The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1918-01-04
WASHINGTON LETTER

quirements of this country and its al
lies. There was a shortage of farm
labor in 1917. In some instances the
scarcity of help was so great that
farmers were unable to save all their
crops, thus losing at harvest time
some of the crops upon which they had
expended seed and labor through the
spring and summer. The danger is
that in view of this experience many
of them will sow or plant smaller
acreage in 1918.
This must not be permitted to oc-
cur, and it is well that early action be
taken to assure the farmer that he
can reasonably expect help enough to
gather his crops next autumn. Pro-
fessor H. C. Taylor, agricultural econ
omist at the University of Wisconsin
is one who fully realizes the import
ance of the farm labor problem and
has begun early agitation of the need
of solving it. He insists that there are
two classes upon which the country
should draw for help in the emergen-
cy-retired farmers who have become
independent and moved to town, and
the boys and girls of the villages and
cities who have not heretofore been
enlisted in the crop gathering task.
Professor Taylor estimates that there
are million of the retired farmers
who could be called once more to the
field. Quite likely many of them are
past the age of hard labor, but their
successful experience should make
them valuable in overseeing the work
of youths from the city who know lit
tie or nothing about farm work.
Another class could be added to
these two by the forced employment
of idlers. While it is true that the.
confirmed idler is likely to be more
trouble than help on farm, there are
large numbers who are in the habit
of working only few weeks each
year or living off the earnings of 9TH
ers, but who could be induced to rem
der useful service on the farm if
pronounced public opinion and per-
haps some local legislation could be
made to act as spur or Inspiration.
the time to take up the farm labor
problem. We have had enough of de-
lay in preparedness. By legislation,
education and organization we should.
at this opportune time, take every pos
sible action that will insure the farmer
all the help available for the planting,
care and harvesting of his crops. There
should be not merely probability but
certainty that no idler will be shirk-
ing in the loafing places of cities and
villages as long as there is farmer
needing help to kill weeds in his gar
den or put his crops in the bin.
Representative Dale of Vermont,
one of the Congressional party who
visited the firing line in Europe, brings
back tale of deficient equipment for
the boys over there which fits in well
with the disclosures which have been
made on this side of the water regard
ing the deficiencies of equipment in
the training camps. In newspaper
interview in his own state Mr.. Dale
has outlined what he says he intends
to set forth in Congress- picture of
an American soldier on European soil
without sufficient guns, without suffi-
cient blankets, and lacking many 9TH
er items of necessary equipment. 1t
was another Vermonter, Redfield
Proctor, we are reminded, who, in the
days preceding the war with Spain,
after personal trip to Cuba, so por-
trayed conditions in that island in a
speech before the Senate that the
country was electrified, it's duty was
made clear, and the response was
prompt and effective. Maybe Mr.. Dale
of Vermont is now going to show how
history may repeat itself.
In the course of the present inquiry
into the conduct of the war, Republi-
can members of the Senate committee
on military affairs have been scrupu-
lous to do nothing which would even
remotely indicate a disposition to
hamper or unduly to criticise the War
in any Of its activities. |
Yet, telling his story in his own way, |
Gen. |Crozier has presented a condi-
ton of things which the most ghoulish |
Of partisans could not have hoped to
bring out-even if the Investigation
had been framed for that purpose.
Months of delay, million of added ex-
pense and almost total inadequacy OF
result are the items in the story.
Small wonder that inquiring Sena-
tors are stupified by the revelations of
inefficiency. Small wonder that the
country is awakening to the serious
ness of the situation in which we have
been placed.
The Presidents counsel to Minneso-
"a Democrats to join with the Repub-
leans in re-electing Senator Knute
Nelson is a virtue born Of necessity.
The Senator had expressed a desire
10 retire to private life. No Demo-
rat stands ghost of show to sue
,eed him. If he runs again and is
elected by both parties, the Demo-
rats have lost nothing. A real dis
play of non-partisanship by Demo-
rats would be to abstain from con-
,ests in States which are normally |