The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-04-18

they must be more economically man.
aged and better adapted to the partic-
ular requirements of our task than
they have been, and what I want to
say is that the men and the women
who devote their thought and their
energy to these things will he serving
the country and conducting the fight
for peace and freedom just as truly
and just as effectively as the men on
the battlefield or in the trenches. The
industrial forces Of the country, men
and women alike. will be great ma
tional, great Industrial service army
and noble and honored host engaged
in the service Of the nation and the
world, the efficient friends and sa-
viors of free men everywhere. Thous-
ands, nay hundreds Of thousands, of
men otherwise liable to military SER
vice will of right and Of necessity be
excused from that service and assign
ed to the fundamental, sustaining
work of the fields and factories and
mines, and they will be as much part
of the great patriotic forces of the
nation as the men under fire.
II take the liberty, therefore, of ad-
dressing these words to the farmers of
the country and to all who work on
the farms: The supreme need of our
own nation and Of the nations with
which we are operating is an abun-
dance of supplies and especially of
foodstuffs. The Importance of an ade-
quate food supply, especially for the
present year, is superlative. Without
abundant food. alike for the armies
and the peoples now at war, the whole
gerat enterprise upon which we have
embarked will break down and fail.
The worlds food reserves are low.
Not only during the present emergenc,
but for some time after peace shol,
have come both our own people and
large proportion of the people of
Europe must rely upon the harvests ir.
America. Upon the farmers of this
country, therefore, in large measure
rests the fate of the war and the fate
of the nations. May the nation not
count upon them to omit no step that
will increase the production of their
land or that will bring about the most
efectual cooperation in the sale and
distribution of their products. Tn
time Is short. It is Of the most i'm
perative importance that everything
possible be done and done immedi-
ately to make sure Of large harvests
l call upon young men and old alike
and upon the ablebodied boys of the
land to accept and act upon this duty
TO turn in hosts to the farms and
make certain that no pains and no
labor is lacking in this great matter.
II particularly appeal to the farm
ers of the South to plant abundant
foodstuffs as well as cotton. They
can show their patriotism in no bet
ter or more convincing way than by
resisting the great temptation of the
present price Of cotton and helping,
helping upon a great scale, to fee
the nation and the peoples every
where who are fighting for their lib
critics and for our own. The variety
of their crops will be the visible meas
ure of their comprehension Of their
national duty
''The government of the United
States and the governments of the
several States stand ready to COOPER
ate-they will do evrything possible
to assist farmers in securing an ade-
quate supply Of seed, an adequate
force of laborers when they are most
needed, at harvest time, and the
means of expediting shipments of
fertilizers and farm machinery as well
as Of the crops themselves when har
vested. The course Of trade shall b,
as unhampered as it is possible to
make it and there shall be no unwar-
ranted manipulation OF the nations
food supply by those who handle It
on it's way to the consumer. This is
our opportunity to demonstrate the
efficiency OF great democracy and
we shall not fall short of it.
This let me say to the middlemen
of every sort whether they are hand
ling our foodstuffs or our raw ma
terials Of manufacture or the prod
ucts Of our mills and factories: Tho
eyes Of the country will be especial
" upon you. This is your opportun-
ity for signal service, efficient and