The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-06-20
Looters Not Satisfied With Last Weeks
Work, Now Attempt to Destroy the
Agricultural Department by
Killing the Goose that Lays
the Golden Egg.

the Golden Egg.
Aesop tells of foolish countryman who
had a goose that laid golden egg every
day. For time her owner was delighted
with his daily income, then he was only
content, then he longed for greater
SIM at one time. Finally the idea dawn
ed upon him: Why not kill the goose and
get all this gold at once, rather than
wait for a moiety of it day by day?
So the goose was killed, but he found
no gold. and of course the goose being
dead the daily golden egg was never his
again.
The present Board of Agriculture
seems now to be playing the part of this
simple countryman. The fertilizer tax
has been a mine of wealth to the State.
By it the farmers have been protected
from spurious goods, the resources of the
State have been advertised, immigrants
have been brought in and the waste
places have been built up and made to
blossom as the rose.
But the greedy horde of pie-hunters
and campaign-t hunder-makers have not
been content to let well enough alone.
There were not enough offices after
turning out all the Democrats, so they
have created more--and with big salaries
all to be paid out of this fund derived
from fertilizers. They have continued
the policy of lending the college money
from the fund and have practically given
the college control of the fertilizer i'm
speciton, paying it a big price to take 1t,
and leaving the Board of Agriculture, AS
i Mr.. Bailey said in the meeting the other
day, nothing to do but superintend the
cleaning up the backyard of the depart
ment building. All this is being watched
by the payers of this fertilizer tax and
if they are not now ready to have that
golden-egg-layin goose killed, they are
most.
\ The policy adopted by the Board OF
Agriculture seems to be directly in
opposition to the opinion of the late
Judge Seymour, in that it goes into a
partnership or contract with that part of
the college known as the Experiment
Station, with view, avowed and de-
clared to be the fixed policy of the chief
executive of the State, of paying more
for the ANALYTICAL work of the department
than it is worth, and much more than
it costs in order to save in the State
Treasury the annual appropriation OF
$4,000 made to the college.
It seems never to have occurred to this
Board that it should magnify its
own work instead of entering into
contract with a school, which the legisla-
tive branch of the State government
thought should be effectively and actu-
ally severed, since decision of the
Federal court had emphatically declared
that it could not longer, directly or in
directly, aid, comfort or support. This
wise Board could have set up its own
esta blishment to do analytical work. at
a saving to the tonnage tax, and could
have thus gained credit for being ODE
dent to law, instead of laying schemes
for the courts and lawyers. For of a
yerety, this matter will be watched and
the fertilizer manufacturers who pay this
tax. will not tamely submit Tin the face
of a court decision) to supporting this
college. that the State Treasury may
show that $4,000 appropriated annually
TO the college may remain uncollected.
Fairness and justice condemn this
trade as iniquity.
But suppose the Board carries it out
What then is the need of Board? 1t
has made trade, and it is made for two
years, fully covering the analysis of COM
mercial fertilizers for that period. Why
meet again? Why not tell the Commits
sioner to be diligent in supplying the
college with samples for analysis, and
then stay at home? The plan leaves the
Commissioner little more than a figure
head-a man to secure the samples, while
the Board of Trustees does the rest.
Strange arrangement, truly! Why give
the college, the Department of Agricul-
ture and the Experiment Station an
nexed, fuller equipment of laborers, at
bigger pay, to do so much less than has
been done heretofore?
But this is not all. The plan proposes
to go further and "out of the savings"
of this arrangement, to build as soon as
may be great new chemical building at
the college. chamberlain and Withers
are said to favor this.) Wonderful. won
derful, that our reform Governor, with his
reform Board, can do so much with so
littlel But some members of the Board
are said to have seen a little further than
the rest, probably Maultsby and Bailey.
They had ideas, it is said, but "the real
Governor" was present and whipped
everything into line.
1t will be remembered that on April
4, 1892 the Patapsco Guano Company,