ships and finance
If we are to defend liberty in this year
1917 all these must be upon such scale
as will demand the energies of our
whole people. In previous wars small
proportion of the community went to
fight, another small portion was devot-
ed to their support, but the great bulk
of the nation did business as usual"
Autocracy has been for years organic
ing its resources to the end that they
have placed one out of seven of its
population on the fighting line and have
so modified the civil population as to
afford them complete support. They
have suppressed production of every
luxury and reduced even every neces-
sity. Their arrogant confidence that
they will become Masters of the
World is based upon their belief that
the materialism, the seltishness and
the jealousy of individual interest in
Democracy makes it impossible for it
to organize such a strength. They do
not deny the bravery of the men of
Democracy in battle, but they comfort
themselves in the belief that we have
not the self-sacrifice at home for their
support.
Our problem is not alone to mobilize
our civilian population for the support
of our fighting men but we also have
the responsibility of the support of the
fighting men of our allies. And food is
not the least of their necessities. One
of the great European statesmen has
said. 1.-The war will not be won by the
last 800, 900 fighting men, but will be
won by the last 500, 900 bushels of
wheat. 1t is within our ability to give
this last 500,0 bushels, but only if we
organize to produce. organize to save,
and organize to supply all.
We must feed our Allies that their
people may remain constant in the war.
Liberty cannot be obtained upon the
empty stomachs of the women and
children. Through the drain of war
our Allies have steadily decreased IN
food production and other agencies also
curtailed their supplies. Out of our
abundance. by eliminating waste and
extravaganza. il is in our power, and in
our power alone, to hold the wolf from
the door of the world. Our obligation
is greater than war itself-humanity
demands it of US.
We must save in all food. We must
eat plenty, but wisely and without
waste. If we save in our consumption
and our waste we can increase our sur
plus to export; if we substitute other
commodities for those we can export,
we can further increase this surplus.
Furthermore. by our economies we
can save major portion of the cost of
the war. We can increase our ability
to subscribe to Liberty Loans If we
save food we can lower the price of
living to our own people and relieve the
strain and distress under which they
labor today. We can only do this by
organization so that there shall be no
profteering from our economy, that all
shall bear the burden equally.
The Food Administration is a volun-
teer organization to be endowed with
powers by the Government This volun-
teer organization is not to be limited to
few executives in Washington. We
are solicitous, nay, anxious, to secure
as actual members of this volunteer eff
fort. every man and every woman,
every boy and girl in these United
States who will undertake the task with
US. There is no dictatorship in volun-
teer effort 1t is by voluntary mobiliza-
ton that we can answer AutOcracy
with Democracy. 1t is as great in eff
ticiency and greater in spirit.