Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-12-08


purpose OF its monthly reports is TO keep the
farmers informed as fully as possible of all
matters ma tiers having any influence upon the worlds
markets. in which the products find
sale Its publications relate especially
10 the commercial side of farming. 1t Is there
fore OF profound Importance and vital concern
TO the farmers of the United States who rep
resent nearly one-half of our population, and
a .. OF direc. interest to the whole country
performed and that the Information Ii has
gathered be promptly difrused
1t Is matter OF congratula,ion 10 know that
me secretary VIII not spare any effort to make
this part OF his work thoroughly useful In the
year 1883 the congress appropriated 1000 TO be
taken from the patent office funds for the pur.
pose OF collecting and distributing rare and i'm.
proved varieties of seeds and for prosecuting
cultural statistics. From this small beginnino
the seed division of the department of agricui.
ture has grown TO its present unweldy and un.
luSntlnaolS eNTavagant proportions
purchased was S66, 54S 81. The remainder of an
ting them up and distributing them 1t surely
never could have entered the minds OF those
who first sanctioned appropriations of public
money for the purchase OF new and
improved varieties OF seeds for gratuit.
| ons distribution that from this would
grow large appropriations for the purpose OF
distribution by members of congress of or.
binary seeds. bulbs and cuttings, which are
common i'll all the states ana territories and
everywhere easily obtained at low prices
Wasteful Distribution of Seeds.
In each state and territory an agricultural
experiment station has been es ablished These
stations. by their very character and name, are
test new varieties OF seeds: and yet this indis-
criminate and wasteful distribution of legisla-
ton and legislators continues, answering no
purpose unless II be to remind constituents that
their representatives are willing to remember
them with gratuities ut public cost
Under the sanction OF existing legislation,
there was sent out from the agricultural depart
ment during the last fiscal year enough OF cab
bage seed TO plant 10, 200 acres of land, \ sum
~ ~ 10
oeet seed enough to plant $500 acres
sweet corn enough To plant 1900 acres. sufficient
cucumber seed to cover zoos acres with vines
ana enough m'lskmelon and watermelon seeds
to plant2 $40 acres. The total quantity of flower
ana vegetable seeds thus distributed was con
tanned in more than 1000. 900 packages and they
We're sufficient, if planted, 10 cover So, 5s6 acres
OF land
should he Abolished.
| In view of these facts this enormous expendi-
ture without legitimate returns of benefit
aught to be abolished. Anticipating consum-
| nation so mantfestly In the interests of good
administration more than 100000 has been
! stricken from the estimate made TO cover this
, object for the year ending June 30,
| 1879, and the secretary recommends that
! the remaining S35, 900 of the esti-
ate be confined strictly to the purchase of new
and improved varieties of seeds. and that these
| be distributed throughout experiment sta
| lions. Thus the seed VIII be tested, and after
the test has been completed 10y the experiment
StatlohS, the propagation OF the useful varieties
ana the rejection of the ValueleSS may safely he
left to the common sense of the people
Workings of the Civil Service Law.
The continued intelligent execution of the.
CIV | service law and the increasing approval OF
the people OF its operation are most gratifying
The recent eXtensto ion of its limitations and
regulations TO the employees at free de-
| livery post offices, which has been hon
estly and promptly accomplished by the
commission, with the hearty coopera tor of the
| poStmaste ter general, is an immensely important
advance in the usefulness of the system am,
| ii possible. more than ever convinced of the in
| ~
| Ice law, not only in its effec! upon the public
service but also, what is even more important.
In its effect IN elevating the tone of political
| life generally.
| Popular Love OF Right and Justice.
