Douglas Island news., 1917-08-10
HOOVER TALKS
 TO AMERICANS
Food Commissioner Tells What Can Be Accomplished by Proper
 Conservation

Food Commissioner Hoover ha' issued the following general talk tC the people Of the United States:
 The weapons in this war arc fighting men. munitions. food, shipl and finance. If we are to defend liberty in this year 1917. all thes, must be upon such a scale as vii demand the energies of our people In previous wars a small proportion .of the community went Co fight an other small portion was devoted tC their support, but the great bulk of the nation did business as usual l Autocracy has been for years or. ganizing its resources to the end that they have placed one out Of seven of its population on tho firing line and have so mobilized the civil population to afford them complete support. They have suppressed pro duction of every luxury and reduced even every necessity. Their arro- gant confidence that they will be- come masters of the world" is based upon their belief that tho material ism. the sclGshncss and tho jealousy of individual interests in democracy make it impossible for it to organ lzc such a strength. They do not deny tho bravery of the men Of democracy i'm battle, but they com fort themselves in the belief that We have not the sclf-sacridce at home for their support
 Our problem is not alone to mo- |bilizc our civilian population for The Tupport of our fighting men. but we also have the responsibility of the support of the fighting mon of our allies. And food Is not the least of their necessities One of thc great European statesmen has said "Thc war will not be won by Che last 5OO,OOO fighting men, but win be won by the last 5OO.OOO bushels of wheat" It is within our ability to give this last 5OO,OOO bushels, but only if we organize to produce, organize to save and or ganizc Co supply an.
 We must feed our allies that their people may remain constant ! in the war. Liberty cannot be main tained upon the empty stomachs of tho women and children. Through the drain of war our allies have steadily decreased in food produc- tion and other agencies also eur tailed their supplies. Out of our abundance. by eliminating waste and extravaganza. it is in our power alone. to hold the wolf from the door Of the world. Our obligation is greater than war itself-human- |ity demands it of us.
 We must save in an food. We must eat plenty, but wisely and without waste. 1T we save in our consumption and our waste we can increase our surplus Co export. IT we substitute other commodities for those we can export we can further increase our surplus
 Furthermore. by our economies we can save a major portion Of the cost Of war. We can increase our ability to subscribe Co liberty loans. IIf we can save food we can lower the price Of living to our own peo- pie and relieve the strain and dis trcss under which they labor today. We can only do this by organiza- tion SO that there shall be no profit ling from our economy, that an bear thc burden equally.
 The food administration is a vol untecr organization Co be endowed with powers by the government. This volunteer organization is not Co be limited Co a few executives in Washington. We are solicitous, nay anxious, to secure actual members of this volunteer effort, every man and women, every boy and girl in these United States who will under take the task with us. There is no dictatorship in volunteer effort It lis by voluntary mobilization that we can answer autocracy with dem ocracy. It is as great in efficiency and greater in spirit.