Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1918-02-06
Food Administrator Of Winneshiek
County Has Some Important
Things to Say to Our
People.
PLEDGED TO DISCHARGE
DUTIES DEyOLvING UPON HIM
Possibility of All of Us Being Put on
Bread and Meat Cards if We
DO Not Obey Food Admin.
istratiOn Ruling.

To The Citizens of Winneshiek Co..
Without solicitation on my part, l
have been appointed or, l may say.
drafted as Food Administrator for
Winneshiek County. In taking oath
of Office pledged myself to dis
charge all the duties devOlving upon
me, without fear or favor and must,
therefore, report to headquarters all
violations of the rules established by
the United States Food Admi1istra-
tion.
In reporting any delinqueacies l
wish to state that there is nothing
personal in the matter but that even
though the rulings may appear some
what searching and rigorous / have
no choice but to follow them to the
letter. However, / do not believe
there is one person in this County.
who is fully informed of the serious
condition we are facing, who would
try to side step the governments
requirements; and on the other hand
/ believe that everyone in Winnie
shiek County will cooperate with me
willingly and heartily, to save
enough food to take care of our boys
who are fighting for US and of our
hungry allies.
We in the bread belt cannot fully
realize the suffering that has come
upon. not only Europe, but also on
the congested districts of this coua-
try. We must. therefore deny our
selves. not only the luxuries but also
certain apparent necessities whose
plaee We can ALI 90 easily by other
food vhichywe can use but which can
not be transported to such good ad-
vantage.
l am sure that no one who thinks
at all could continue to please his
palate by eating wheat bread or any
product of wheat when he knows
that by doing SO he is depriving
someone across the sea of the means
OF life itself; when he knows that
by giving up his wheat bread, and by
eating rye, corn meal, or barley. he
is providing the necessity of life to
some pOof soul who has lost almost
everything but life. The same Is true
of meat. We have so much else to
eat; we shall not suffer at all. We
are commanded to give up only two
things. All we must do is to culti-
yate a taste for another kind of food
than we have been eating-that is
not much to do. We want to do 1t
and more.
Further than this-if we do not
conform to the rulings that have
been formulated, and il this Food
Administration does not succeed in
saving enough food and meat fol
TRANSPORTATION, undoubtedly. we shall
be put on bread and meat cards as
has been done in Europe.
l quote from a letter received to.
day by me from a man In New York,
holding position of national import
ace. He says:
1T is very gratifying to read in
your letter that your Winneshiek
County farm and town people are Sc
much alive to their responsibilities
and are responding so fully to the de-
mands of the government. ! shall
use 1t among those with whom l come
in contact. l suppose, being on the
coast, we meet people more often
who come over on business or re-
Gently from the Front" to recruit
their strength and incidentally to dc
a little good, than you do in the Mid
die West.
was at a meeting of the Cana
dian Society the other evening where
/ heard Sir Frederick Black. the Ven
erable Archdeaco1 H. J. Cody Of Can
ada, DR.. Eaton, the fighting parson,
and last but not least, Major Charles
Walker Gordon whose pen name IL
Ralph ConnOr and who by the way Is
the author of The Sky Pilot and
many other similar novels that are
favOrably known in the States. TIC
listen to these men and others. of the
dreadful horrors seen aid the terri
ble hardships which they themselves
have uncomplainingly endured IL
something to stir the blood Of even q
pacifat. What they need most at the
Front today is FOOD.-One MAJ
told me that II we had men, mum.
tione, and food. to send food first
and keep It up. Wheat -four IN par
ticuiar is needed and ] think now
under Hoover's management and the
Y,aod Administration that has beer
(Cpntinued on pags ~