Jackson County sentinel. (Gainesboro, Tenn.) 1914-current, 1918-06-27
REDOyBLE EFFORTS
FOR WHINING WAR
EDUCATIONAL DIRECTOR FOR
FOOD ADMINISTRATION ASKS
FOR INTENSIVE WORK.
METHODS OF PRICE FIXING
Patriotism Of Tennessee Farmers Ap-
pealed to In Effort to Stimulate
Food Production During
Duration of War.

KnoxvIle-Before the East Tonnes
see farmers convention here last
week j l. Finney, educational director
of the United States Food Aiministra.
tio1 in Tennessee, made an earnest
and eloquent plea to the producers to
redouble their efforts for the winning
OF the war. He discussed the relations
between the food administration and
the farmers, speaking in part as fol
lows.
The food administration has been
criticized because it has fixed tbs
prices OF certain farm products, while
at the same time making no effort to
fix the prices OF the implements and
the tools and the labor that make up
the cost of those products. 1t is a
popular misconception to think OF the
food administration as primarily a
price.fixing institution. 1t is not.
Only in the rarest instancee has II
used the prlce-fiXin9 power, and then
only when conditions over which II
had no control made the exercise OF
this power imperative, II it were really
to perform its mission and render et'
fective service to nation walking In
the valley OF the shadow Of death.
Arbitrary price-fixing is economically
unsound. | do not think that state
ment will be seriously controverted
In ordinary times, when men are per-
mitted to pursue their peaceful ayo-
cations In life, the laws Of supply and
demand provide the best method Tor
price determination But this is an
extraordinary time Nothing Is nor
NAL In war. Especially is that true IA
q democracy, instituted for peace, not
war. We must for the common good
do many things that we would not toll
crate IN times Of peace. But with
the nation engaged in life-and-death
struggle for its existence, with nearly
half OF the wcrid on the cross, with
q Getk5ema1e in every home ia th3
land, surely, surely we cannot hest.
tate to take any action necessary to
solve any problem merely because r.
lave no pTeeedents
| appreciate the fact that farming
involves factors that make II impos'
sibls to fi1 fair and equitable profit,
and | do not believe that any one will
insist that because farmer makes
bumper crop this year OF certain
product and sells II for an unusually
high price that his profits In all farm.
ing operations can be fairly or Justly
estimated over a period of years from
the returns that he received from
that one commodity Take wheat, for
example. 1t Is true that the govern.
ment guarantee is higher than the
prewar average by more than 100 per
cent, but he would be short sighted
individual who would argue that be-
cause of this fact the growers OF
wheat In 7 nnessee we're on the
high road to wealth. Even should
weather conditions continue favor
able and the fare rs OF Tennessee
make an average wheat yield this
year their profits would not be large.
Everything that enters into the cost
of wheat has largely increased That
Is not all, last year the wheat crop
OF this state was almost total fail
ure. Hundreds and thousands OF
acres never saw reaper. The money
loss was almost complete. That is
often the case with the farmers crops.
We hear much OF the bumper corn
crop OF last year among the people OF
my section OF the state and Of the ex.
ceptionally high prices received for 1t,
but not a word about those awful
drouths OF 1913, 1914 and i915, when
our yield was less than half of the
average The farmer battles with the
elements, he is IN constant combat
with both the seen and the unseen
forces OF nature. over which, at best,
he exercises but an Indifferent con-
troll His crop is constantly assaled
by insects and bliRhts and rust and
drouth and floods and hail and winds
His is no royal rod - wealth or ease
The price OF wheat was fixed al
S220, not to bribe the farmers of this
nation with dreams OF wealth or C
satiate their ayaricious appetites foI
gain, but ii was fixed at that price
because II was believed that IL would
guarantee them protection against the
Spectator and would at least Insure
them a fair return for their expendi
ture OF brain and Drawn and clpital
while at the same tins giving bread
the great staff ot life. to the millions
OF workers who are not producers ol
food. bu, whose efforts in the nations
behalf are absolutely essentiel to it,
existence The food administration has
sought to deal fairly and Justly he
tween the farmers and the consumers
II has denied and | repeat with AT
the emphasis At my command that the
farmers OF America ask no spec al IA,
yors OF government; they would IL
the first to bitterly resent the imputa
ton that they wanted 10 he fayoreC
and peited class
More than that. my friends. this wal
cannot be won without the wheat 81
the American farmer II Is Just a.
essential 10 our victory in this awfu
conflict as is the powder and the shoi
asd shell with which we are arminE
the forces OF destruction England
and France. who alone. without ON
aid. for nearly three long and soul-try-
ing years, kept burning the fsebl,
flame of human liberty In Europe
would starve without the wheat from
American farms What they have they
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