The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-21

The organs OF InlS administrator
are e~xcusable for exalting it On the
score of that same loyalty that made
the Texas editor retort to Phil Shari-
dams epigram that, if he owned hell
and Texas, he'd sell Texas and live in
hell. with a profane remark about a
man 'who wouldn't stand up for his
own country So, since the advent
of the Great Apostle and the %instala-
ton of his chiefs we have had hardly
a cessation of the laudation of the
things he and they are doing, have
done or purpose doing. OF them all
we have heard rather the most of the
gentleman Of Scotch descent, whose
genius spread his energies over the
three fields of farming, the law and
politics, whom he called from Iowa to
preside over the department supposed
to be attending to the agricultural in
terests of the country. During Mr..
Wilson's excursions from the law n
his farm into politics he learned the
value of newspapers in keeping d per.
son in the public eye, and he has not
forgotten. what he learned since his in
duction into the department of asri-
culture. What he was doing, had done
and was going to do, therefore, has
Immediately become public.
His predecessor, Mr.. Morton, was
also kept in the view of the public, not
because he sought it, but because the
present eulogists of Mr.. Wilson were
his opponents; and, as he was a very
positive character, with decided notions
about shams and frauds and a plain
way of talking about them, they had
frequent opportunities for roasting
him. Among the shams Mr.. Morton
found in his department was a COM
mendable purpose run to seed. He
found a law, ~thirty-odd years old, in
~corporated in every annual a%ppropria-
ton for his department, setting apart
a certain sum annually for the pur-
chase of seeds that were new and
rare in order that they might be in
~troduced here, tried and, if found use
full and adaptable, cultivated. For
thirty years the earth had been a II
sacked for these new seeds that were
rare, and long ago the search had fail
ed TO yield anything. But the money
was annually appropriated and had to
be spent, and so it grew into an annual
custom to spend several hundred thou
sand dollars in buying seeds that We're
neither new nor rare, which was a plain
violation of the law. These seeds were
given to congressman and by them
mailed free of cost to such farmers as
they favored.
The good purpose a thus degen-
Grated into a sham that was a fraud,
and Mr.. Morton, who had compunc-
tions about d~isobeying the law, bought
TO seeds, because none new and rare
were to be had, and turned a million
or two collars back into the treasury.
W~hereupon arose the hue and cry OF
the press and the clash with congress
hal led to the elimination of the new
and rare" requirement and forced hin
into buying the usual quota Of old and
common seed for distribution. Now
comes his successor, and, to his credit be
It said. finds out that this seed distri-
button is . sham and a fraud, just as
his predecessor did. And he announces
his determination to have none Of it
He is obliged to spend the money, bui
he will buy seeds, plants and slips that
have some utility. instead Of spending
it for cabbage, turnip, beet and flower
seeds. He pays his predecessor the
compliment that imitation always car
ries with it. He is going to send cam
phor tree Slips to Southern farmers,
beet seed to Western sugar beet farm
ers and grape cuttings to vineyard cui-
tivators. This, of course, can be but
short-lived, a year or two will supply
the demand, and the supply a hard
ly be placed at the disposal of con-
gressmer. But do the organ meet this
evasive step tending to the elimina-
ton OF the seed scandal as they me-