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Show WICKARD'S IDEAS ON RATIONING GAINS APPROVAL Secretary of Agriculture Wick-ard Wick-ard hasn't been a very hot favorite favor-ite with the New Deal most of the time since he stepped into the shoes of Henry A. Wallace when the latter was "appointed to the nomination" and elected vice-president of the United States. But gradually Wickard has been gaining the support, confidence and good-will of the people of the country. Just how this all came about is hard to explain, unless it is because the secretary has shown the independence so often discovered discover-ed in the true son of the soil. Most cabinet men are expected to put the stamp of approval upon the ideas of old-school politicians in Washington. But they didn't use rubber stamps where Wickard came from. As food administrator he made arrangements for a nation-wide radio hook-up and scholarly scho-larly Elmer Davis cleared the radio ra-dio waves of static misunderstanding. misunderstand-ing. He said "food is a weapon that we have more of than anybody any-body else," and explained how and why our food was being sent abroad. "We sent food to the Russian Rus-sian army," he said, "because every German who is killed by a Russian is a German we won't have to kill; or for that matter, a German who will never have a chance to kill ioriQue" ArirlpH- "The food we send to our Allies is a direct contribution to the winning of the war to winning it more quickly, and at lest cost in American lives." Secretary Wickard took the heroic stand that the American people would not let him down when he told the nation in plain language that his rationing program pro-gram would not be put into effect until February. He said there was plenty of food, but that control and distribution of it must be carefully care-fully executed. There was enough, he said, to go around in our own country, and for distribution among our Allies. "I am confident that Americans will have the common sense and patriotism not to hoard dried fruits and canned fruits and vegetables or any other food for that matter," he flaUy declared, and added the warning: "If you want to help the Axis, one of the best ways is to hoard food." Nobody but an honest American Ameri-can could take that position. Wickard believes in the honesty of the people, and he has asked them to accept the spirit behind his rationing ra-tioning plan and to help him carry it out. |