The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1886-04-15
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondents.
WASHINGTON, D C.,
APRIL. 70. 1898

IL, LOU.
A small army of men and wo-
men are, now engaged in preparing
the Congressional seed supply, in
the annex of the Agricultural De
lpartment. AS there are four hun
dred and nine Senators and Repre-
sentatives, the seed division of this
institution is a busy place at cer-
tain seasons of the year. Each leg
islator is to have six thousand pa
per packages of vegetable seed,
five hundred of flower seed, three
hundred of tobacco, twenty quarts
of sorghum, twenty of corn, fifty
of grass, twenty-eight quarts of SUI
gar beet and thirty-two quarts of
cotton seed. If put up in one order
each members allowance would fill
eight large mail sacks.
The seeds distributed through
members of Congress comprise
about two-thirds of the whole
amount disposed of by the Agri-
cultural Department. The remain
ing third goes to persons in various
parts of the country who act as
agents of the department but re-
Fceive no compensation.
The force of the seed division is
required to receive, assert, pack, la
bel and prepare the packages for
the mail sacks, in which they are
hauled away from the department.
The little paper bags or pockets are
cut and made in one end of the
large room where the seeds are pack
ed. The printing upon them is ex-
|ecuted in the printing office in the
department. The labor is divided
and subdivided, SO as to facilitate
the work as much as possible. One
lady who has a pan of seeds before
her, and a tiny measure, fills the
bag or pocket; her neighbor pastes
down the flap on the bag. At an
other table the department. frank
is put on, and so on until the pack
age is finally placed,in the mail
sack. All of this work is carried on
in a most systematic manner, with
little noise and no confusion.
The country expects from the
present administration not only
pure democracy, but pure and good
seed. Agricultural department seeds
have, in the past, been a sort of by
word among jokers. The com
plants received at the department
to some extent, justified these jok-
ers. The department has always
been a large purchaser of seeds for
distribution, and it is believed, has
sometimes had imposed upon it,
supplies which the seedmen would
not sell to a private customer. AT
ter the seeds have been distributed
by the department, the seedman
knows if the seeds prove worthless
1t is not likely ever to be traced back
to his establishment.
The seed division now makes it
a rule to send out no seed that it
cannot vouch for. When an Ameri-
can citizen receives seed hereafter
will come to him guaranteed by
the administration to terminate un-
der proper conditions. Of course.
every seed of the millions which
each Congressman is entitled to is
not separately tested and vouched
tor, but samples are taken from ev-
cry lot of seed received, and if they
10 not show a good percentage, the
lot is rejected.
The defeat by the Senate of the
schemeto increase the Army.
md the passage of half a dozen bills
~ the House, among them one to
pension the Mexican veterans, and
mother for the erection of a Con-
'ressional library, mark the present
week in Congress as one of the
most industrious of the session.
Nor should've Washington mon
lment sensation be omitted from
he weeks record. A stain on the
urface of the pure white marble
Eas supposed to be a crack in the
lasonry from the settling of the
round, and it was feared the inn
osfng structure was going to top
lie over. People in different parts
I the city were scrutinizing these
opposed cracks with their opera
They proved to be only /,
freaks of dust washed down from |
he joints by recent rains. The {
'lnts + somewhat open and dust ]
accommodates in them. t
The bill for p~ensioning the SOL I
lers and sailors of the Mexican 7
arls said to beentirely satisfactory j
the survivors of that conflict. and t
re rejection by the Senate of his a
Tor more soldiers was a severe ?
oW to Senator Logan. It was his 4
It measure, and he stood up for it
aggresslvely as to provoke un-o
easant personal controversy. Ev-
y Democratic Senator opposed it. q
'nator Van Wyck gave it stab by b
-arging that an increased Army W
.uld be used by Capital against v
'bor' and Senator Conger took oc- ~
sion during the debate to make a T
olent and malicious wave of the
body shirt. This was expected,
viewer, when the narrow minded, "
rtlsan Senator from Michigan OBJ &C
ned the floor. He INDUCES in ir- ct
evant shirt talk whenever an op-
rtunlty offers, regardless of time m
place. Juno. M
=, 81
The Washington correspondent Fl
the WOrid Saws that the lnadinn ar