Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1895-07-27
SEED SUPPLY is TO Be SHUT OFF
Secretary Morton VIII Deprive Settlers
cf the Usual Gifts

or the Usual Gifts.
Washington, July 21.-About Is, 900 farm
ers in the state Of Washington will reae
| with Indignation that Hon. j. Sterlins
Morton, secretary of agriculture, has de-
| claieo that the customary quantity OF
SEEDS VIII not be provided to congressman
| LOT distribution as heretofore. Many farm
| ers, of course, will not suffer materially.
| because they DO not receive package of
| SEEDS through the general government,
| Out TO those settlers in the new states
| who are striving hard to make a home
upon the spreading prairie, or to hew it
OUT OF the evergreen forests, such gift
IS not only received as an earnest of re-
membrance on the part of the man for
"ho1n they voted to represent them at the
nations capital, but it is really a gift of
great value. Such settlers are not infre-
Quehtly IN Strengthened circumstan noes.
money IS often an unknown quantity, and
the dollar or half dollar which would be
required to purchase similar amount of
setds, is not in the pocket, and could be
used TO buy seeds only at sacrifice of
some necessity in case of sickness
Secretary Morton, in a recently publish
ed TRADE against the farmers, made pub
nc one or two letters which, from their
poor spelllng and the evident lack of elu-
cation OF the writer, would have appealed
10 the pathetic side of almost any 9TH
ef mans nature. Secretary Morton used
them as an evidence of the fact that
once man received a package Of seeds,
ne never failed to write another year ask
ing for more. The thousands of letters
received annually by congressman from
the northwestern states are each one an
uhansWerable proof that Secretary Nor
ton wrought an injustice to the poor far
Hlef When he decided to attempt to eyade
lhe law and practically to do away with
VI tifAyN rT
heht Secretary Morton said III his in
terVleW that none of the farmers who
received seeds ever paid any attention to
lhe request OF the government which is
printed upon each package. for a report
as 10 their success in planting them In
thls he is greatly mistaken, as any CON
gresham will tell you. The letters which
they receive are filled with statements
as TO their success or failure with the |
seeds, and a great deal more interest is
takeh IN this by these farmers than by |
Mt. Morton's whole department.
congress made the usual appropriation |
Tor seeds this year, but Secretary Morton. |
acting under the advice of the attorney |
general now Secretary of State Olney.
VINO tod MN that under the law, he him.
self was the sole judge of what should
be bought, has decided to purchase moth
ing but rare seeds. Few, if any, seed
man IN the United States make a business
OF furnishing rare seeds There is no
iemand for them except by fancy garden
ers, who either raise their own or i'm
port them from abroad. Rare" seeds
would naturally be those grown in some
-orelgn land, and it is quite apparent that
L Secretary Morton carries out his avow-
I'd purpose to supply the farmers of this
country with 900 worth of rare"
seeds, the total amount appropriated, he
VIII have to go abroad to get them. This
would be quite in keeping with other for
'lsn policies of this administration.
one other thing may be DONE however,
hd some of those who are familiar with |
he agricultural secretary's ways, seem
o think it quite likely. He has already re-
ected the bids for seeds such as hereto
ore nave been furnished, and in recon-
nending any at all for any other kind, |
nay take no further action In the matter |
lie Will then be able to report to the pres !
dent at the end of the next fiscal year |
hat he has saved all this money to the |
Jnlted States as result of the economical |
administration Of the affairs of his depart-
lent. He will, of course, avoid stating
hat it has been done at the expense of |
he farmers of the country