New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-15
poTJTJC1L AGRICULTURE.

The House has passed Dill 10 create Il De
partment of Agriculture, and to give one
"practical and experienced" farmer seat III
the Cabinet. There is no reason why the Prcsl-
dent should not have the advice of such man,
if he needs it. Neither is there any reason for
denying to the President the aid and advice OF
a Secretary of Manufactures, AMI Secretary OF
Transportation in fact, inasmuch as the
measures placed before him for approval affect
either of these branches of industry far more
frequently and directly than agriculture, the
Executive might easily stand i'll greater need
of experienced and practical advice on those
subjects than upon the comparatively few
measures which have special bearing upon the
interests of the farmers The Department or
Bureau might be made in every respect as eilcc-
tive and useful to farmers, without placing IFS
head in the Cabinet. and the selection of the
head of the Department would not in that case
be governed by the political and personal con-
sidcrations which unavodably have great
weight in the selection of Cabinet officers.
Hence. there is reason to believe that, as a
practical help to industry, the organization
might be kept more free from political bias and
decentralization, more Jealous and single
hearted in promoting the interests of agricul-
tu1e, and more truly useful to farmers, If it
should not be represented in the Cabinet. If
the President needs the advice of a practical
farmer, he should be permitted to have that
advice; if not, he should not be compelled TO
admit to his official family member not
needed there.
Passing next to the organization cOntem-
plated by the BILL we find much reason to doubt
whether it will accomplish the ends desired.
A radical objection to the bill is that it creates
a second Bureau of Statistics to gather from
other sources substantially the san infOrma-
ton that the present bureau, with very made
quate means, endeavors so faithfully to obtain
and compile. For large part OF the infoIma-
ton which the bill would require bureau to
gather, it would be obliged to go to the Treas
ury Department. and it would then have to
republsh statistics already collated and pub
lished by the present bureau. Why two sets of
officials and clerks should be employed to pre-
pare and publish the same facts it is difficult to
see. If the two agree, the duplication is
foolish and wasteful; if they do not agree, the
uncertainty and wrangling will be perncious.
Then as to such facts as are not now obtained
by the Bureau of Statistics, no adequate
HlclHOus OI IcsOuICtH dlc IIONluct LOT securing
better information than is now gathered by the
Bureau of Agriculture. How Enthusiastically
that information has been, how discrcditable to
the country, and at times how mischievous in
promoting speculation, has long been observed
with great regret. The fault may have been
wholly due to the inadequacy of the means
employed, or to the inherent Enthusiastically of
sources upon which the bureau is obliged to
depend. But the pending bill does not provide
better sources or methods.
The great aim sought by the sincere advo-
Gates of this measure is to obtain for farmers.
and to place within their reach, scientific and
practical information that may help them to
raise better crops. This is a most praiseworthy
effort But the publication and distribution of
such information arcIessentially the work of IA
journal. There exist already journals devoted
to this very task, which show the disposition
and ability to perform it admirably. If they
lack the resources to do all that might be done,
the farmers themselves can remedy that by
supporting the best of them more generally.
Half the money that will have to be spent from