The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-04-30
READERS COLUMN
SAFETY IN FARMERS HANDS

April 2G, 1917.
Editor The Tribune,
Bismarck. y. d.
In this great time, when every citi-
zen must do his part. the President
has made his chief appeal to the men
who live on the land He is right in
doing So for the safety Of our country
just now is in the hands of our farm
ers. What | mean is not merely our
safety and the safety of our Allies in
the matter of food. l mean that the
safety Of the United tSates against
foreign invasion hangs on the decision
Of the farmers Of the fOrty-cight States
The two great weapons in this war
are arms and starvation. The war
against German arms will be won or
lost in France-the war against star
walton will be won or lost in America
The Kaiser cannot whip the French
and English armies and the English
navy while England has food. But it
Is still possible that the German sub
marines may be able to keep food
enough from reaching England to
starve her into submission.
in the KaiScrs terms Of peace will be
the English fleet. With the English
fleet in his possession. the Kaiser will
be master of the world.
What will happen to us then? Every
man who stops to think knows the
answer. We shall have money, food,
labor, land-everything that is desir-
able in the world except the power to
protect what we have. Experts es-
innate that it will take us nine months
to get ready to meet German army
of even 100000 men, with modern ar
tillcry. Under such circumstances,
would the Germans treat US better
than they have already treated Bel
GUM and France?
Even if 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 still need vast
quantities of American food. But if
they do not. only one course can make
us safe, and that is 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
fighting our fight
If the war lasts beyond this summer.
it will he the American farmer who will
win or lose the war, who will over
turn militarism and autocracy, or al
low them to spread and control the
world. ourselves included.
SC, M fo f,,1 ,iotrrn b,,f cohor
fact Many a man will make light
of it until he comes to think it over,
but l venture to say that few will treat
it lightly after careful thought. 1t
is no more possible than the great War
itself appeared to be- only a few days
before it began.
1t is true that we can greatly in
crease the available food supply out Of
grain now used in making liquors. and
by reducing household waste. But
when these two things are done, and
done thoroughly, they will not be
enough. The final decision will still
rest in the hands Of the men who
raise our food in the first place.
The clear duty Of the Nation is to
guarantee the farmers fair price for
their crops when grown, and reason
able supply of labor at harvest. The
clear duty of the farmer is to raise
food enough to win this war for demo-
cracy against KaiSerism.
No such responsibility has ever rest
ed on any class Of men since the world
began as rests today on the farmers
of America.
Sincerely yours.
CLIFFORD PINCHOT.