The Robesonian., 1918-02-04


vn interest and the selfish dominion CO CO
tho world Of the govern
nents they unhappily for the moment &C
control. You will not need to be con-
,inced that it was necessary for us as a.
, free people to take part in this war. "
} The rulers Of Germany had a
sought to exercise their power in such q q
a way as to shut off our economic life .
so far as our intercourse with Europe y
was concerned and to confine our peo- y
pie within the Western Hemisphere
while they accomplished purposes
which would have permanently i'm
paired and impeded every process OF
our national life and have put the for :
tunes Of America at the mercy of the
imperial government Of Germany :
This was no threat. 1t had become a
reality. Their hand of violence had
been laid upon our own people and
our own property in flagrant VIOLA
ton not only of justice but OF the well
recognized and long standing cove
nants of international law and treaty.
We are fighting, therefore, as truly
for the liberty and lf-government Of
the United States as if the war Of our
own revolution had to be fought over
again; and every man in every busl-
ness in the United States must know
bv this time that his whole future for
tune lies in the balance. Our nation
al life ard our whole economic devel-
opment will PASS under the sinister
influences OF foreign control if we do
| not WIN. We sau3t win therefore and
we shall win I need not ask you to
pledge your lives and fortunes with
those of the rest Of the nation to the
ACCOMPLISHMENT Of that great end.
"You will realize, as think states
men on both sides Of the water realize
that the eliminating crisis of the
struggle has come and that the
achievements Of this year on the one
side or the other must determine the
! issue. It has turned out that the
forces that fight for freedom
y depend upon US in an extraordinary
and unexpected degree for sustenance
for the supply Of the materials by
which men are to live and to fight,
and it will be our glory when the war
is over that we have supplied those
materials and supplied them abun-
II dantly and it will be all the more
| glory because in supplying them, we
have made our supreme effort anc
sacrifice.
Il an the field Of agriculture, We
have agencies and ilstrumentalitles
| fortunately such as no other govern
| ment in the world can show. The De
nartment Of agriculture is undoubt
edly the greatest practical and sclen
tific agricultural organization in tn
| world. = - - The banking legls
| lation Of the last two or three year
has given the farmers access to Tn
great lendable capital Of the countr
both by direct purchase
| nitrates and by the establishment G
plants to produce nitrates, the gov
ernment is doing it's utmost to assls
in the problem Of fertilization. Th
department Of agriculture and othe
agencies are actively assisting tt
farmers to locate, safeguard, and s.
cure at cost an adequate supply
sound seed. The department has 81
100000 available for this purpo
now and has asked congress Tor
million more. ,.... ,
"The labor problem is difficult al
some Of the best agencies or the n
ton are addressing themselves to t
task of solving it so Tar as It IS pc
Il me- saw that the stimulation Of t
agencies I have enumerated has be
responded to by the farmers in sple
did fashion. Last spring their pla1
ing exceeded by twelve million ac1
the largest planting OF any ,prevlc
year w and the yields from the cre
were record-breaking. In the !
Of 1917 a wheat acreage OF 42,11U,t
was planted which was one mill
larger than for any preceding ye
three millions greater than the n
largest, and seven millions grea
than the preceding fiveyear avera
But I ought to say that it is not
= necessary that these achieveme
should be repeated but that t
should be exceeded.
81 will not appeal to you to con
no and renew and increase your
forts. do not believe that II
necessary to do so. l believe tnat
will do it without any word or apIE
: from me, because you understand
+ we'll as I do the needs and opport1
ties Of this great hour when the
tunes of mankind everywhere s.
)" ahou to e determined a. v
: America has the greatest ce''rt'
tv she has ever had to make good
re-, own freedom. and III ma,1n'
good to lend>a helping hand TO
Struggling for their freedom eV
where You remember that 1t
farmers from whom came the :;
D. shots at Lexington, that set all
the revolution that made Anne
free. l hope and believe that
farmers of America will will
stand bv to win this war also.
toll. the intelligence, the energy
foresight, the selfish sacrifice ant