Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-05-02
WARNING WORDS
ARE GIVEN AS A
DUTY To NATION

At one of the largest gatherings of
farmers and business men ever held in
the Sumner county courthouse, Clifford
pinchot. former chief OF the bureau of
forestry of the United States, and one
of the foremost authorities on conser-
valion In this country, together with
Ir. Andrew M. Soule, president of the
Georgia State College of Agriculture,
made an urgent appeal to the citizens
of this section to assume their share
OF the solution of the food production
problem now confronting the Ameri-
can natoin.
The meeting opened at 10 o'clock
and was attended by almost 500 rep
resentative planters. business men and
women from various sections of Sum
ter county.
Crawford Wheatley, who acted as
chairman Of the assemblage, called at
tention in his Introductory remarks to
the conditions now prevailing in the
United States by reason of the Euro
pean war and the recent declaration
oe war by this country against Ger
many. "a condition and not theory
now confronts us" he quoted the words
of Grover Cleveland. THE man be-
hind the plow is the man who wins
the battles" said Mr.. Wheatley, in urg-
ing the Importance of the cooperation
OF the farmer in the national effort to
preserve the principles of liberty and
justice in the world struggle now go
ing on.
Mr.. Pinchot, who for several months
was engaged in the relief work in
northern France and in Belgium, de-
soribed in his opening remarks the
havoc and suffering wrought by the
German armies in their work of de-
struction in the sunny provinces that
have been devastated since their occu-
patton by the soldiers of aiser Will
liam. Three thousand persons, said
Mr.. Pinchot, died of starvation in one
district alone, before relief in the way
OF foodstuffs from America could be
brought to them.
In returning to America on the liner
st Paul, two days after the sinking
Of the Lusitania, Mr.. Pinchot passed
through the area in which the great
steamship was sunk by German tor
pedo with the loss of hundreds of de-
fenseless American men, women and
children. Wreckage of all kinds strew-
ed the waves in the vicinity of the spot
where the vessel went down and sew
eral bodies were seen floating on the
surface of the sea.
OF French blood himself, Mr.. Pin
chot's personal feelings in regard to
the terrible struggle now going on in
Europe. enable him to give most
vivid description of conditions now
existing there and his words picturing
the situation on the western battle
front were attended with closest at
tention by his auditors this morn
iIg.
IF the war is brought to conclus-
ion this year, as l devoutly hope it
will be-" he said, lit will be because
the United States furnishes enormous
quantities of food and munitions to
the Allies" Mr. Pinchot impressed
his hearers with the fact that the Unit
ed States must take this phase of the
struggle as her own individual contri-
button. She must see to it that the
supply of food products is sufficient
not only TO feed her own citizens and
the Allies, but also large enough to
allow a certain percentage OF the
shipments to be destroyed by the Ger
man submarines, for the activities of
these undersea boats, while they may
be curtailed to large extent, must OF
necessity continue to make certain in
roads upon the shipping on he high
seas.
Germany is losing this war because
she fails to realize that other coun-
tries have rights that should be re-
garded," said Mr.. Pinchot.
This is war worth while-worth
all sacrifices that have been made, if
in the end the fundamental principles
of civilization shall have been preserv-
ed inviolate to assure the safety of
future generations throughout the
earth" declared the speaker.
IF England is starved out, it will
be because the United States fails to
furnish the required amount of food
fConf;pued nm last pagnl