The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-09-22

the public at large discussing the conduct
OF the Department of Agriculture abound
In the most striking instances OF aiItera-
ton. and the use OF six consecutive words
with the same initial letter in one sem
tence is not at all unusual in the Secre-
tary's picturesque correspondence.
The Secretary dIslikes official forms and
ceremonies, and one OF his first orders In
the department. was that In Official COM
munications the customary formalltes OF
official correspondence should be dropped.
There ssould be no more "Honored sirs,
he said, and no Il have the honor 10 be-
and no more Your obedient servants, but
plain Dear sirs," and at the end yours
truly" Many of the Secretary's official
letters on file here contain no words of
official politeness whatever at the begin
ming or the end, but pad just Ike this:
Jchn Smith:
Your letter received. and will b. &
tended to. j. STERLING MORTON
40 man ever lived with more democ-
ocrGtic habits than the Secretary or Agri-
culture. one day he asked a visitor at
the department TO wait while md take
luncheon with him. At the proper time
the Acgistant Secretary was asked TO
join the party. and the trio started across
tho beautiful grounds. the visitor wonder
ing where he was going. At length they
came 10 n little wooden building in the
corner of the grounds within was room
about which some men and women clerks
laborers, &c. sat at little tables. on the
wall was an oilcioth blackboard, reahlnB
ike this: pigs fest, cents bean SOUP
cents: pie (all kinds, cents; coiiee' Yea
and milk. cents"
What will you have?' said the Secre-
tary to his guests. and. looking at the
oilcloth, they ordered lunch' anu the
Secretary paid for IL all-cents.
In addition to telling the American ci'l-
zen where to buy good farms FOR a song.
Secretary Morton can also tell men now
TO cure rheumatism. He suffered with IL
for many years one day, twelve years
ago. some one told him that rheumatism
generally followed kidney trouble ana
that this disease was largely que 10 lne
starch in potatoes. Thereupon Mr Nor
ION STONED eating potatoes. lie has eaten
none IN twelve years. and IT is just long
since he has had a rheumatic twinse.
With all his fondness for allltefatlVe
letter writing, which occasionally gets the
better Of his judgment, Secretary Morton
has accomplished a great deal since ne
has been at the head of the Department
Of Agriculture. lie has cut down the pay
roll and the expense account many nun
dreds of thousands Of dollars. He has
secured the adjustment Of the useless
and extravagant seed division, 50 tha'
hereafter all farmers must buy seed IN
stead Of only the unlucky ones, as mere
tofore. and he has secured the arrest an,.
conviction Of capt. Howgate. the abscohd-
ing signal officer. who embezzied nun
dreds Of thousands of dollars and lVed
twelve years within reach of the Govern
ment detectives. who for some mysterious
reason could not or would not recognize
him. Secretary Morton directed the piece
of detective work that brought Howgate
to Justice. and did 1t very cleverly.
one hobby of the Secretary has not YET
been mentioned. This is his great love
for and admiration Of his grandchildren
There are several of them. both boys ana
girls. and all as handsome as 1t IS SAID
the Secretary was when boy. Ihere
ere PHOTOGRAPHS of these frightened chit
dren all over the Secretary's iesks IN the
department and at his private lodgings
and he never tires of -eilils about their
beauty and clevcrness. He writes thcm
long letters full OF attractive and allur-
ing alterations and they write h'i1 Child
ISL letters In reply. which he takes more
delight in reading than II they were as
sertations from members n his scieniinc
corps or the se,retve habits CT pocket
gophers or the migratory dcsfriciiveness
OF the Canada thistle.-Nsw York sun.