The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1882-05-25
WAsHiNaToN, D. c.,
May lS, 1882.

IL sppeaIs pIooSuiS Iaos VIZ
to raise the Department Of Agricul'
ture TO the rsuk of first class exeru.
tive department aud make its head a
Cabinet officer will finally come TO a
head before the present session OF
Congress ends. Nearly every Com
missioner since the Bureau of Agri,
culture was created has been figuring
to this end, and the unfortunate Le-
Due, whose efforts at raising cold tea
and early boiled potatoes are 50 we'll
known, laid himself out in the strug'
gle to become member Of the Cabl
net. His visions reyolysd aruund
that one central idea. Bus,whiie Le=
Due has passed into oblivion, bis pet
scheme still lives and shows the effects
of bis careful watering. Ex'Secretary
Schurs expresses himself against the
proposition ss it passed the House.
He says that. under its operation, the
business of the department would still
consist as it does now in gathering
and disseminating information, aud not
in any administrative work.
A new executive department might
be constructed with advantage to the
public service out of several bureaus
at present forming part Of the Interior
Department, to which the Department
Of Agriculture nigh, te properly ad
ded-uauely, the General Land Office,
the Bureau of Geological Surveys, and
the Railroad Bureau. The Interior
Department has become such cum
bersome and unmanageable conglo.
meration of Heterogeneous branches Of
the service that the transfer Of some
of its constituent parts to some other
Office may be advisable. The admin
istration of the public lands, the geo.
logical surveys, and the supervision Of
the land grant railroads properly be-
long together; while there is also an
obvious affinity between the public
lands and the subject Of agriculture.
1t is true, of new executive depart,
mens so constructed, agriculture
would be only a subordinate part,
which would probably not suit the
advocates Of the proposition as it now
stands. But this would be inevitable
If the new department is to have
proper administrative functions at all.
As to making the head of the Depart
uent of Agriculture Cabinet officer
the President ean do that DOW if be is
so disposed. What is called the
Cabinet meaning the assembled adj
visory council of the President, is not
8 creature of Law, but merely of GUS
tom ; and the President might. If he
pleased, invite the present Coumis.
siouer Of Agriculture to take part in
it without any further authority de-
rived from q law raising the rank Of
that department.
Speaker Kiefer has not removed a
House stenograpbic reporter for sew.
era! weeks now, but he has recently
made a speech before the New York
Chamber Of Commerce in which be
declared that this talk about the
purity of the earlier days of the Re.
public is all bosh. he insisted that
We are better in every way than were
our ancestors, and that We are the
superiors Of all nations-ancient or
modern. Mr.. Speaker Kiefer forgot
to add any compliments to the Ameri-
can eagle, Dor did be observe that our
home 10 10 the setting syn. Perhaps
our superlati7e goodness 80 people,
the superiority of bis OVID colleagues
to Washington, the first President.
Jefferson, the Adanses, Jackson, and
the proud possession of Robesoo,
Shipherd, Dorsey, Ben Butler, and
Bob Ingersoll, elouded b!s memory.
Since the halcyon days when Presi-
dent Hayes made milk aOd-Wster
speeches at couDty sgrlc9ltnral fairs,
the nation has had no defender at ali
equal to the astute Speaker Kiefer,
whose eloqaeuce is comical blending
Of the atteFaGees of SECOND rate
scboolnasser and cross roads Fourth
Of July spoaser.