Omaha daily bee., 1896-11-26
MORTON AND TnE FARMERS.

Kansas City Times (silvcr; Secretary
/ Morton's last annual report has been UNI
! loaded by the postoflce authorities upon a
patient and long-sufferlng public Now let
| congress pass a law compelling people 10
| read 1t and the cup OF their calamities will
! be filled.
Detroit Free Press (dcm); Secretary
| Morton has set a good example In economy
which other public officials would do well
to follow. During the four years OF his
administration of the Agricultural depart
ment his reports show that he has covered
back into the treasury $1,000, 600 of the APP
propriatons for the department.
Globo-Democrat Crep); The annual report
of the secretary OF agriculture presents some
facts which II would be well for the farmers
to study, instead of reading so much of the
current literature of calamity. They will
discover by giving proper attention to these
interesting statistics that, while they may
have causes of complaint, they are by no
means in such a bad fix generally speaking,
as the populist orators and writer's are con
| tinually telling them
Chicago Tribune (rep): If the principle of
civil service were in need of any strengthen
ing evidence of success in operation the re-
port of Secretary Morton of the Agricultural
department would be a strong support. He
shows that largely because of the efficacy of
the merit system he will have saved over
$2,00O,0 900 out of the total appropriations for
his department since March T. 1898. This
economy has been effected, he says, without
any curtailment of the work of the de-
partment, and. in fact, in spite of healthy
growth In the scope of the work.
Philadelphia Press (rep): Secretary Nor
ton omits any reference in his report to the
statistics and forecasts of his department
for four years past. They have been ridicu-
lously wrong, and instead OF pluming him
self on saving 600 Secretary Morton
might proftably have insisted on congress
Iatt 81 l.
curing adequate and accurate official sta
tistcs. Those collected now are wretched
This Is not the fault of those who gather
them. The country has outgrown the sys-
TEN. Statistics can no longer be collected
for nothing. Until they are the American
farmer will lose millions Of dollars yearly
through inaccurate reports OF forecasts
Chicago Inter Ocean Tep): The people are
glad to hear what the venerable DR.. Isaac
Watts called some good account at last
from the secretary of agriculture. Secretary
Morton, who has been perniciously active in
sending out free trade pamphlets under
guise of agricultural documents, and who
has been equally perniciously inactive in
refusing to distribute seeds. reports that
he viii be able to return to the United
States treasury $4,000, 900 out of the $1l 49,
455 that has been appropriated by congress
for the use of his department since March
I. 1898. The secretary is candid. He at
tributes the reduction Of expenses solely to
the operation of the civil service law, by
which the character and activity of the
clerical force has been improved greatly.
1t has come to be understood that days
pay in the public service calls for a days
work of equal value with that required
by an individual employer.
Chicago Tmes-Herald: A feature of the
secretarys fourth annual report is his en-
phatic reputation of the doctrine OF the
calamity howlers, who, particularly in the
recent national contest sought to convey the
impression that the agriculturists of this
country are the most depressed and poverty
stricken class of people on the face of the
earth He denies the populstic contention
that farmers generally are in debt and de-
clares that interest on farm mortgages is
not higher than on other classes of Sc
curities. The secretary earnestly denounces
the popuistic implication which crops out
in the platforms and speeches of those who
believe that legislation can control nature, !
and declares that the farmers are not mendi- |
cants or wards OF the government to be
treated to annuities, but ''the representatives
OF the oldest. most honorable, most essential
occupation of the human race, upon which
all other vocations depend for subsistence
and prOsperity"