The course of civil service reform i'll this
country instructvely and interestingly illus
| trateS how strong a hold movement gains
| upon our people which has underlying il
| timeut OF justice ami right, and which al the
same time promises better administration OF
| their government The law embodying
this reform found its way to our
statute book more from fear of IN"
| popular sentiment existing in its favor
| than from any love for the reform
itself Oh the part of legislators and has livcA
| and grown and tourishcd i'll spite OF the covert
! as well as open hostility of spOSmen and not
Withstand ne the querulous lmpracticability vi
many sef-consltuted guardians Beneath all
| the Vagarfes ana sublimatcd theories which
| attracted to ii there undPrlicS this reform Il
sturdy conlnlon-ScnSc principle not only suited
! To tins mundane sphere but whose application
! our prop!c are more and more recognizing To be
| absolutely essential to the most successful op.
| GRAFTON Of their government, If not To ITS per
| petuty,
| An Inconsistency Pointed Out.
| 1t seems To to hc entirely Inconsistent
| with the character of this reform, we'll
| with its best enforcement, to Obligc the com
| mission to rely for clerical assistance upon
| clerks detailed from other departments There
| ought not 10 be such u condition IN any depart
| ment that clerks hired To do the work there
can be spared to habitually work at another
| place; and ii does not accord with Il sensible
view of civil service reform that persons
| should be employed on the theory that their
! labor is necessary III depar tmcnt when i'll
| point of fact their services are devoted to ell
| tirely different work in another department. /
| earnestly urge that the clerks necessary To
carry on the work of the commission be regI-
| arlv put upon its roster, and that the system
OF obiging the commissioners to RELY upon the
| services of clerks belonging to other depart
lnents be discontinued. This ought not to in
crease the expense to the government, while it
! would certainly be more consistent and add
greatlyto the efficiency OF the commission.
Economy Is Urged.
| Economy i'll public expenditure is duty
that cannot fnnoccntly be neglected by those
| intruSted with the control of money drawn
! from the people for public uses II must be
| confessed that our apparently endless
sources the familiarity of our people with i'm
menSe accommodations of wealth, the growing
sentiment among them 1ha; the expenditures
| of public money should in some manner be
| to their immedia tie and personal advantage, the
indirect and almost sLeatLhy manner in which
q large part of our taxes are eXacted, and de-
generated sense of official accountability have
! led to growing extravaganza in governmental
2pproprfat tons. Az this time when depleted
| public treasury confronts US, when many of our
people are engaged in n hard struggle for the
neccsSares OF life and when enforced economy IL
pressing upon the great mass Of our country
men, desire to urge, with all the carneStnesS
| at my command. that congressional legislation
| be so limited by strict economy ab to exhibit an
appre cha ton OF the condition Of the treasury
and sympathy with the strained circum-
! stances of our fellow citizens. The dIty OF
public economy is also OF immense Importance
In its intimate ana necessary relation TO The
task now In hand of providing revenue TO meet
! government expenditures and yet reducing the
peoples hurden OF federal taxation.
Tariff Reform Eetore Is.
/ After Il hard struggle tariff reform is directly
before Nothing so important claims our at
tention and nothing so clearly presents itself as
both opportunity and duty-an opDor
| tunity to deserve the gratitude OF our fellow
! citiZnS and duty imposed upon us by our oft
! repeated professions and by the emphatic man
date of the people. After fun discussion our
| countrymen have spoken in favor Of this
! form, and they have c0ntideP the work of Its
| accornpls hment to the hands OF those who are
| Solemnly pledged To it.
/ For Revruu" Only.
| If there is anything III the theory Of II repre-
sentatlou iii public places OF the people and
| their DESIRES II pubic officers are really the
servants of the people, and il political promises
and professions have any binding force, our
failure to give the relief long awaited will be
sheer recreancy. Nothing should intervene to
| distract oar attention or disturb our efforts
until this reform is &C onpspet by wise and
| careful legislation While Sc should stanchly
| adhere to the principle that only the
necessity of revenue iustifies the imposition OF
tariff duties and other federal taxation, ana
that they should be limited by strict economy,
we cannot close our eyes 10 the fact that condi-
| tons nave grown up among us which in justice
| and fairness call for discriminating care In the
| distribution OF such duties and taxation as the
emergencies OF our government actually de-
| mand
( Reduction Must BE Substantial.