ZS2MS5
The Commoner
VOL. 17, No. 3.
Rodent Wilson Calls Upon Nation for United Action
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A'ashfngton dispatch, dated April 15, says:
a great international service army a. notable
and honored host engaged in the service 'of the
nation and the world, the efficient' friends arid
saviors of free ment everywhere. Thousands,
nay, hundreds of tliousands of men otherwise
liable to military sdrvlco will of fight and of
necessity be excused frbm tha service and as
signed to the fundamental, sustaining work of
the fields and factories and mines.r and they" will
bo as much part Of the great patriotic forces of
the nation as the'jmen Under-Are. " f v '
' . 'addresses Farmers
. "I take" tfe liberty; theref.ore of addressing
this word" to the farmers of the country and to
all who work on the -farms? The supreme need
of our own-nation aid of the nations' with
which we are 'co-operating Is an abundance pt
supplies and' especially of Jto'odstuffs. T.he im-
nnrfnupa nf nn iwfoniinfo fnnrl smrmlv Asmpnlnllv
Tho entrance of our beloved , countrysJ into- for the, present year, js . superlative. Without
i,n ffrim and terrible war for democracy" arid. aDunuant rooa, aiiKe Mor tne armies anu tne.peo-
human rights which has shaken the w6i4d,7re
ates so many problems of national life;ancl ..ac
tion which calls for immedid'e;Aonlleratji,6n
and settlement that I hope you -will p1&mlt jife
to address you a few words ot' .earnest, counsel
and appeal with regard to theni, t
"We are rapidly putting our navy upon an.
; nl,r rVrSS ..large 'measure, rests the fate of the war 'artel; the
and equip a great army, .)U,tbCso,athe.;8im-c -f f - f' nations rMavthe -nation not count
plost parta of tho eron.t .tkk to which we have -We WtVte nations, rway tne jation not count
nririMHied ourselves. There is not a sing-re set- -iinon.tUam.tP omitno 'step that will Increase
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in a personal appeal 10 iuh iuuuw uuuuu;jhbu,
President, Wilson calls utfon "-every American
citizen man, woman and child-r-to jojn .to
gether to make the nation , a "unit for tho pres
ervation of its ideals and for triumphs, of dem
ocracy lit'' the world war, ,
"The supreme test of the nation Jias come,"
says the address. "We must all speak, act and
serve together." , J . '
Putting thoiUvy on a war: (footing" and rais-
ing a great ar'my are tho 'simp test parts ,of th'e
great task ahead, tho Presldont decides,. vand
ho urges all tho people with' particular5 empha-'
sis on h'is words to the farmers,, to -concentrate,
their energies, practico economy; prove :. un
selfishness and demonstrate efficiency. '.The ad
dress follows:
"My. Fellow Countrymen,:
llr
pie now at whr, the whoje great enterprise up
on which wb have embarked will break- and
fail The world's food reserves are low1. -Not
Only during the present emergency but .for some
time after peace shail'-ha.ve gome both ourown
people' and a large -proportion of the people -of
,Europ'e must rely upon the harvest in America
"Upon the fanners 'of this country, therefore, in
fish element, so far as I can see, in the cause
we are Jlghting' for. We are jflghting for what
we llelievc'and wish to .hethejrjfghts of man-1
kind and for the futur:peaianir security of
the world. To do this grtft3tiirig WO.rth'iJy and1''
successfully we must devote 'ourselves; to tbe"
service without regard to profiteer material ad
vantage and with an energy ,and ..intelligence
that 'tylV rise to. tho leveloMltiXnteTpr.ise; itself.
Wo must' realise to the' f ulInH)Wifeat',,tne ;ask '
is and how many things how many kinds and
elements.. of capacity aisYJnselJ-gac-
riflce it involves. Thesthetfretiie things;
we must do arid do wellJbesixies fighjtihg the
things without which me're fighting wduld be
fruitless. ..
