Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1918-05-27
Americas Present
Duty To Feed EulOpe


in the Methodist church Sunday af
ternoon by DR.. w. j. Kerr, could,
with an conscience, eat wheat at least
until after the coming harvest. DR..
Kerr presented in the most indlsput-
able manner the food situation in
America as regards the war and her
position in the world struggle, and
gave the American people the ulti-
matum Of doing without wheat for
four or five months or running the
risk of having to fight the war with
Germany alone.
Some time ago Dr. Kerr, president
of the Oregon Agricultural college
of Corvallis, was called to Washing
ton, b. c., to q conference of the al
lied heads of food conservation to
discuss the problem confronting Eu-
rope today in the great struggle.
From that conference he was sent td
present the question to the people of
the northwestern states and notify
them Of what they perhaps have
never realized, that France and Italy
cannot remain in the struggle much
longer without American assistance
in the matter of food.
According to DR.. Kerr, France has
reached the limit of her endurance
in the sacrifice she has been under
going during the past four years Of
war. She has sent word to America
that unless relief comes Immediately
she will not be able to continue in
the war This will not mean thai
France has been beaten, but that she
has collapsed from sheer starvation.
This, DR.. Kerr presented, was the
cause of Russia's collapse Her agri-
cultural resources were exhausted.
her people were starving, and even
tHc ooluitlo NSlt un SHOIl IdllOHS
until they could hold out no longer,
1t was not lack of men that caused
ltaly's recent loses in battle, but lack
of food which is undermining the
morale of the army. And France,
which has stood the brunt OF the
whole war, has reached the limit Of
sacrifice and suffering behind the
lines, and unless America, by simi-
lar sacrifice, comes to her immedi-
ate aid when she does arrive with,
her full military strength, she may
find the condition upon which vic
tory depends entirely changed
American people have to face one
of two conditions, DR.. Kerr stated.
Either the sacrifice of all wheat un-
til the next harvest, or the alterna-
tive of finishing out the fight on
American soil with a recruited army
of from 1O,OO0,0O0 to 15,O00,O 900. IL
France drops out of the struggle,
Italy will follow soon, and 1t is only
a matter of few months until the
British army is forced out of the
field. What of our American boys
who are already in Europe? The ex-
posure in which this condition would
leave them is appalling, and will
mean that the fight would be trans
ferred to American soil.
The American people and especial
ly the western people have never
realized the seriousness Of the pres
ent situation. Despite the appeal
made by the press Of the United
States not one bushel Of surplus
wheat has been saved during the
past year. People have been urged
and besought to conserve on meat in
order to send 1t to Europe, but in
spite Of this appeal, more meat has
Deen consumed in the United states
during the past year than formerly.
American people are not selfish,
according to DR.. Kerr, only thought
less and have no conception of the
true situation. BY Russia's collapse
Germany and Austria will be able to
IA NNnf tn a. lx,t kA
vest to carry them on indefinitely
through the war. Unless every farm
er, shopkeeper, hotel man, every citi-
zen will cooperate with the food ad-
in sacrificing wheat to
Europe, the war will devolve
upon America alone to finish, and
will be fought out on American soil.