The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-24
SEED FAKE OF CONGRESS.
EXPOSURE OF = GOVERNMENT
GIFT ENTERPRISE.

Condemned by Farmers-Hhat the
Packages of Seed Actually Con-
tain-HOw This Folly Costs the
Government 100000 This Year.
Testing the Seeds in Washington.
From the Hartford Times.
Humbug. thy name is the congress of
the United Statesl
There never was a better Illustration
of this fact than the recent controversy
over the question of distributing free
seeds. Secretary Morton wanted to put
a stop to this ridiculous abuse. which
in the last twenty years has cost the
government oyer S25SO,O00; but the con-
gressmen objected because they
would be deprived of the priv
ilege of scattering complimentary
prize packages among their constituents
without cost to themselves The value of
the system from the electioneering point
of view is cOnsiderable-for in this manner
the representative is able to ingratiate
himself with the people of his district and
10 Indicate his remembrance of them in
div.dually without spending a cent He
does not even have TO pay for postage,
merely furnishing the requisite number Of
addresses bearing his frank.
The hOllowness of the fraud was strik-
d
Secretary Morton proposed to furnish to
each member of congress 1000 packages.
every one of which should contain
one large paper of big seed, such as peas
or corn, and fourteen papers of small
seeds. This raised row right away.
! because the legislators said that 1000
packages would not go around among
their constituents. They obliged the sec
rotary TO divide the seeds into packages
of five papers, so as to give 5000 to each
congressman. 1t was made clear to
them that the packages of five papers
each would be TOO small to be of any
practicable use, but that objection was
ignored. 1t was not desired that the
seeds should be useful to the farmers and
other people, but that they should serve
the political ends of the congressman
Accordingly the order was changed at
cost Of about $500 for the additional num-
Der of envelopes employed.
The law has hitherto prescribed that
the seeds distributed shall be of rare
and uncommon varieties" But the con-
Sressmen viii have nothing but ordinary
garden and field seeds because those suit
their purpose best. Nothing would do but
! the everyday corn and beans or ndstur-
| uum and pansy. From these facts it ap-
| pears that the legislator is not interes led
In making the seeds useful to the DeoDIe
who receive them; all that he wants is 10
take this means of keeping himself pleas
antly in the minds of his constituents
I IN OrQef IQat ne may nave TINS opportunity
| the government is obliged to pay a great
sum of money every year.
Representative J. A. Picker of South
| Dakota sent recently to a Mr.. Brown of
that state a package of seeds which,
for some reason, that gentleman failed
! to receive, consequently it came back
through the postofhce. The compliment
was doubtless in return for vote at the
! last election, or in hope of influencing a
vote 1t the next election. If Mr. Brown
had got the package he would have felt
q Z Gqlf ra1 her 4
! by the congressman from his district
On opening it, he would have discovered
hXe little papers OF. seeds, amounting in
all to about two-thirds of an ounce and
consisting of twO-tenths of an ounce of
| cabbage seed, tWo-tenths of an ounce of
! cucumber seed, three-tenths of an ounce
| of squash seed three-tenths of an ounce
! of turnip seed and less than one-tenth
of an ounce of tomato seed.
This is as much as any individual gets
| from the much-adVertised distribution of
/ free seeds by congress. 1t is for this that
! the government is paying out $4,000 this
! year, without counting the cost Of send
/ ing the packages by mail. The cost of
/ such a package to Uncle Sam, including
/ the envelopes and printing, is 8 40 cents.
Inc, actual expenses OF dellXering 1t by
/ mail is 4 cents in addition. Thus the to-
| tai cost IS nearly 8 cents. For this ex-
/ penditure the farmer receives a little gift
/ which he could purchase at the country
| store for Is cents. In any such store
/ will usually be found on the counter sew
! eral boxes OF assorted Seeds retailing at
! from TO D cents paper. Iney are
| just as good as those furnished by the
/ government, and the papers are apt to
| hold about twice as much.
II anything Is more absurd than the
! distribution of vegetable seeds, it is the
! scattering of flower seeds by congress
A package and its contents ought to have
| reached person named Barnes in Iowa.
/ 1t was sent under the frank of Mr. Cous-
/ ms. There are a few sweet peas, some
nasturJium seeds, ditto mignOnette. ditto
! pansy, and five large seeds of the "ricnus
/ zanzibarienSiS.' This last is referred to
on the label as "a foliage plant with gil
/ gantic leaves of various hues." The pansy
/ seeds are "A mixture of various shades
/ and colOrs," and the quantity furnished
! is one One-hundredth of an ounce 1t may
/ be imagined how far this supply of flow
! er seeds would go in a garden 1t costs
! the government 215 cents The retail price
/ for the same seeds at a dealers would be
4 about Is cents-fOr the profit on flower
/ seeds is big.
In every third package of vegetable
seeds sent out this year is a paper con-
/ tanning about one-sixth of pint of peas
I or corn, Imagine how useful thai is
/ likely to be to the farmeri But, as has
/ been said, it is not intended to be useful
/ to him; it is designed as commitment
= good wife and the children The seed
contracts enforced by congress call This
! year for 1925, 600 papers of seeds COSTING,
/ the government 1900, to which must he
! words, the so-called free seed this wear
viii cost the people of the country nearly
! Sl65,OOO, beside injuring the legitimate seed
/ trade TO an extent representing an eouaI
amount. The distribution is made in orr
/ der as member of congress said during
! the recent discussion, to show the poor
! toiling farmer at home that Uncle Sam
1 remembers MIN and desires TO assists
ence-to the extent, forsooth! of three