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the production ofniieir land or that will bring
about the most effectual co-operation in the sale
and distribution of their food -products. vThe
time a. short. It is, of the ,inost imperative im
portance that everything, possible be donejand
Vdone - immediately to make' "sure .of large hai"-
vests. I ,call updn young men and old alikje and
upon 'the able-bodied boys of- the land to accept
. .andr8,ct;'up,on this dutyV to turn inhosts toithe
' tarhisndA makg cet,iinlhatriao,,)pq.in$ -andj.no
othgjblatior is lacking In this "great -matter. ;
f ry , v ; UjRGESiABDANlE JAOEA'GIE 'y? ,
'"I -pp.riicularly appeal to. he farmers of the
south ; to plant abundant foodstuffs as well as
cotton. They, .can tshQW .their patriotism in no
bettor or moro convincing way than b,y resisting
"We must supply abuntotofood tfor ourselves ,...the. great temptation of the present price 6f cot-
and for .our armies and hueaen.' riot.,ulqnft: ton arid .helping upon a great' scale to feed .the
but alsq for a large parJgVotytha$nations with nation and the people everywhere who are" flght-
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whom -we have now made common cause, m
whose-,, support and by whoso s.ldes.we Bhall be
ngnung; . v
" ' . MUST SUPPLY-A.TLLTES ,
'We must sunnly shins ,bv1' tli'e'TirfndredS' out
of our ship yards, to carry to ttfe olbers side of
tho sea,' submarines or no jjjubmarlnes, jwhat will
every day be needed there and abundant ma
terial out of our fields and our mines and our
factories with which not only to clothe and
equip our own forces on land and sea, but also
glothe and support our people, for whom the
gallant fellows under arms can no longer work,
to help clothe and equip the armies with which
we are co-operating in .Europe and to keep the
fires going in ships at sea and in the furnaces
of hundreds of factories across the sea; steel
out of which to make arms and ammunition,
bojth here and there; rails for worn out rail
ways back of tho fighting fronts; locomotives
and rolling stock to take the place of those
every day going lo pieces; mules, horses, cattle
for -labor and for military service; everything
witlb "which the people of England and France
apd. Italy and Russia have usually supplied
themselves but can not now afford the men, the
materials, or the machinery to, make.
"T4- a nvlilnnf tr nwovw f lifnlrlncr fnon fViof mm
jlv. JO vJYvtii. iu jwj biiattiwAto umu tuut UU1
Ing for their liberties and for our own". - The
variety of their crops will be the visible meds
Urp of their, comprehension, of ' their national
'duty,,- , .. - .&'
: "The fgovernment"of the. United .States' and
the governments of the several states ' stand
ready ""to co-operate. They will do' everything
possible -to assist the fawners in securingv an
odenuate sunnlv of seed, nn firlnnimfA fArno" m
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laborers when they are most needed at harvest
time, and the means of expediting shipments of
fertilizers and farm machinery, as well as of
the crops themselves when harvested. The
course of trade shall be as unhampered as it is
possible to make' it and there shall be no un
warranted manipulation of the nation's food
supply by those who handle it on its way to the
consumer. This is our opportunity to demon
strate the efficiency of the great democracy and
wo shall not fan short of it.
"This, let me say to ,the middle men of every
sort, whether they are handling our foods or
our raw materials for manufacture or the prod
ucts of our mills and factories: The eyes of the
country will be-especially upon you. This is
your opportunity for signal service, efficient
and disinterested. T.he conutry expects you, as
it uxueccs an otners, to forego unusual profits,
industries, in farms, in ship yards, in the mines, cto organize and expedite shipments of supplies
inthe factories,must be made more prolific and
more efficient than ever and that they must be
more economically managed and better adapted
to, ho particular requirements of our task than
thpy have, been; and what I want to say is that
tfie men and women who devote their thought
and their energies to these things will be serv
ing the qountry and conducting the fight for
poaceuaud, freedom just as truly and just as ef
fectively, as .the men on the battlefield or in the
tQiQjies.. Tjie industrial -forces of the country,
men and women alike, will be a great national,
of every kind, but especially of food, with nn
eye to the service you are rendering and in the
spirit of those who enlist in the ranks, for their
people, not for themselves, I shall confidently
expect you to deserve and win the confidence
of the people of every sort and station.
