New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-05-07

4
p1oa;aant extending the Zuni reserva-
49,. IL evidence of an unfriendly feeing
tnwa,a Senator Logan. Senator Cuiiom
i in Washington, presumably to see
the President about the Commissioner
sh;n of Internal Revenue. The recent arrests |
IN This CITY have brought out comment from
offrers of the Post Office Department upon
private postal companies aud their eVns'
THE ACADEMY SORGHUM REPORT.
,vu,prn sy AnRIDGMENT AND DELAYED IN PUBS
IIcATioN-DR. LoRINGs HOSTILITY
Iny TELEGRAPH TO TIE TRIBUNE.l
WASHINGTON, May 6.-Tbe printing oi Ihe SUI
,hum report prepared by acommittee OF the Nationa
Academy of Sciences is under way In the 1overn-
ment Printing Office. but it can hardly be completed
od the document published and distributed IN
time 70 he of much benefit to the sorghum industry
This wear. There is, moreover, danger that the
yaue of the report will be materially impaired py
the severe pruning and merciless abrldgment 10
which it has been subjected through the influence
of somebody since it left the hands OF the Academy
For example, about thirty pages near the beginning
of the repor-a concise summary OF the progress ana
results of the sorghum experiments by the Depart
ment of Agriculture for four years-have been cut
out bodily. 1t is rather singular that report OF
this sort from the most distinguished scientific body
in the country should, without the knowledge OF
one of its officers be subjected to mutilation at
time when the Government is daily printing thou
sands upon thousands of pages of stun when In
terests nobody except trunk-makers and junk
dealers.
OFFICIAL RED TAPE AS HINDRANCE.
The history of this sorghum report furnishes
most instructive example OF the power
of official red tape to hinder,
not to strangle. an investigation, In the
result of which thousands of farmers in the North
ern and Western States feel deep personal interest
Last year they wholly deprived OF any 5enefit
from the investigation, and this year the result is
likely to be the same There docs not appear to be
apy sufficient excuse for this long delay 1t is not
10 be wondered that farmers and farmers clubs in
all parts of this country loudly complaining and
blaming the Commissioner of Agriculture, whom
they hold chiefly responsible for the UNREASONABLE
delay In the publication OF the report. The inves-
tiQation was begun by the Academy at Commits
sioper Loring's official request considerably more
than year ago. He wanted scientific investigation
Of the whole subject in its practical and economic
.relations as well as In its purely scientific
aspects. The investigation was vigorously pushed
by the committee Of the Academy and the report
was ready In April. 1t was officially approved by
the Academy and Immediately transmitted to Com
missioner Loring. There it halted and notwith-
standing the earnest and general demand for it, not
even an abstract of its contents could be obtained
for publication.
WHY DIR. LoRING WAS NOT PLEASED
Portions Of the document were highly objection
able to Commissioner Loring. He was angry be-
cause Dr. Collier, who had conducted all the sor-
ghum Investigations and experiments In the Depart
ment of Agriculture, was mentioned by name and
his methods and results praised his own. The
Commissioner declared that the Academy bad ex-
ceeded it's authority in several particulars. 1t had
presumed to advise that the experimental manu-
facture of sorghum sugar be continued
ut the Notwithstanding which he
would rather resign his Office than do
II had undertaken to review and discuss
the statements and conclusions of Dr. Golfers first
three reports as well as those contained in his
original statement to the Academy. IL was denied
that any of these documents had been submitted TO
the Academy-a denial which was evidently made
IN forgetfuness of the facts In the case. 1t was
complained that the examples given In favor OF
sorghum were all on one side. and that several
This statement was also made in evident forgetful-
ness of the fact that the Comm ssoner had been re-
quested by the committee TO submit ali data bear
ing on the subject and he had presumably done
The report now In course of publication does not
subsequently, furnished. Some of the statements
contained in the report were also asserted to be un-
true but the assertions turned out to be incorrect
such vigor and pernacity that the report was sent
back to the Academy for revision, and thus long
0elay became lneVlJaDie.
THE REPORT REVISED.
The revision of the report by the committee Of the
Academy did not result IN any material changes so
far as the portions in which sorghum growers and
manufacturers are interested are concerned, and
those portions at least might well have been sent
70 the printer year ago as now. Presumably, the
Investigation and report were designed to
promote the sorghum industry. other
wise they were useless. The revised re-
port was received by Commissioner Loring
last fall and transmitted by him to the Senate in
December II was referred to the Committee on
Printing but was not ordered to be printed until
the very last day Of the session. Whether this long
delay was necessary, whether 1t was due TO some
unfriendly influence interested in suppressing the
report as long as practicable is question yet To be
answered.
The recent preparations by Commissioner Loring
the experimental manufacture of sugar at the De-
partment indicate desire his part 10 make
amends fer what many friends of the sorghum in
dustry call his past mistakes According to state
nents made at the Department recently, there
weretbiry one competitors for the conditional offers
efSl 900 TO each OF ten sorghum-sugar manufac-
tnrers who should be able to show the best results
and ten awards of 81 200 each were made as fol-
lows The Gha%1aiGn W. sqgaI Pan steeP ssn Faas
cisco; Nelson Maltby. Geneva, Ohio; Drqmmond
Brothers, Warrensburg.' Mo-; A. J. Decker Fond dn
Sugar Company. Ohio; Oak Hill Refining Company,
Edwardsyillc Ill; J. Clinton Bosartb. Cedar rails
Iowa The awards have not YET Deen paul. pu, ~
Ia hexpected, the competitors will soon receive their
money. Mr. Saunders. who was chair
man Of the committee, which, in con-
junction with Special Agent A. ).
Decker, Of Wisconsin, made the awards asserts
that every sample of sugar received from compet
nors was duly examined and tested ana ne denles s
sstatement that the committee made or proposed
70 make an award to man who had manufactured
no sugar That statement was made to iRiBUNE
correspondent by q Trustworthy person, who saio
the committee examined sample OF something
which purported 20 be sugar, but which was only
concrete formed by boiling down sorghum syrup to