Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-07-27
Carl Vrooman, Assistant
Secretary Of Agriculture,
Tells Of Menace.
E OF
7 PATRIOTIC
But Steel Trust is Bitterly
Denounced for Navy
Board Tangle.

the gravity of the crisis that faces the
people of the United States, Assistant
Secretary of Agriculture, Carl Vroo-
man, in a spirited address here today
before a large crowd at the interstate
fair grounds, told his audience the
most Hateful hour in all history, for as
one of a sisterhood of nations we are
fact to face with wars most dreadful
~handmaiden, famine.
H"Not as a people, Of course" the
secretary continued, "for we can al
ways hope to feed ourselves, but as
one Of a sisterhood OF nations, we are
face to face with famine right now.
We may not be starving ourselves, but
millions Of our fellow me are"
here today, one in the morning at the
Auditorium and one in the afternoon
at the fair grounds and large crowds
turned out to hear him speak. His
principal address which was made
at the fair grounds follows in part:
Business Men Patriotic.
Never before have the business
men Of a nation showed sue patrio-
tism as they have shown in the Uni
ted States during the last three
months. Instead of regarding the
war as an opportunity to extort
illegitimate war profits from a dazed
~ III OSkSoG oSVSA AckAA "
them have offered not only their serv-
ices but their enormous business or
g~anizations and properties to the gov
eminent on any condition itSmight see
At to impose. This is a splendid and
thrilling manifestation of the real
American spirit.
Unfortunately, however, there
Only recently we have seen the Sec
rotary of the nav and the chairman
Of the; shipping board forced into the
arena in a h~and-to-hand struggle with
an organization of unpatriotic, selfish,
sodden steel magnates, intent only up
IN extorting from the government
despicable millions of ilegitmate
profits, while loyal, red-blooded
Americans, were rushing eagerly for
even life itself, upon the altar Of the
country. r
Stay-at-homes Can Serve, Too.
Those of us to whom the Gods
have 8vouchsafed the obstruction Of
service in the trenches, evidently will
find opportunity at home to- show
courage, self-sacriace and patriotic
devotion fighting side by side with
those federal officials who have drawn
down upon themselves venomous
abuse for having dared to insist on
IHlS WIZ Tree from any tlnt
Of graft, extortion, or other forms OF
illegitmate val profits.
IF this war is to be won, we shall
have to put several armies in the
field. If an army of civilian patriots
be not organized to stand behind the
President and fight this great fight
for business honor, while our boys in
Khaki are gaining for themselves and
for their country an imperishable' re-
vanr,,a 1rhtfrao a ~ lvyfo - <~f,,ro y ~
". in the trenches, that country will
be .disgraced at home by a d~espicable
scramble o. illegitmate war profits
on steel and coal, on munitions and
food.
Men Of America. This degrade
ton must not come. Ten million Of
the flower Of American manhood by
the %selective draft have had their
names written on the nations im-
mortal roll Of honor. The nation
calls today for an equal number Of
volunteers to fight in the business
world and al the ballot box, to make
the conduct Of this war rs clean and
patriotic as heroic and self-sacrif1cing
at home as 1t is in the trenches of
France and Flanders.
No Time for Personal Interest.
\ Any man who is actuated by a
lower motive than this Is not a red
b1ooded, lyal, hundred per cent Amer
lean. Any man who allows personal
interest, ambition, or partisan pre-
judice to keep him from participating
in this militant civic crusade for ma
tional decency and self-respect, is
unworthy to live under, the flag that
floats " those boys of our own
flesh and blood whose lives are dearer
to us than anything save only free
dom and honor, but who today are
preparing to die ~unfiinchingly that a
free America may live.
Every man who is fit to be the
countryman Of the boys who are fight
ing lin France to protect our free in.
situations and the free institutions of
the world from the military despot-
ism of the Hun and Turks, has his
chance today to join with them in this
immortal crusade to make the world
safe for democracy to establish q
permanent peace upon just and self
governing foundations.
ON presidentais leading not only a
war of national defense but an irre-
sistible world crusade for democracy.
The Central Powers, have been given
to understand that as soon as the
forces OF liberalism gain the ascend
ency and they transform themselves
into s~elf-governing nations, this wa
can be brought to an abrupt end.
Arch-enemy Of Man.
5Jjsts Famine, the arch-enemy Of all
mankind. this dread mother of pestil-
sence, is our real foe. While we are