Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1918-02-25


speakers.
War-scarred France, the western
battle front, American soldiers in
training "over there" England buck
ling to the task of increasing her pro-
duction Of foodstuffs-these and other
wartime topics were held up to the
public view Saturday afternoon at the
county mass meeting held here at the
Methodist church. John B. Lord of
New York, member of the national
commission, which was sent to the
western front to observe and report
on conditions among the soldiers, and
John S. Rutledge, representing the
national food, administration, were the
speakers, the latter, of course, confin-
ing himself largely to a recital Of rea-
sons for the strictest food economy
Mrs. Walter McNab Miller, who was
also to have been with the party, did
not come. She got word Friday
that her son, member of the aviation
section, leaves for France Sunday and
she left for a farewell visit with him.
varick c. Crosley, member of the
state council of defense and one of
the county food administrators, called
the meeting to order and asked Mrs.
!, F. e. Whitley, state chairman of the
women's council Of defense, to preside.
Opening Program.
Rev. H. A. Koenig had charge of the
singing. The program began with the
singing of America" with the added
liberty stanza." The high school glee
club of thirty voices next sang "Your
Flag and My Flag" the verses of
which were written by Wilbur d. Mes
bit.
Mrs. Whitley then introduced M.
Lord.
Make War OF Terror.
"The psychology of the Hun warfare
is to terrorize the people by frightful-
ness so as to force them to compel
the English and French governments
TO give up the war;" Mr.. Lord said.
This propaganda, he said, accounted
for the inhuman acts against individ-
uals, the destruction of property, and
the bombing of hospitals.
Food Of First Importance.
The commission, stopping in Eng
land on its way over, was taken to
see what that country is trying to do
to increase it's production of foodstuffs.
Not only in agricultural pursuits, but
in all sorts of labor ordinarily per-
formed by men, the commission found
women. Women had turned to till the
soil and from 5000 of them doing agri-
cultural labor the number had increas
ed to 2S5,000 in eight months.
The French bread ration, he said,
which before the war was SO per cent
of the food consumed, had been re-
duced by half.
Have you ever stopped to consider"
he asked, what would happen to this
country if England should fail in this
war because Of lack of foOd?"
what is the use." he continued, "of
sending men over there if there is no
bread to feed them"
American Soldiers Eager.
Mr.. Lord spent day in billets with |
American soldiers. He described them
as eager, even impatient and discon-
tended because thew were not allowed |
to "go over the top" at once. Their
morale is excellent, and they are prim-
ed for fight. "They are the same fell
lows we said good bye to-" he said
He visited the spot where were buried
the first American soldiers killed in
the boche raid of November. The
graves had increased to eleven when
he was there
Rutledge breaches Patriotism.
Mr.. Rutledge preached pure and un
adulterated-the conservation of food.
He attacked the German propaganda
that is spreading over the country ami
called for all nationalities in America
to get together. The whole question
involved in food conservation, said Mr..
Kutledge, is whether or not our demo-
oracy will voluntarily prove itself as
efficient as the autocracy Of Germany.