Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1885-12-24
BELABoRISG 4 BOARD.
Farmer .Tillman and "Five 'loR-
orabIe' Gentlemen"
A Lesson In Figures from the Six An
nuai Reports Of the State Depart.
ment ofsAgriculture.

nuai Reports Of the State Depart.
ment ofsAgriculture.
10 the Editor of tie Nsps and Gou-.
qler:: Your editorial in the Nsws and
Courier of Tuesday, which Ihave just
seen, does me injustice. 4 I am not IN
favor Of "abolshing the Department.
| of Agriculture" and no such CON.
struction can be fairly placed upon
the language I used in denouncing
the ineficiency Of the Board OF Agri
culture and showing ths!a absnraity Of
it's composition. q advocated and,
shall continue to advocate its 1sors
ganizat alton on a more economical and
practical basis; and I claim that it
should be composed of farmers and
elected by farmers, and confne its
work to advancing the interests Of
agriculture alone. The gentlemen
composing this board must not feel
aggrieved ifsthey are. charged with
Incompetence for this Partiaalar work''
and also of extravaganza ia the ads
ministration Of their trust. I; hope
to be able to prove both before ] get
through.
In the same paper the commission
ersofs agrieultares Col. A. Pr Butler,
takes up The cudgels in defence Of
this board, or rather the department,
and says my structures on its manage.
ment are "wholly undeserved." For
this gentleman I have ever had the
highest respect and esteem. I have
aimed no blows at him, but have
blamed the board who are by the
statute creating the department. charg.1
ed with general control and manage.
ment of the whole thing. In thus
assuming the responsibility and de.
Tending his superiors he imposeaupon
me the ungracious and unpleasant
task of aiming darts against5on whom
7 have nos-regardsd as being respon:
sible, and whom I have consi dered as
being hampered and held back by
men who are either ignorant Of or
disloyal to what are the.presept needs
Of our farming interests. If / had
believed that Col. Butler was the de.
partmeut Of agriculture, other hands
than mine should have made this at
tack. However, I cannot now remain
silent without being accused of hav-
Jog fed at the 6rst-glint OF steel.
The commissioner having first gent.
.iy laid Capt. Tillman down, heaps
ghesnila af Hcas-ahlsa" pi7sscsss Z ;ss'a'|
topped off with Governor, and dog
matically assures us that "they are
too we'll known in the State for any
one to believe that any public trust
committed to their charge would be
discharged in any other way than for
the best interests of the whole peo'
ple." How is one poor little farmer,
who is only captain in the me.
lish, to get from under such ter
rible weight? Then we are told shat
more careful perusal of the annual
reports of the commissioner will con-
vince Capt. Tillman, and all others,
that the department has been admin.
istered in the interests Of the whole
people, especially the farmers, &c.
have carefully studied those reports,
and am thoroughly satisfied that if
the interests of the whole people are
taken care Of by this department, the
true interests of the farmers are sadly
neglected, and gross extravaganza can
be proven, as l will proceed to show.
We have had opinions enough-let
US have the facts and figures.
The following analysis Of the ex.
penditures of this department is tax
en- from the six annual reports of the
commissioner from 1880 to 1885 in.
elusive: