The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1886-04-15
WASHINGTON LETTER.

WASHINGTON, April 3, 1SS6.-A small
army OF men and women are now en-
gagged in preparing the congressional
seed supply in the annex of the agri-
cultural department. AS there are four
hundre,. and nine senators and repre-
sentatiyes, the seed division of this in
stitution is busy place at certain sea-
sons Of the year. Each legislator is to
have six thousand paper packages OF
vegetable seed, five hundred of flower
seed, three hundred of tobacco, twenty
quarts of sorghum, twenty of corn, fif-
ty of grass, twenty-eight of sugar beet
and thirty-two of cotton seed. If put
up in one order each members allow
ance would fill eight large mail sacks.
The seeds distributed through mem
bers of congress comprise about two
thirds of the whole amount disposed of
by the agricultural department.. The
remaining third goes to persons in va
rious parts of the country vino act as
agents OF the department but receive mo-
compensation.
The force of the seed division is re-
quiz ed to receive, assert, label and pre-
pare 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
/
packed. The printing upon them Is
executed in the printing Office in the de-
partment. 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 another table the department
frank is put on, and so on until the
package 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 democra-
cy, but pure and good seed. Agricul-
tural department seeds have, in Tia
past, been a sort of by-word among jo-
kers. The complain Is received at the
department to some extent, justified
these jokers. The department has al
ways been large purchaser of seeds for
distribution, and it is believed, has
sometimes had imposed upon it sup
plies which the seedmen would not sell
to private customer. After the seeds
have been distributed by the depart
ment the seed man knows if the seeds
prove worthless it is not very likely
ever to be tracked back to his establish
ment.
The seed division now makes it q
rule to send out no seed that it cannot
VOuch for. When an American citizen
receives seed hereafter it will come to
him guaranteed by the administration
to terminate under proper conditions,
OF course every seed of the millions
which each congressman is entitled to
: is not separately tested and Vouched
for, but samples are taken from every
lot of seed received and if they do not
show a good percentage the lot is re-
jected.
The defeat by the senate of the Lo-
gan scheme to increase the army, and
the passage of half a dozen bills by the
house, among them one to pension the
Mexican veterans and another for the
erection of a congressional library,
mark the present week in congress as
one of the most Industrious OF tho ses-
sion.
|, Nor should the Washington monu-
ment sensation be omitted from the
weeks record. A stain on the surface
of the pure white marble was supposed
to be a crack in the masonry from the
settling of the ground and it was feared
the imposing structure was going to
topple over. People in different parts
of the city were scrutinizing these sup
posed cracks with their opera glasses.
They proved to be only streaks of dust
washed down from the joints by recent
rains. The joints are somewhat open
and dust easily accumulates in them.
The bill for pensioning the soldiers
and sailors OF the Mexican war is said
to be entirely satisfactory to the survi-
! Vors of that conflict and the rejection
J by the senate OF this plea for more SOL
diers was q severe blow to Senator LO-
gar. 1t was his pet measure and he
stood up for so aggressively as to pro-
woke unpleasant personal controversy.
Every democratic senator opposed it.
Senator Van Wyck gave it a stab by
, charging that an increased army would
be used by capital against labor, and
Senator Copger took occasion during
the debate to make violent and mali
cious wave of the bloody shirt. This
was expected, however, when the mar
row minded, partisan senator from
: Michigan obtained the floor. He indul-
ges in irrevelent shirt talk whenever
an opportunity offers, regardless of time
or place.