Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1870-02-08

The basis Of our national wealth and pros-
pcrity IL acknowledged BY statesmen, Wri-
ters, and others to be agriculture. Destroy
II and we would soon be land Of paupers.
Five years. ALLURE OF the crops would lnjure
us more than a ten ysan' war, or than
sweeping the ocean Of all our commerce.
No one denies this. Ifso, then IL Il not the
duty Of the Government 10 foster, to the
fullest extent, this branch Of industry But
This cauno, b done without system any
more than the military and naval affairs
can be carried on without system. And to
have system there must be a central head Of
some kind. What would BE- the conditions
Of our army and navy without such a point
Pappuii That which Ia now order and
regularity would be utter confusion.
Then II Government fosters agriculture,
II must have q system, and that system must
have head and local habltatlon. And
with this Wow the Department Of Agrleul-
ture has been wisely established, separate
from and untrAmmelod b. connection with
any other department.
But to accomplish the end for which i
10 designed, II must DO properly supported.
And while we strongly advocate economy Id
the administration Of the Cover nment, va
do not believe In that policy which " ould
cripple this department and destroy its
usefulness. And while wo would not ex'
press any opinion In regard to tho appro-
prlatIons to the other departments, yet We
do say that tho disparity between tho
amounts granted this and tho others Is too
great, and Ia not treating the agricultural
interests Of tho country fairly, Other In
forests are always we'll represented at the
capital by those who expect TO receive the
benefit Of appropriations, while the farmers
arc len wholly at tho mercy Of Congress,
From the Commissioner report for 1858
We learn that the whole amount expended
from December 4, 1867, 10 November 30,
1853, was $4,000, an amount less than
one tenth Of one per cent. OF the value Of
the wheat alone produced in tho United
States that year. One per cent. on tho
value Of the buck wheat cakos eaton during
the year would pay this sum-the value Of
the buckvhSat raised being $40, sl4, 1915,
One tenth OF the amount asked few days
Aimee to supply the deficiency In tho appro.
priatiou for the navy would more than cover
this whole expenditure. .....
II s doubtful whether any funds appro.
priated by the Government have been eK.
pended with more economy than those for
that Department. And the result OF this
cramplng and false economy has beon tina,
the Commissioner, turning his funds to that
which vaa most useful, has been unable TO
make a. great display In the bullding as
many desire TO SEQ, and then he is condemned
because Il Is neagre, whom tho truth Is that
he deserves gres, credit for such favorable
show with the very small amount he could
obtain for that object. Tho building, though
neat, IL too smAn for the purpose. The
small sum Of two or three hundred thousand
dollars il doled out to the Commissioner,
and then he Is expected to do more with
these means than treble the facilities could
accomplish.
But the objections sometimes raised como
from the fact that what Is done lie so widely
distributed, and In such q quiet and unos.
tensible manner that 1t 10 not seen at q
glance Of the eye, and hence not appro.
ciated. But an examination into the results
flowing out Of this department would show
that 1t has paid for itself ten times over.
Tho introduction Of sorghum and the devel.
opment and encouragement Of It's culture
alone has paid all the department ever cosi
the Government. The Introduction of new