The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-04-02

himself say ? Mr.. Mcdonald says that
7 while the committee was considering
the bill, he "asked Mr.. Robinson for
an itemized statement of his expenses. F"
He went" says MI. Mcdonald" to
his Office and gave on his return the
following fgures-I took them down
as he gave them: :
Commissioners Salary, $1,000
Secretary's 1000
| Servants. >. $40
Stationery and Postage, $50
Wood, and Coal, % '125
Gas and Water 10 :, 200
Insp'tors of Fertilizers, E.. 1900
immigration Bureau, at - $500
Total, '~.- .. ':". s7,h15
According to his own estim&tdy
which he itemized it took only$7,215
to run his Department and yet. in his
interview he says, that So, zoe would
so cripple the Department thatQit could
not run. How are these statements
to be reconciled ? AS for stopping
| the farmers Institutes, the bill gave
the Board enlarged powers On this
subject and increased their facilities
for prosecuting this work and making
it more efficient, and the expenses
were to be paid out Of the college fund,
and not out of the $4,000. So with
| the cost of the annual meeting of
the Board. The bill allowed only
one regular annual meeting of the
| Board. He says the bill increased
the number of the Board from 9 to
Is" Does he not know that: the
Board under the law, consists of one
from each Congressional District and
one ex-oficio member and five to.be
chosen by the Governor, making ex-
actly fifteen? Has not the Board Is
members2 The bill did not in any
way interfere with the election of the
Board or its members except that it
made the six additional members
elective by the nine, instead of being
appointed by the Governor. He says
it proposed "to do away with the De-
partment and have a new manage
ment entirely" It did not propose
any change whatever in the manage
ment, either in the number of its Off
GERS, the manner of their election or
the salaries, only to change the name
of Commissioner to that of Secretary
and his clerk to that of Assistant Sec
rotary. 1t did propose to fr their sola-
RES by law, and not leave this matter
to the Board as now, and it may be
that we will see there was a good
reason for that change. We assert,
on our best Judgment, that the bill did
not propose a single change that was not
in the interest of economy and efficiency
and usefulness by the Department, and
it should have been adopted, and of
course it was so regarded by the
whole House, or it would not have
passed with such remarkable una
nimity.~ However, Mr. Robinson makes
serious and pointed charges against
this body as we'll a. the Senators who.
favored it. III -1s.r ~
" WHY HE OPPOSED IT. ~
He opens and closes his interview
with the assertion that his opposition
to the bill was purely in tie interest
of agricultural But the intelligent
reader will see between the lines of
that interview something more signif-
Fcant than his expressed words. y He
evidently labofed under the erroneous
apprehension that the: proposed bill
was charged with some explosive, which
was intended to blow him up. But
how he could see anything I'M it toop-
crate against his reelection we cannot
see. He has held the Office two years
and therefore must have a decided adj
vantage over competitors, if he has
proved himself worthy and dualifeds
Indeed, SO well satisfied is he. of his
fitness and Importance that he does
not attempt to conceal his chagrin at
the "mortal afront committed by
the farmers of the Legislature in not
comforting with him. : But. TO give all
possible strength to his. chances for
reelection he poses as the helpless
victim Of a conspiracy by which "Col.
Polk was to be made the Secretary.
Mr.. Mcdonald Assistant Secretary
and Mr.. Leazer President of the
College,"
This is the same old demagogical
howl that has always been raised
whenever we have advised any changes
in the department, but no man living
has ever heard the slightest intimation
from us that we would accept the
position. On the contrary, we have
always and uniformly and promptly
said, when approached on the subject,
that we would not have the position.
A Isl OF "THE GLASS HOUSE"
MI. Robinson may know more than
all those farmers in the Legislature;
| he may be more patriotic and a better