Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1918-06-28
sCTTY FOLKS ARE HELPING
IN KANSAS WHEAT FIELDS

Something like 10000 men-may-
be a few thousand more, maybe
few thousand less-are out in the
Kansas wheat fields, or will be before
July has passed, harvesting this
years war-winning crop.
Where does this army or harvest
hands come from? Well, where does
Pershing' sarmy Of fighters come from
from stores and banks and farms
and offices and shops, from every
trade, every profession, every walk Of
American life. Just so in Kansas.
The army of harvesters comes from
the villages and towns and cities
men of every calling, men Of every
kind, who left their town affairs for
few weeks and fiocked to farms for
precisely the same reason that their
relatives and frineds came to the col
ors--to play a part in winning the
war.
Kansas is using as much outside
farm labor as could be secured, Of
course. but that supply is sufficient to
fill only small part of the need. Kan
sas is doing what every state has
done or must do-harvest its own
crop with it's own labor, for the most
part.
Kansas towns have shut up shop"
so to speak, during the heavy period
of the harvest. Men from towns and
cities have left their comfy jobs and
professions and are putting in few
weeks Of the toughest work they ever
tackled-doing it for sheer patriot
ism, although, of course, they earn
harvest-hand wages-doing it to save
a food crop, the saving of which is
as necessary as the holding of a sec
tor on the fighting line.
1t is an inspiring picture of patri-
otism. First the young manhood of
a free people marching away to fight
for the worlds freedom; now the
home remaining manhood leaving
desk ad shop and turning to the har-
vest fields, in order that the fighters
and the civilians sustaining the fight
ers may be fed and the fight continue
to a victorious end.
1t really means that the Allies have
won another great battle-that is the
true appraisal Of this scheme in Kan
sas, where men from every town and
city went into physical training class
es for a few weeks hardening, and
then swept across the grain fields
toiling observation-disclosures because oil
any compulsion, not because of wage
inducements, not because of anything
under the shining sun except thai
they are Americans, and therefore arr
willing and eager to work until they
drop IL that will help crush the Hun.
The town women of Kansas volun
teered for the harvest army, and 81
did the boys. And they are working
the women peeling potatoes ant
washing dishes and cooking food TO
the harvesters; the boys hitting il
at every sort of odd jobs for whicl
they are sufficiently strong or skillfu
the men thus being free to devot
their entire energy to the actual har
vest.
For months the United States De
partment OF Agriculture has advocat
ed for every community and count
the policy which Kansas has give
statewide application. The people Q
Nebraska, Minnesota, North an
South Dakota plan similar concert G
action as the harvest swings north
ward. In every state and for ever
harvest or crop emergency, this is tn
safe and certain and patriotic solutio
of the farm-labor problem-the util
cation of town volunteers to the eS
tent that farm-labor needs may r.
Quire.