The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1918-06-28
WHAT KANSAS DID
Nearly a Hundred Thousand Town
Men in Harvest Fields

Something like 100000 men-may-
be few thousand more, maybe few
thousand less-are out in the Kansas
wheat fields, or will be before June and
July have passed, harvesting this
years war-winning crop.
Where does this army of harvest
hands come from? Well, where does
Pershing's army of fighters come
from from stores and banks and
farm 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
a few weeks and focked to farms for
precisely the same reasons that their
relatives and friends came to the col
ors-to play part in winning the
war.
Kansas is using as much outside
labor as could be secured, of course,
but that supply is sufficient to fill only
small part of the need. Kansas is
doing what every State has done or
must do--harvest it's 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 patriotism,
although, of course, they earn har-
vest-hand wages-doing it to save
food crop, the saving of which is as
necessary as the holding of sector
on the fighting line.
1t is an inspiring picture of patriot
ism. First the young manhood of a
free people freely marching away
to fight the worlds freedom; now the
home remaining manhood leaving
desk and 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 scene in Kansas,
where men from every town and city
went into physical training classes for
a few weeks hardening, and then swept
across the grain fields, toiling deter
minedly-not because of compulsion,
not because of wage inducements, not
because of anything under the shin
ing sun except that they are Ameri-
cans, and therefore are willing and
eager to work until they drop if that
will help crush the Hun.
The town women of Kansas volun-
teered for the harvest army, and so
did the boys. And they are working
the women peeling potatoes and
washing dishes and cooking food,
for the harvesters; the boys fitting in
at every sort Of odd job for which
they are sufficiently strong or skillful
the men thus being free to devote
their entire energy to the actual har-
vest.
For months the United States De-
partment of Agriculture has advocat-
ed for every community and county
the policy which Kansas has given
statewide application. The people of
Nebraska, Minnesota, North and South
Dakota plan similar concert of action
as the harvest swings northward. In
every State and for every harvest, or
crop emergency, this is the safe and
certain and patriotic solution of the
farm-labor .problem-the ultimatum
of town volunteers to the extent that
farm-labor needs may require.