The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1880-06-19
The Interests of Agriculture In
Congress-.


countered in getting through Con-
gress any measure in the interest of
agriculture. Have been here a
week, with the President of the
New York State Agricultural So
ciety endeavoring to have meeting
with subcommittee to which have
been referred the various bills that
have been proposed in the House of
the contagious diseases of animals,
and to-day have had the good for
tune to have conference with a
portion only of this committee. The
| Hon. VIM. H. Hatch, of Missouri,
and the Hon. Albert Porsythe, of
Illinois, should be mentioned as es-
pecially attentive to the important
matter in charge of this sub-com-
mittee; and if the great interest in
volved fails in securing the legisla-
tive protection it demands, it will
not be the fault of these gentlemen.
There are, of course, many other
members equally Jealous in the adj
vocacy of our cause. But while
this is true, it is we'll known and
universally acknowledged fact that
legislation of this class-that is,
| legislation in the interest of the
country population-as general
rule, does not receive proper atten
ton here. But few members of
Congress read agricultural papers
of any sort, while all are subject to
the constant pressure of the city
dailies, with the active, persistent,
and relentless corps of correspond
ents that these daily papers MAIN
lain here.
The enormous power of the press
of the great cities is supported by
the commercial. manufacturing and
stock dealing interests, and is, as a
matter of course, in active sympathy
with these interests, in whose be-
half legislation is rarely proposed
without the aid of a competent and
liberally-rewarded agency to ply the
members well with all the necessary
information, including all statistics
bearing upon the subject, arranged
in the most convenient, tabulated
form. This accomplished and train
ed agency some times called lobby
is always on hand at the proper
time to see to it that the supreme
moment for action is not lost. AS
a general thing, measures Except
ing, of course, appropriations to pay
the members and other officials)
that are proposed and allowed to
work their way through Congress
upon their merits, without the watch
full care and vigilance of an agency,
are like common freight on our
great railways, always compelled to
give way to the fast freight lines;
and here the fast freight lines have
business enough to occupy the
whole time of the two Houses.
met to-day an old friend, now
serving his first term in the House of
Representatives man of capacity,
and in full sympathy with the in
dustrial interests of the country
who informed me that he had ex-
pected to get through several meas
ures for the advancement of these
interests-tha he came here sup
posing he would have no difficulty
in satisfying the House of the utility
of these measures; "and now" said
he, "here have been for three long
months striving in vain to get even
a hearing upon single one of these
measures" There must be a rem
edy for this deplorable condition of
things, but it will not be found in
the common and cheap cry of un-
faithfulnes in our public men.
These members of Congress are
doubtless as intelligent and as honest
as the average of their constituents,
and the evils observed here are to
be attributed in large measure to
the indifference of the people in the
selection of their public servants,
and their want of attention to the
manner in which these servants per-
form their duties. This is especially
true in reference to the rural con-
stituency, who, instead of organ
izing as other classes do to demand
of legislative bodies attention to
their interests, seem to imagine that
they have performed their whole
duty when they have denounced
the lawyers and the SPECTATORS, that
they have allowed the towns and
cities to select for their representa-
tives, as dishonest and corrupt
scoundrels.
We want more farmers in Con-
gress, and yet do little or nothing to
bring about this desirable result.
But something more than this is ne
cessary. The main thing is to have
men that have sufficient intelligence
to understand our interests, with
the honesty and the courage to faith
fully represent them. 1t frequently
happens in Congress, as we'll as in
our State legislatures, that farmers
turn out to be the most timid and
inefficient advocates of our interests,
while men of other vocations, in
Guiding the much abused lawyers,
properly approaching the para
mount importance of agriculture to
the prosperity of their constituents
of all classes and vocations, are
found to be its most Jealous and
faithful representatives. We of the
country districts must insist that our
members of Congress and of the
assemblies of the States, whoever
they may be, shall be the represent
atives of agriculture as the chief
and paramount interest committed