The Republican journal., 1918-08-29

how to use their weapons effectively on
the battlefield. The work of our navy
in conjunction of those Of our Allies has
been marvellous in affording absolute safe
ty to our transport The danger of our
defeat lies no longer over there but right
here at home We have demonstrated
that we have the necessary military man
power to force Germany to her knees,
that we can arm, equip and land them in
the fighting zones. But if the war lasts
two years more, can we feed them? This
is serious and imminent danger. Not
only must we keep the production OF our
farms and our mines up to point much
above the normal, but we must build up
a greater railroad effectiveness. Food
must be transported before it can be sent
to our soldiers abroad or used by millions
of our people here at home. Every week
for several months the enlistments and
draft, the shipyyards and munition fac
tories, have been drawing able bodied
men from the railroads, the farms and
the mines. When Mr.. McAdoo became
director-general of the railroads he at
once increased the pay of employees. This
caused some adverse criticism but failure
to have done this would have caused an
exodus from the trains, the work shops
and the lines. Railroad men have asked,
and perhaps when this article is read, will
have been granted an increase OF 40 per-
cent in wages. If it has not and is not to
be granted thousands of men who are
now doing railroad work will seek more
lucrative employment. Partial paralysis
and perhaps utter generalization of the
TRANSFORMATION system of the country will
then ensue. The urgent necessity for
ships has resulted in the payment OF
wages which seem to be practically I'M
possible to the railroads as corporations,
although Mr.. McAdoo holding the keys
of the Treasury of the United States in
his hands will be able to overbld the man
ayers of government shipyards and take
it out of the people by an increase of
Transportation rates. We may soon see
that this competition for labor between
these two government industries will
have to be stopped or one of them must
60 out of business. Government control
seems already to have admitted that it
does not control wages and it is safe to
say that wages will continue to go sky
the !
power of the government checks the up
w1rd flight But the inability to iced is
danger to be feared more out on the /
farms than on the transportation lines.
The farmer cannot pay the wages current
in government work because the prices
he gets for his crops are not sufficient to |
enable him to do So He does not have
the United States Treasury for pocket
book, but if he had, and could bid up for
help, keeping pace with the government |
industries, he would find that the average
working man likes the looks of dollar
earned in city or large town better than
a dollar earned on farm. The farmer
needs help. His sons are in the army |
and ''hired men" are in the shipyard. The |
question "can we feed them?' will be |
answered within the next ID months, and
when the answer comes it will come first |
from the farm and will be echoed from |
the freight train Mr. Hoover is doing
his work we'll but his work is neither
blowing, sowing nor harvesting. He is !
preventing waste. His work is import
ant but not fundamental. Can we feed
them?