St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-03-11

is considered that there are thirty
bureaus, divisions and laboratories in
his department, each engaged more or
less In scientific investigation of mat
tiers relating to agriculture, and each,
now acting Independently with only the
official head of the department, always
a political appointee and rarely with
scientific attachments, as the director
in-chief An army with competent gen.
erals of division and a commander
taken from civil life with no knowl-
edge of military science OF art would be
an apt comparison.
The request is supported by the ap-
prevail ofspresidents and professors Of
agricultural and other colleges, Of the
joint commission OF scientific societies,
OF officers of agricultural societies, and
that of men in, civil life able to appre-
ciate its Importance, such as ex-Sena-
tor Edmunds, Theodore Roosevelt and
others. If it be conceded that care Of
the special interests of agriculture is
proper function of the general govern
ment, then every consideration of eff
cheney, economy and the attainment Of
the greatest good demands that the eff
forts Of the various scientific bureaus
should be directed by one head, COM
petent and assured Of retention as long
as efficient. But the request will not
be granted. Congress IS not COM
posed Of men who look with favor
on them literary fellows" Even
II this difficulty were not in the
way, the secretary has trod with
heavy foot on the sensibilities Of
coo many congressman to make them
regardful of his recommendations, even
when their public benefit is admitted.
He has turned the useless supernu-
meraries out into the cold, and he has
bluntly told congressman that their
seed buying and distribution was not
only a humbug but piece of paternal-
ism not warranted by any honest or
sound conception Of governmental
function. Then there sits in the speak
er's chair the man who announced it
to be the purpose of this congress to
do nothing more than to pass appropria-
ton bills which should not suffer in
comparison Of amount with any of
their predecessors, and authorizing
such an appointment would be doing
something.
But the queerest objection comes
from the Chicago Tribune, the queer
est when that papers insistence on the
rghtfulness Of certain governmental
policies is considered. "They do not
seem to have asked" these college
professors, and officers of agricultural
schools, eff the government has the
right to tax people of the United
States for all the alleged scientific in
vestigation' now in progress, and for
the vast expansion Of it which the ap-
pointment Of such g. 'director-in-chief'
would entail" In the same issue the
same paper demands that the people
of the United States should be taxed
three-quarters Of a million dollars now
and unnamed millions hereafter to
deepen Chicago's river. work never
before attempted and one purely and
solely that Of the city and the to-be-
benefited river lot owners. The Tribune
also maintains it to be a legitimate
function to permit certain classes to
tax all classes, within liberal limits,
for the support of their particular in
dustries. But when protectionist
paper begins to question the right to
tax, then "all thing are at risk"