Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1917-05-12

merce of the United States-the
high-sounding title of a lot of hot-
air pedd1ers and salary eaters-ls-
sued a statement that the United
States would have plenty of food to
eat and to spare during 1917; that
the Winter wheat crop would be In
excess of the 1916 crop, and other
equally unfounded, misleading and
untruthful assurances.
In May, 1916, the reserve stock of
wheat on hand was 45,000,000
bushels. Today it is not 2O,000,0OO.
In eight weeks it will not be one
bushel.
The Winter wheat crop Of 1916
was 4S1 100000 bushels.
The Winter wheat crop this year
is far enough along to estimate with
accuracy. 1t will not be over $685.
100000 bushels.
On July l. this year, the country's
wheat supply will be 100000
bushels less than it was in July,
1915.
The Winter wheat crop of 1915
was 673, 100000 bushels. The Spring
wheat crop OF 1915 was 100000
bushels. The years total production
was 1925, 100000 bushels.
The SURPLUS of that huge pro-
duction, added to the 1916 crop, en-
abled us to export 243,000,000
bushels to the allied countries and
get through the last Winter and this
Spring urselVes--without a bushel
in reserve, however and with wheat
rising to SO bushel in price.
But this year the allied countries
say they must have at least 400, 0,000,-
600 bushels of wheat from us, and
our total crops of Winter and Spring
wheat will be LESS than 650,000,000
bushels.
Our own normal use calls for
$50, 900 bushels for food and the
storage of at least 90,000,00O
bushels for seed.
The problem we have to face is to
cut down our own -four consumption
at least one-half, which means going
on severe rations NOW, or else hav-
ing no wheat with which to feed
England and France and Italy, which
means that the allies will collapse
before next Winter through hunger.
We went into this war without the
slightest preparation-naval military
or economic--and we must suffer the
hardships resultant upon that COM
plete lack of statesmanship in Wash
ington during the past four years,
and begin to endure those hardships
now, or we will suffer worse things
to come.
The English people refused to go
on rations while the French were
pinching their stomachs and now
the English people are in desperate
way, and we must go without our
normal food supplies to pay for their
folly and stubbornness, and keep
them alive at our cost in hardships.
Let us not repeat their selfish and
stupid folly for there will be NO
BODY TO FEED US, and nobody to
supply us with money and ships and
soldiers, when we run short.
The world viii have been ex-
hausteo protecting and defending
England France, Italy, Rumania,
inavian kingdoms, Holland-all have
been economically ruined either by
fighting or by the British blockade.
There is no help or aid of any kind
that we can expect. We must not
only take care of ourselves, but we
must feed and finance bankrupt and
hungry England. That is what we
were put into the war to do.
And unless we exercise the most
rigid economy Of money and of food
supplies, and begin to do so now,
WE WILL NOT GET THROUGH
THIS .STUPENDOUS TASK sue
CESSFULLY.
The most imbecile idiocy in the
world is the idiocy which shuts it's
eyes to disagreeable facts,
The most imbecile folly in the
world is to deride danger, to belittle
peril to underrate an enemy.
The most loyal and patriotic SER
vice an American newspaper can
possibly perform is to do its best to
rouse the American people to the
truth of the situation that con-
fronts us.
The most disloyal and unpatriotic
thing any newspaper can do is to
print false assurances of enemy
weakness, false statements of our
own strength, false reports as to mil
itary conditions and food conditions.
The only possible effect such false
hoods can have is to lull the people
tc sleep, to delay preparedness and
/ TO INVITE DREADFUL DISASTER.
Every effort to conceal or to min
imize the danger and perils of the
military situation, of the submarine
situation and, above all, of the FOOD
SITUATION. is a CRIMINALLY UN-
PATRIOTIC ACT
To show how fully they have at
last realized the folly and disastrous
ness of such stupid conduct, we quote
the following paragraphs from the
New York Suns London represen-
/ tative, that able and respected
journalist, Mr.. Judon c. Welliver:
This letter is being written at
the end of April Today is the
first really springlike day that
the south of England has seen.
Ii is the latest Spring in the
memory of many people who are
no longer young, and the Winter
has been of such almost unpre-
cedented severity as to affect all
crops. Cereals in England are
generally Fall planted. just as
about two-thirds of the wheat IN
the United States is. The Win
tel has had disastrous effect on