The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1892-11-12
MAJOR BENNETT
STICKS A KNIFE In THE HIGHLY IN
PLATED GAS BAG

u
PLATED GAS BAG
About Crooked Expenditures at the Ag.
ricultural Station Which was Blown
Out by Campbell, and the Whole
Thing Falls Limp and Dead.
The following interview which a
reporter of the Huntington Adv,rtis-
err had with Maj. Bennett. one of the
Regents of the University, will be
read with interest.
"Mr. G. w. Atkinson, who ad-
dressed the Republican gathering at
the opera house Monday night charg-
ed the Democratic administration Of
public affairs generally with being
corrupt, but, especially, that the
Agricultural Station at Morgantown
was direlect, and specified that three
persons in different sections of the
State had been furnished large num-
bers of fruit trees for distribution,
and appropriated them to their own
use, ETC., that one of those persons,
whose name he declined to give, lived
in Cabell County. Now it is gener-
ally known that you are carrying on
some experiments in fruit culture
for the Station. What information
do you possess abodt thisp
Major Bennett replied: Before
saying anything about the business
you enquire of, please tell me if this
is the same person usually called
Honorable G. w. Atkinson Of Wheel
ing, who stole seat in Congress dur
ing Boss Reeds spcakershipY"
Reporter: "The same"
Major Bennett: ''And the same
fellow whom Col. Sam. Vinson liter
ally skinned over in Wayne County
a short time ago, by reading the re-
cord of his rascalities in his hearing
at a political meeting?"
Reporter: "The same man."
Major Bennett: "Now that we have
our bearings / take much pleasure
in adding my testimony in this case
to the effect that Mr.. Atkinson is
either lying under mistake or will
fully when he seeks to create the i'm
preston that there is anything i'm
proper in the matters you especially
enquire about of me. The same story
has been told by another Republican
liar and repeated in the opposition
press in the northern portion of the
State, and completely disproven and
fifty characterized by Director Myers
of the Station in the Wheeling Reg
lister of the 9Th instant. The facts
are that the United States govern
ment appropriated $4,000 each year
to each State to carry on experiments
in agriculture, fruit culture, etc. The
Station at Morgantown, which has
charge of these experiments in this
State, has no farm land on which to
plant fruit trees, and, for lack of it
furnished number of trees. vines,
etc, to several persons to be planted,
and the necessary needs to help their
growth and fruiting to ascertain what
varities were suited to our climate,
and soil. Those supplied to me are
especially selected with view to as
certain what very early and very late
sorts will best suit here. OF the
400 trees now in my orchard 298
apple, and other fruit trees and l22
grape and other vines, mall 422, were
supplied by the Station. l do not
know just how much they cost. Such
trees, vines, ETC., are generally cata
logued at 20 to 25 cents each, but
you know Peter Turly, across the
Ohio river, sells them at $40 per hun
dred, so that, at our local prices; the
lot would be worth $40, and at the
very highest price ever heard of, is
not matter to deserve the attention
of so great person as the Hon. Ex-
Congressman from the Wheeling dis
trict, much less ought he to pretend
to surround it with an air of mystery
to increase its Importance. The whole
business in all of its details was pub
lished in the first official reports Of
the Directory and my report of pro-
gress Station Bulletin No. Z, more
than 100000 copies of which we're
mailed to individuals in West Vir-
ginia have, long since put the public
in possession of all of the facts.
Those who now pretend to criticise
either the Station or those who are
helping the Station to gather this
sort of information for the public use
deserve simply the contempt of all
fair minded men,"
Reporter: when will the results
of those experiments be available to
the public?"
Major Bennett: up to now only
few varieties of fruit trees have
fruited--not more than three or four
apple trees and two sorts of cherries
and these only one year. 1t is not
expected that reports that do not
give the results of two or more years
fruitings will be of any value. So
that at least another, or perhaps two
more years must elapse before we
can have anything to report. In the
mean time very exact notes are be-
ing kept and when the results are
given, a mine of valuable information
will be opened that will enable those
intending to plant orchards to buy
such varities as will almost certainly
prove valuable instead of buying at
random, only to be disappointed"
Reporter: "Are the other persons
referred to as experimenting in fruits
duplicating your work?''
Major Bennett: mo. They are
not, but will furnish reports that will
supplement mine and add TO it infor-
nation about other varieties, sorts,
etc.
"Please add that, so far as ! am
personally concerned, l do not care
rotten apple about the clamor OF
the class of persons who speak of my
efforts along this line to help our
people. They tell the most innocent
story with an unfriendly tongue be-
cause they don't care to tell the truth.
But as they pursue this method for
the purpose of damaging the party
to which / am attached, it becomes a
duty to talk back and expose their
fallacies.
The Testimonials
Published on behalf of Hoods