St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-06
SEEDS ANB DOCUMENTS.

SEEDS AND. DOCUMENTS.
Some of the cohgressmen who are
conscious Of having no stronger or
better hold on their positions than that
which can be obtained by tickling the
vanity of few Of their constituents,
stirred by the receipt of packages from
Washington updert the imposing frank
OF our MEMBER. are putting UP a
fight against Secretary Morton's effort
to stop the absurd, indefensible and
utterly wasteful custom of seed-buy-
ing and distribution. It Is probable
that the appropriation bill will carry
the usual amount for this purpose; but,
unless the law is changed limiting pur-
chases to new and rare seeds Mr. Nor
ton Will have another two hundred
thousand dollars or so of unexpended
appropriations next year.
But seed-buying is not the only abuse,
grounded On custom and based on the
same motives of congressman, that
costs the good people Of this country
very pretty penny annually More
costly than the Seeds and really more
useless because more wasteful, Is the
pruning Of immense numbers of all
SORTS or congressional documents and
their free distribution by congressman
10 their constituents. When any docu-
ment Is ordered printed, the number of
copies is specified and they are allotted
to the senators and representatives
Each member is furnished with a list
or the publications and a statement of
the number he is entitled to. He is
supposed either to give the document
clerk a mailing list or take the docu-
ments and address them himself; when
they are sacked, carted to the post
Office and carried without cost to the
actresses. For the far greater part
these are wasted. They go into waste
baskets or the lumber room, and event.
ually find their way to the junk dealer.
Some are preserved where they are of
especial value. but these are insignin-
cant in number compared with the
whole
Inc report of the chief of the bureau
or records and editing in the depart-
ment OF agriculture calls attention to
this wastefulness3 so far as it concerns
his work. refthrattng his recommended
tlons of year. ago. u He would have
the secretary authorized to fix a price
on such publications Of the department
NOT
the price to cover. the bare cost. But
This does not touch the root. for con-
sress directs the free distribution. The
fault is In the promiscuous scattering
of documents, regardless of tbe mood
or wish of the recipients. The system
Is wrong, but is too firmly established
TO be overthrown,, It's methods can be
corrected and the distribution made in
a more efficient manner.
Ii congressman will retain whatever
OF fancied advantage it is to them RI
nave their constituents furnished with
THESE publ tons, they can at Jeas+
nave the courtesy to consult them as
TO what they want instead of leaving
IL TO some clerk to make a distribution
that Is sometimes ludicrously inappro-
pirate Were they to furnish the doom
meht room with a list of addresses to
winch matter is to be sent, with orders
TO send to those listed what thew mieb+
order, and then send their favored con-
stltuents lists Of the publica tons. with
permission to send to Washington for
such as they might want, vast sums
would be saved in printing and in
mall carriage, and the publications
would go where a need Of them was
relt sufficiently strong to ask for them
The treasury would save money. the
constituents would get that which thew
want and the congressman would he
just as firmly fixed in the affections of
MS fellow partisans in the district.