"To the men who run the railways of this
country, whether they be managers or operative
employes, let me say that the railways are the
arteries of the nation's life and that upon them,
rests the immense responsibility of seeing to it
that those arteries Suffer no obstruction of any
kind, no. inefficiency or slackened power To th
merchant let me suggest the motto-' 'Ln
profits and quick service,' and to shin buE
the thought that the life of the war denenS
upon him. The food and the war supplies rau ?
be carried across the seas, no matter how minv
ships are sent to the bottom. To the miner lot
me say that he stands where the farmer dm.
The work of the world waits on him u L
slackens or fails, armies and statesmen are heln
less. He also is enlisted In the great service
army. The manufacturer -does not need to be
told, I hope, that the nation looks to him to
speed and perfect every process; and I want
only to remind his employes that their service
is absolutely indispensable and is counted on by
every man who loves the country and its lib
erties. "Let me suggest also that everyone who cre
ates or cultivates a garden helps, and helps
greatly to solve the problem of the feeding of
the nations; and that every housewife who
practices strict economy puts herself in the
ranks of those who serve the nation. This is tho
time for America to' correct her unpardonable
fault of wastefulness and extravagance. Let
every man and every woman assume the duty
of careful, provident use and expenditure as a
public duty, as a dictate of patriotism which
no one can now expect ever to be excused or
forgiven for ignoring.
'In the hope that this statement of tho needs
of the nation and ofAhe world in this hour of
supreme crisis may stimulate those to whom
it comes and may remind all who need remind
er of the solemn duties of a time such as the
world has never seen before, I beg that all ed
itors and publishers, everywhere will give as
prominent publication and as wide circulation
as possible to this appeal. I venture to suggest
also, to all advertising agencies that they would
perhaps render a very' substantial and timely
service to the country if they would givo it
widespread repetition. And, I hope that clergy
men will not think the theme of it an unworthy
or inappropriate subject of comment and hom
ily from their pulpits.
"The supreme test of the nation has come.
WE MUST ALL SPEAK, ACT AND SERVE
TOGETHER.
"WOODROW WILSON."
MUST ALL STAND TOGETHER
Dr. "David Starr 'Jordan, the great pacifist,
who did all he could to prevent war with Ger
many, has now changed front and is back of
the administration. He has said his last word,
and it is as follows:
"Our country is now at war, and the only way
out is forward. I would not change one word
I have spoken" against war, but that is no longer
the Issue. We must now stand together with
the hope that our entrance into Europe may in
some way advance the cause of democracy and
hasten the coming of peace." .
That statement will appeal to many a man
who is devoted to peaceand hated above all
things, to have-this .coUnnygo'rio war. But
there was no choige. It had to and now the
only way to do is to subscribe to the inevitable,
get close to the heartbeat of the nation and fight
till the cause is won. And through it all feel no
compulsion' beyond that of duty. Columbus,
Ohio, State Journal.
The republican party posed for so many
years as the sole jind .one best friend of the
farmer that it deceived itself as well as the
farmer. With tho democratic party as the pro
genitor of the federal farm loan banks that are
now offering 6 per cent money to farmers who
have considered themselves lucky in recent years
to get it for as low as 10 per cent, the men who
till the soil of this country have an object
lesson in real friendship that will be reflected
in future elections.
And it was only a short time ago that the
leading national issues were whether congress
men should continue the sending of free seea io
their constituents, and whether a new fi0"1"
ment building at Podunk Center was a pioper,
use of fhe money in the national treasury.
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