The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-04-02
JERRY RUSK'S SUCCESSOR
THE NEW SECRETARY OF AGRI-
CULTURE AND HIS DISCOVERIES.

CULTURE AND HIS DISCOVERIES.
a Friend Wanted a Sinecure, and Mr..
Morton Looked to See If There Was
One in His Department-He Found
! One-He Found Some More, Too /;
aud Now He Saves Money by
AbolishinR Them.
From the Nelo York Sun.
! WASHINGTON, March 25.-Secretary Of
Agriculture J. Sterling Morton is shaking
up the dry bones Of the agricultural depart
ment In a way 10 make them rattle loudly.
Mr.. Morton has for many years been inter-
ested In the department and in the work
that has been attempted and accomplished
for the benefit Of the farmer, being prac-
teal tiller Of the soil himself. He has long
been firm in the belief, however, that large
sums Of the peoples money have been
wasted in useless experiments and that a
host of employees have been employed whose
services could we'll be dispensed with.
Soon after he was sworn in as Secre-
tary Rusk's successor Mr.. Morton set On
foot an investigation of his department, for
the purpose, as he expressed it, of seeing
| where he was att This investigation is
not completed by any means. but the new
| secretary has learned some things that
| cause him great astonishment. Mr. Morton
is very frank and busIuess-like Nebraska
democrat. He does not pose as a reformer,
nor Is he any sort Of political demRgogue.
| de Is intensely practical and means to run
| the agricultural department on a practical
basis. In announcing that he intends to
| make radical change IN the methods Of
| of doing business 10 his department.,
the new secretary does not wish to
reflect in any way upon the integ-
! rity, honesty and well meaning of his pre-
decessors. In fact, he THINKS that nearly
all of them were men of high character and
| ability. For has immediate predecessor,
Uncle Jerry" Rusk, Mr.. Morton has the
| greatest admiration and respect. He thinks
! he was not only a'practical farmer and
distinguished friend OF all other farmers,
but that he was an efficient and honest otii-
cial This belief, however, does not pre-
vent Mr.. Morton from critiosing methods
| heretofore employed in managing the pub
lie business in the agricultural department,
and in his work of putting it upon an
! economical and practical basis he intends to
hew 30 the line, let the chips fall where
| they may.
The first result of Secretary Morton's in-
vesdgetlon into the methods aud expendi-
lures of his big department. was the au-
| nouncement, which he gave 90 the press on
Saturday, 20 the effect that in the bureau
| OF animal industry alone he had been able
to discharge at one stroke Of the pen a suffi-
cieut number Of employees to reduce the an
nual expenditure Of that bureau in the sum
of Sl25,0O0. This action, moreover, was
| based on the statement of the republican
chief OF the bureau that the public service
would be in no way injured thereby. Sine
cures are the chief evils in the agricultural
department, Secretary Morton thinks. A
| few days ago an enthusiastic Indiana demo-
crat applied to him for an appointment
When asked what place he would like the
Hoo ser replied:
well, l want a si-ne-cur-ee Them is
places, | understand, that has nothin' to do
aud lots o. salary"
So Secretary Morton proceeded to find a
sine cur-ee for his friend, and he found
| more than one Of them. He found, for in
stance, that in the bureau Of animal in
| dustry, where he effected saving Sl25,O
year, there was a small army of physi-
clans employed in all parts Of the country
az On annual salary of 81 200 each, pre-
sumably engaged in the work of detecting
and stamping out pleuro-pneumOnia in
cattle. 1t was on March %, 1892, that
| Secretary Kusk announced to the world
! that pleuro-pneumouia had been stamped
| out and that it existed no more within
the borders Of tine United States. Yet
one year afrerward Secretary Morton found
| all the doctors still employed in stamping
J
| cial statement OF the department. did not
| exist. 1t is but fair to say, in behalf of
| Secretary Rusk, who kept these men en-
ployed, that he had informally decided to
| dispose with their services very soon, or at
| the expiration of year after the stamping
| out of the disease. It was the eX-secretarv's
] policy to have these men on the watch aud
in readiness for a year in case the disease
should reappear. Secretary Morton, how
ever, thinks that they should have been dis
charged when their duties ceased.
Another class of sinecures was found by
| Secretary Morton when he discovered the
| fact that the army Of young women aud
others employed as microscopes to detect
poisonous microbes in pork had been re-
| tanned on the pay rolls when there was no
| pork to examine. For instance, he disoov-
| cred that in some of the large western fact
! cries where there was a great scarcity of
| hogs, and consequently the factories were
not running, the microscopes were eur
ployed just the same, waiting for the time
| when the hogs should become numerous
| again. But the worst sinecure of all was
| discovered by the Secretary to-day. IN
| the most incidental way he learned
that a lady Of his acquaintance was
| employed in the department. He sent for
! one OF the chiefs OF the bureau, and ordered
! him to give in writing a statement of this
| ladys duties, the amount of her salary, and
| the time she had been absent during this
! time. To his great asUonishment tine secre-
! tary learned by the written report that the
lady had been a clerk in the department
since June IS, 1891; that she receives a sal
airy Of 81, 500; that during this time, less
than two years, she has been absont from
duty $50 days, and that there was no evil
dence that she had ever completed any reg
ular tasks. This is the sinecure the score
tary thinks that his Indiana friend is look
ing for, but he hardly thinks he will give it
! to him.
Secretary Morton decided in his own
mind, just after taking charge OF the de-
partment, that he would not have de-
fcienoy in his appropriations If he could
help IL. So he set about examining the state
of his finances. He found statement lying
on his table prepared by the republican offi-
cials before their departure which looked
very attractive and straightforward and
| which showed the department. to bs in as
fourishing a financial condition as Secre-
tarY Fosters public debt statements have
shown the treasury to be at all times The
| figures plainly indicated that there was a
surplus in the available cash of the sgricul-
tural department of several hundred
thousand dollars. This was very pleasing
to MIR. Morton, but still he IuvesGi-
gated little further. He sent for the vari-
Gus chiefs of the bureaus and asked them to
submit statement of their Indebtedness
! ba would hacoroa