Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1845-07-12
From the Washington City Constitution.
AMERICAN WATER. RoTTED HEMP.

AMERICAN WATER. RoTTED HEMP.
Gentlemen: Permit me to draw your
attention TO an article from the Louisville
Democrat, June IL, and published in the
Union of the 10th. from which make the
following extract:
"In one instance lot Of hemp was sent
10 Charleston, according to the direction of
the agent in Kentucky. 1t was rejected al
the navy yard and sold 10 merchant in
Boston, and afterwards sold to the govern
ment and used in the navy" This hemp
was no doubt purchased of the farmer by
a Spectator, then transmitted TO Boston
for navy purposes, then having passed
through the hands of a merchant the gov
eminent paid a price nearly one-third
more than if it had been purchased direct
by the government agent in the hemp
growing country. In lS43, | delivered
len or twelve tons as part of seventy, TO
be forwarded to Charleston. under act of
Congress in 1912, for the protection of
American hemp. This hemp was rejected
by the government agents at the Charles
ton navy yard, and afterwards sold to
Benz. Sewell, large manufacturer, who
pronounced it too good for ordinary pur-
poses. The rejection of this hemp sub
ected me to disastrous losses; and had this
hemp been received, there is no doubt in
my mind that it would have induced the
Western farmer TO turn his attention to
the preparation of hemp by water-rotting,
as at that time had fairly overcome the
preiudices against waterrotting; and in
stead of bringing into market only seventy
or eighty tons of water roted hemp, feel
assured the next season | could have for
warded at least two hundred tons for naval
purposes, if not four hundred. The water
rottng hemp at that period was an expert
ment. and the farmers looked to its being
received or rejected by the government as
an inducement to their further attempt. or
as an abandonment of the process. Had
the government received it at that period,
even if it had been a little inferior to Rus
sian hemp, there is no doubt the next at
tempt of the farmer would have produced
an article of superior quality, as samples
of American hemp have been produced
superior to any foreign article ever i'm
ported in this country. 1t was at the par
tcular request of the navy department that
| entered into the production of water
rotted hemp at the time commenced oper-
atoms. abandoned all my other employ
ments, on the faith of the navy department
to sustain me from loss; nor did expect
any of this hemp delivered to be rejected
even if it was not equalt to Russian; and it
was also the intention of the Secretary of
the navy, James X. Paulding, to have it re-
ceived, as it was an experiment; and, at
that time, the Government had on hand
sufficiency of Russian hemp for all purpo-
ses. AT the present time, there can be an
abundance of water rotted hemp obtained
in Kentucky, Missouri and Illinois, if the
Government would pursue course in &C
cordance with the spirit of the act of Con-
gress for the encouragement of the Ameri-
can staple, by giving the agents appointed
under this act the power to purchase the
hemp at their agencies west, instead of
sending it to Boston TO be inspected and
paid for. The farmers would readily agree
to furnish a sufficiency of hemp for all
naval purposes, of superior quality, deiv-
cred at Louisville and ST. Louis, for $50
per ton. On the contrary, they would not
be willing to send it to Boston to be in
spected and paid for at 5000 per ton, which
the government agrees TO give. The gov
eminent, this year, requires four hundred
tons of hemp. The difference in price of
purchasing this quantity west, by their
agents, and sending it east to be ms pected
and paid for, would amount to $4,000.
and which also converts these offices of
agencies into sinecures; and the govern
ment is paying $4,000 to support them,
which is in direct opposition to the princi.
Piles of the Democratic administration laid
down for their government, which is a ju.
dicious and economical expenditure of the
public funds TO sustain the wheels of the
government.
am, very respectfully,
your obedient servant,
DAVID MYERLE.
Messrs, Harris & Heart.