The Saint Paul globe., 1897-03-28

copyrighted 1897. by Frank G. CarpenterD
WASHINGTON, March 25.-One of
the most important members of Presi-
dent McKinleys cabinet is the secre-
tary. Of agriculture. He has TO do with
the bettering of the farming interests
of the United States, which are said to
be in a worse condition today than
they have been at any time since Capt.
John Smiths colony went through IN
terrible privations of the 'Htac>l1 g
time" at jamestown in the first half o.
the seventeenth century. Hel etO1Gre
the Republican majOritieS of Ono, IN
diana and Illinois have come tom the
farmers, but at the last election Nc
kinley was saved by the VD-e "f the
cities. The future of the present regime
depends upon making things better for
the farmers. They are, in fact the
ruling class OF the United States. There
are more of them than of any other
profession. BY the last census forty
four out of every hundred persons in
the United States were engag ged in ag-
ricuItural pursuits. We have today in
the neighbOrhOod of 100000 farms,
which are worth, all told, more than
thirteen billion dollars. We make a
profit in good years of something like
two billion dollars out of farm products,
and it is upon the farms that we de-
pend to large extent for good or bad
times If the farmers are doing we'll
money flows like water and the sun of
prosperity shines. When they are doing
i'll the dark clouds of discomfort breed
anarchy, socialism and false financial
theories and adyprSitV reiPnS
BOSS OF THE FARMERS.
You will thus see that the secretary
of agriculture is now a very impor-
tant factor. Who is the man that Me
klnley has chosen? What kind of a
man is he? What is he going to do? I
can answer these questions in part in
the chat which l had with Secretary
James Wilson at the agricultural de-
partment today. l had a letter of in
PRODUCTION to the new secretary from
Senator w B. Allison, and as soon as
my card was sent in l was admitted
y tall, angular plain looking man of
about sixty years of age began to get
up as [ entered the door By the time
l had reached his desk he was on his
feet. His long right arm was stretched
out toward mine and his horny hand
gave me a cordial Old-fashioned shake
1t was James Wilson, the new secre-
known all over the West as one of the
best farmers of the Mississippi valley
and who is noted among agriculturists
eN NeryWhere as being one of the most
practical up-to-date authorities upon
everything connected with farming
He asked me to be seated and for an
hour we chatted together about him
self, the American farmer and what
Uncle Sam might do for him. Mr.. Will
son is a good talker His voice is
slightly metallic and his words come
out at the rate of about two hundred
per minute. He has as many homeIy
expressions as had Abraham Lincoln
and his talk is as full of ideas as an
egg is full Of meat. He is a well-educat-
ed man. and once or twice in spea king
OF his home in Scotland he quoted mas
sages from Burns, giving the broad
Scotch as it was used by the poet who
composed some of his verses as he fol-
lowed the plow on his farm, not far
from that upon which Secretary WI
son was born. From time to time as
we talked the clerks would bring in
papers and letters for the secretarv's .
advice or signature, and | could see
how rapidly and how carefully Mr.
Wilson handled his business He was
not at all disturbed by the interrup-
tions, and l noticed that he followed
each letter line by line with his finger
before he put his signature to it. saw
several other instances of his careful
business ways. At one period in the
conversation q clerk brought in a req
uisition for horse. AS he laid 1t down
before the secretary he said that the
horse which this new animal was to
displace had been in the service of the
department twenty-four years and
that this warrant authorized one Of
the clerks to go up to Virginia and buy
another.
who is the man who is to do the
buying?" asked the secretary
He is the assistant veterinary pro-