The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1917-05-30
PATRIOTIC POTATOES
(By Ellis Parker Butler of the
Vigilantes)

by Ellis Parker Butler of the
Vigilantes)
There is an apple called the
Northern Spy, l don't know why. !
wish we could rename the biggest,
meatiest, most potato the "Kaiser's
Defeat" Every potato that grows in
American soil this year-is a steel
nosed bullet aimed point at the
heart Of autocracy. Big guns and
little guns, bullets, shells and shrap-
nel are doing their share on the bat
tie front, but what America must do
is to send food, food and still more
food. Every extra potato grown IN
America this year releases food that
can be sent to our fellow fighters in
Europe.
America does not ask you to give
the extra potato you grow, or the ex-
ira beets or turnips or beans. It is
patriotic service if you just grow
them and eat them yourself. The po-.
TITO you grow and eat lets some
other potato, that you would have
eaten, climb aboardship and 60 to
kelp q warning democracy win
against a child-murdering autocracy.
It is a good thing to throw trench
bomb at the Kaiser, but you hurt
him worse by hitting him in the eye
with a homegrown potato. Every
American. potato eaten by the allies
il poison in the stomach Of tyranny
Our navy is on the job; awaken the
war-winning navy bean!
Our comrades in Europe need
food. This year you can serve Amer
ica as well by, killing potato bugs Al
by killing Prussians Bread and
Boats'-food to feed the Allies and
ships to carry it to them-is Amer
ica's war cry at the moment. Mer
we will send. by millionse when the
need comes, if it does, but potatoes
by the ton we must send. The hun
dreds of thousands of rockies" vii
soon be drilling all over this broae
land, and at night they will crawl in
to their shelters and touch the Bills
tiers on their heels, saying, BLISTER
ed for America, for right, and fol
humanity, by gosh" Heaven bles'
the blistered men of our nation, bu
don't forget the blistered palms q
the man with white hands who goe'
out to hoe the potatoes! He, too
when he looks at his blisters. car
say, clustered for America! Long
may she stand for the right" Thu
blistered heel and the blistered palm
Twin win the war; let them be =
corded in the Book Of Valian'
Wounds. .s@s
Corn and potatoes, wheat and
beans! spsed up old Mother Eara
and poke her in the ribs until shs
yields victory! 1--WE
who knows? Our enemies ma.
crumble in = week or . mor:h and
shrek for peace, and get it-payinl
the penalty o. aggression. But still
we need the potatoes, the ptoato YOU
can grow. The fight il democrac.
faeainst autoeraey. The. world u Be
ing put to the test. Shall men govern
themselves or shall autocrats maxi
US slaves? The world crops are shor'
this year. If the war ends tomorrow
it will be too late for the peasant
to grow food until another year
even if they are released from arm
ed duty 1T once. Hungry nations an
always the easiest prey Of autocrats
When men hunger, and zee their wo
men and children starve, no ont
konws what they viii do, and it i
then the willy autocrats give handi
full Of corn and wrests away tn
liberties won by centuries Of effort
II the war ends tomorrow, Americs
must still send food, to prevent riot
and to prevent starvation and 10 al
low democracy to hold its own calm
" and sanely until the waste Of wal
is adjusted.
On second thought, I'd call TIL
biggest, meatiest, most prolific pc
tato, not the "Kaiser's Defeat" bu
the Hope Of Civilization.
To-day the hoe i mightier than IL
sword and the beanpole more valiau
than the spear. The empty bell,
must not winl
Ellis Parker Butler. .
Your patriotic duty-BUY
- Z