Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-02-09
FAST DAYS URGED,
FARM DRAFT ASKED
Smoot Tells Senate One Eatless
Day a Month Would Yield
$50,000.000 Yearly.
WASHINGTON. Frp. 9.

WASHINGTON, FEB ~.
The gravity of the food situation was
Impressed yesterday afternoon on theWhite
House the Senate and on Director of Rail
roads McAdoo.
To facilitate the movement Of grain for
the Allies and home consumption, MIR. Nc
Adoo ordered preference given to grain
shipments throughout all the principal
granger States.
The Senate concerned itself with debate
on the conscriptiop of labor for the farms
and on proposal that one fast day each
month be established by law for the entire
country.
President Wilson meanwhile received a
delegation of farmers seeking government
aid TO solve their problems.
CORN IN DANGER OF sPoILING.
Transportation priority for grain, flour,
cornmeal and other grain products IN
Western and Middle Western producing
States wss ordered by Mr.. McAdoo rs a
means of Fastening to market all grains,
and particularly the vast accumulated
stores of soft corn.
This corn, full OF moisture as result OF
last years growing conditions, composes
40 per cent of the stocks IN many sections,
and is threatened with rotting IN the
moderate weather of the last few days, I'M
s5O,OOO,0O0 SAVING BY FAsTs.
Senator Snoot of Utah urged in the
Senate the establishment of a monthly
last day TO conserve food. He said that
nv proper economy in observance of one
fast day a month saving of 50,000,000
could be affected annually by the United
States.
senator Borah Of Idaho declared that
nf M
servstion OF food, but one of labor and
transportation TO produce and distribute
food.
''Are we not getting to the place"
asked Senator Jones, where we ought to
draft every msn and woman in this coun-
try to make him or her do the work he or
she is suited To-"
3lf the war keeps on, that certainly will
have to be DONE said Senator Smoot.
Today we find the people Of most
Of the nations OF the earth on the strictest
sort OF rations and many are actually suffer
ing from hunger Wehave in our own coun-
try q Food Administration asking our
people to observe meatless days, wheatless
days. porkiess days, and to stop the waste
Of all kinds of food. Their warnings should
and must be needed.
PRESIDENT RECEIVES FARMERS.
Delegates to the Federal Board of
Farm Organizations, IN session here cal
led on President Wilson and urged that
be appoint a commission of nine from their
number to serve as an intermediary be-
tween the government and the farmers IN
solving agricultural labor and other
problems.
The delegation presented memorial
making various suggestions concerning
the handling of farm problems and the
exemption Of farm labor from military
hervice- The President replied:
II cannot, Of course, of hand answer
70 important a memorial as this, and
aeed not tel you that it viii receive my
most careful and respectful attention
Many Of the questions that are raised here
have been matters of very deep and
constant concern with US for months past,
and believe that many of them are ap-
preaching SIS successful q solution as We
.an work out for them, but Just what those
steps are cannot now detail to you. Iou
are probably familiar with some OF them.
Il want TO say that l fully recognize
that YOU gentlemen do not mean that your
utmost effort will be dependent upon the
acceptance Of these suggestions ! know
YOU are going to DO your level best in any
circumstances, and ! count on you with
the utmost confidence In that.
There has never been a time, gentle
men, which tested the real quality OF folks
as this time is going to test it; because we
are fighting for something bigger than any
man's imagination can grasp.
This is a final tackle between the
things that America has always been
opposed TO and was organized to fight and
the things that she stands for. IL is the
final contest, and to lose II would set the
world back, not a neutrality-suspicious.,
several hundred-years II the develop
ment human life"