DO YOUR BIT FOR AMERICA 



293 



This let me say to the middlemen of 

 every sort, whether they are handling our 

 foodstuffs or our raw materials of manu- 

 facture or the products of our mills and 

 factories : The eyes of the country will be 

 especially upon you. This is your oppor- 

 tunity for signal service, efficient and dis- 

 interested. The country expects you, as 

 it expects all others, to forego unusual 

 profits, to organize and expedite ship- 

 ments of supplies of every kind, but espe- 

 cially of food, with an 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 con- 

 fidently expect you to deserve and win 

 the confidence of people of every sort and 

 station. 



To the men who run the railways of 

 the country, whether they be managers or 

 operative employees, let me say that the 

 railways are the arteries of the nation's 

 life, and that upon them rests the im- 

 mense responsibility of seeing to it that 

 those arteries suffer no obstruction of any 

 kind, no inefficiency or slackened power. 



To the merchant let me suggest the 

 motto, "Small profits and quick service," 

 and to the shipbuilder the thought that 

 the life of the war depends upon him. 

 The food and the war supplies must be 

 carried across the seas, no matter how 

 many ships are sent to the bottom. The 

 places of those that go down must be 

 supplied, and supplied at once. 



STATESMEN AND ARMIES HELPEESS 

 WITHOUT MINERS 



To the miner let me say that he stands 

 where the farmer does — the work of the 

 world waits on him. If he slackens or 

 fails, armies and statesmen are helpless. 

 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 employees that 

 their service is absolutely indispensable 

 and is counted on by every man who 

 loves the country and its liberties. 



Let me suggest, also, that every one 

 who creates 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 the 

 time for America to correct her unpar- 

 donable fault of wastefulness and ex- 

 travagance. 



Let every man and every woman as- 

 sume 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 for- 

 given for ignoring. 



THE SUPREME TEST HAS COME 



In the hope that this statement of the 

 needs of the nation and of the world in 

 this hour of supreme crisis may stimulate 

 those to whom it comes and remind all 

 who need reminder of the solemn duties 

 of a time such as the world has never 

 seen before, I beg that all editors and 

 publishers everywhere will give as promi- 

 nent publication and as wide circulation 

 as possible to this appeal. 



I venture to suggest, also, to all adver- 

 tising agencies that they would perhaps 

 render a very substantial and timely serv- 

 ice to the country if they would give it 

 wide-spread repetition. 



And I hope that clergymen will not 

 think the theme of it an unworthy or in- 

 appropriate 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 WlESON. 



The White House, April 15, 191 7. 



