The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1918-02-28
COMMUNICATION
TO THE PRESIDENT
Milford. Pa, Feb. 20, 1918.

The President,
The White House.
NV Dear Mr.. President:-In this
critical time, when it is the duty OF
every American to support the GOV
ernment in winning the war, venture
most respectfully to lay before you
certain facts with relation to the food
supply of our people and our allies,
whose Importance would appear to
justify my doing So The study of
conservation has required me to be-
come familiar with agricultural prob
lens, and | have been in close touch
with organized farmers. In order to
guard against making any statement
which might be mistaken, either in
letter or in spirit, the substance OF
this open communication has been
submitted to the leaders and repre-
sentatives of farm organizations num-
bering many hundred thousand MEM
bers, and has received their assent
The war has now entered a stage in
which the steadfastness of civil popu-
lations ranks in Importance with the
supplies of food become a factor Of
the first importance in maintaining
the morale of a people under heavy
stress.
Great Britain, as we nkow, still re-
lies on the United States and Canada
for 65 per cent of its essential food
stuffs. The Canadians are most seri-
ously handicapped in the effort to in
crease production by the lack of man
power because they have already sent
to Europe so large proportion of
their men of military age. 1t is well
known that New Zealand. Australian
and Indian wheat is inaccessible for
lack of ships. The responsibility,
therefore, rests mainly upon the peo-
pie of the United States. Without the
food which we alone can supply, not
only England. but France and Italy
must lose their power to carry on the
war.
Ii is not famine we are facing in the
United States. as some have sought to
show, but a food shortage so serious
that Ii threatens TO become decisive
AS a man of great authority among
American farmers has said: This
war cannot be won ty the forces of
civilization unless the farmers of the
United States can substantially in
crease their production of foodstuffs
TO feed our allies and the people of
our own country" But we are faced
with the certainty of a reduction in
stead OF an increase unless present
conditions are promptly and radically
changed.
The farmers of the United States
are anxious to do their full duty in
growing more food. Their leaders
have been active in this matter for
months past. But they are hampered
by conditions which they themselves
cannot control Farmers generally
are now facing the most unfavorable
condition of farm labor they have ever
known. in part because more than one
quarter of the men who have been
taken for the national army are farm
ers. They are short of seed, agricul-
tural supplies and credit, and they
declare that a crop smaller than last
years is certain unless these eondi-
tions are changed for the better.
Shortage in production at the COM
ing harvest cannot be met from any
surplus held in reserve. Only three
crops of our six principal grains have
ever been as large as the amount by
which our reserve of these grains was
reduced between March. 1916, and
March. 1917. Since then our reserve
has been still further diminished and
II has been said that we have now
reached the bottom of our granary.
Business confidence plays as large
a part in the production of food as it
does in the production of any other
commodity. Nothing is so fatal TO pro
duction as uncertainty. 1t is a matter
of national significance that the great
majority of farmers are today uncer
tain as to their business outlook.
A year ago our farmers produced