The National tribune., 1888-06-07
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE: WASHINGTON D. G. THURSDAY 1885,

the effect to promote the interests of agricul-
ture then | say the appropriation would be a
proper one. J object to tae administration of
the law as it is administered, aud object 30
the present use Of this fund because ! believe
that it can be applied to better purposes. ]
say. furthermore, il We are no. going 10 reduce
the appropriation or change the admin strs-au
Of this law. then we ought e Increase tua ar-
Propri2tioH, SO that every Member GA tH.s
floor c,u send to each one of ais constituents
q portion Of the seed AS 1t IS Democratic
Member finds nearly all the eooa farmers 3a
his district belong TO the Democratic partg,
aud therefore distributes to Them tee packages
Of seed which have been sent 90 iiu irou she
Department, and the Republican sgRUaEs get
very few, or none, Laughter And then
the Republican Member OF Congress coQCs 90
distribute his seed he does NOT la8 waur good
Democratic farmers in his district, ana he dis
tributes nearly all of his pac1aEe II sc5d to the
Republican farmers, and the Democratic farm
ers get none. Laughter add cries OF dissent
from various parts OF the House.
MU. Hatch. l do not know how it is with
the gentleman from Tennessee but 1 wish to
say that his remarks have no application to
many Members on this side of the House
Mr. Euloe. | am glad l have thrown rock
which has hit somewhere and to judge from
tho effect it has produced it struck all around.
Laughter.]
wish to say, that so far as I am individually
concerned ] have distributed seeds to all who
applied for them as long as | had any to dis
tribute, regardless of the politics Of the appli-
cant, and am satisfied that my experience is
the common experience. Most of those who
applied were Democrats, and Of those sent with
out application | have generally sent them TO
my friends, who I Thought would make proper
use of them. So it followed that in my district
most Of the seeds went to the Democrats and 1
have not doubt that in Republican districts
CF To he
very same reasons. They are necessarily dis
tributed to a greater or less extent on political
( lines; and often desgnedly so. / am firmly OF
the opinion that this appropriation should be
restricted so as to provide only a sufficient fund
for the purchase of such rare, new and yalua-
bic varieties of seeds rs are necessary to the
proper tests in different sections of the
country, as contemplated in the creation
Of this Department; or it should be in
creased, as l have said, to a sufficient sum
/ to give every citizen an equal showing in
/ the distribution Of such common varieties of
seeds as are used by every farmer and gardener
III this country. The present system is pal
/ pabie fraud on the agricultural interests Of the
! country. If the method of administration can
/ not be changed the law providing for this dis
/ tributon ought to be wiped from the statute
/ books
/ Mr.. Biggs. do not like to interrupt the re-
! marks Of my friend from Tennessee but can
not permit them to go out without entering my
/ protest against them. They DO not apply to me
/ in the distribution Of packages of seed, which
receive from the Agricultural Department.. /
/ send them to the postmasters OF my district,
and they are distributed by those pOstmasters
amongst the farmers 50 as 70 do the most good
in the promotion of agriculture. Therefore
hope the gentleman from Tennessee will With
/ draw his sweeping charge about these seeds
being distributed merely for eleCtiOneeriug
purposes. LApplause.
Mr.. Enloe. | am very sorry did any lnJus-
tice to my friend from California. 1t may be
| different in his State but | think Members
generally will admit the distribution of these
seeds is made throughout the countTyas L have
stated
Mr. Biggs. You have no right to impugn the
motives of any Member upon this floor.
Mr.. Enloe ! certainly do not intend TO i'm
pugD the motives of any gentleman here, and
especially | do not intend TO impugn the mo
tiyes Of my distinguished friend from CaliiOr
MIA. for | do not know what taey DO I'D Calif0r
MIA but | do know how the dlstribU- lion o.
these seeds is generally made merely wish
70 add that, in my Judgment. if the approprla
ton is made these seeds should be distributed
through the Commissioners Of Agriculture il
the several States, and not through Senators
and Members Of Congress
Mr. Morgan. Dir. Chairman, / respectful 3
submit to the members Of the committee thai
the entire theory and purpose Of this aPpro
priatiOn appear 10 be misunderstood. 1T Is ao
for the purpose Of furnishing every man }gh,
chooses to apply to the Department with q sup
ply Of seed Tor ordinary domestic purposes.
Mr. Hatch. Thai is right.
Mr. Morgan. 1t is for the purpose Of dlstrib
uting seed Of superior quality and OF dihereu
varieties amongst the people in order that they
may get q foundation or root; and after estaD
fishing the value Of the class of seed, that theI
thereafter they may be distributed general.
amongst the people from the usual sources 0
supply-not that the Agricultural Department
should supply everybody by any means.
Sir. Warner. Then. of course, you want t.
put them in the hands of the most inteUigen
people; aud in that way you would send TN
great bulk OF them to my Republican constitu
ents. Laughter.
Mr.. Morgan. The theory is to send these seet
to such leading persons, agriculturists, ant
gardeners who may understand the best mod
Of using them and demonstrate their adapta
bility to the soil or climate in which they al
used. and not for the special benefit of tn
persons so using them but as an experiment 10
the benefit of the whole people
Now we send to Russia for Russian wheat, TO
J instance, and get the seed here. When tina
seed has been tested and found to be adapted I
the climate or soil in which it is to be used, it
/ be generally distributed throughout the land
, and so it is with rare and valuable seeds OF al
; kinds.
/ 1t is mistake, then, to come here and sa
that the purpose of this law was for the benef
of individual constituents of any Member
this House. 1t is an eutirG misunderstanding
| of the purpose. These seeds should be dis