Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1917-02-28
THE IMPERATIVE DUTY is TO
PROVIDE FOR NATIONAL DE
FENSE AND STOP THE
EXHAUSTION OF Ma
TIONAL RESOURCES.

(From the New York American,
February 27D

FeDfuary Z7.)
Two days before the expiration of
the thirty-ninth Congress, on March
2, 1867, that body ordered that the
new Congress assemble on the
second day thereafter, March 4,
1867, in order that there should be
no interim at all This extraordi-
nary, though constitutional action
was taken because there were ques-
tions of such momentous Importance
calling for settlement at once. The
same condition confronts the Con-
gress now There are questions of
the most vital Importance which It
is physically impossible for this Con-
gress to settle and yet which must
be settled for the good Of the nation.
We urge the Congress to order its
successor to assemble on March 6,
and begin its session with the be-
ginning of the Presidents new term,
because the welfare Of the country
and the peace of the country i'm
Deratively demand such action Two
great problems require immediate
solution. They cannot wait until
December. One OF these is universal
military training and putting the
country in q posture OF adequate de-
Tense The other is supplying food
and other necessities of life to the
workers of the country at prices
within their means. Both these
matters are of the utmost import
ance and both are pressing and inn
mediate problems. The most press
ing Is the question Of food supply
because hunger cannot wait and be-
cause hunger Is ALWAYS danger
Gus. The mildest-mannercd man
that ever lived viii resort to force to
get food for wife and children IL
there is no other way he can come
by food for them 1t takes weeks to
pass q law, but deprive any number
OF people OF food for q few days and
you will have rioting and bloodshed
and defiance of all laws. Now, while
there are other minor reasons for
the cost of living having at last
climbed beyond the reach of the
working peoples means, the out
standing reason Is that food and all
other necessities OF life have become
scarce. 1t is not true that great
warehouses are stocked with food
held by remorsoless spectators in
human suffering. The stocks of food
in cold storage and in warehouses
and in transit were never SO small in
years as they are at this very mo-
ment. This Is no ARTIFICIAL
scarcity which has been created to
fatten speculators' bank accounts.
IT Is real scarcity. 1t is a scarcity
which will grow worse and worse
unless Congress has tho wisdom and
the courage to end the CAUSE of tho
scarcity. THE CAUSE Of the scarcity
Is as plain as daylight We have not
enough food and fuel and clothing
on hand to keep prices reasonable
and normal because we have per-
mitted the munitions makers to de-
moralizc other productive businesses
and to lure labor away from tho
farms and factories, thereby curtail-
ing production of necessities. There
are at least 12,000,000 men under
arms in Europe who are far better
clothed and fed than an American
workman can afford to keep himself
or afford to keep his family. These
men arc doing their masters bidding
and destroying the production and
the wealth OF the world, as well as
the lives of their adversaries and
themselves And they are kept at
this murderous and terrible task
month after month, because the food
and the other necessities which
ought to be in the homes Of Amer
lean workers ARE SOLD; TO BE
USED IN PROLONGING THE
WORLDS WOE AND DESTRUC-
TION.
Now, the Congress Of the United
States cannot help it that there is
war in Europe; but the Congress OF
the United Statos can put an end to
this wars robbery Of the workers OF
America The Congress can stop
that. The Congress can protect its
own people from ruin. The Congress
can stand between the food supplies
Of our peaceable and industrious
workers and the grasping hands Of
Europe's belligcrent governments.
The Congress can write across our
seaports the words: America first!"
The whole world is short Of food.
Our own food supplies are reduced
to the danger point by abnormal
sales to European belligcrents, and
the labor necessary to grow greater
crops to supply the loss is drawn
away from the farms and fields to
the huge factories, where the muni-
tions makers add new millions of
blood-money to the millions that
have already swollen their riches be-
yond all former dreams OF greed.
Our peoples food Is sold away from
them and the sources of new supply
are then closed by the same un-
patriotic greed. The results are that
while these parvenu millionaires
cannot find methods extravagant
enough to waste their riches, the in
dustrious poor cannot find methods
economical enough to enable their
wives and children to keep warm, to
have clothes and sufficient nourish-
ing food And we say to any one
who smiles at these declarations and
warnings that there Is DANGER in
such conditions REAL DANGER.
And gentlemen of the Congress of
the United States you who are the
representatives OF the common peo-
ple II you are anything at alive
say to you that you should end these
conditions before they become more
dangerous, before hunger becomes
starvation, before discomfort be-
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