The Savannah morning news., 1901-01-21
CONGRESSIONAL GREEN GOODS.

The government free seed distribution
this year will be the largest on record.
Each congressman Will have several thou
sands OF packages Of seeds to distribute
among his constituents. A few years ago
an effort was made to Top off this cleo
pioneering device, which is paid for out
of the public treasury and is made use
of by politicians for the advancement OF
their private interests; but the congress
men. with a great show of indignation be-
cause of this attack upon the farmers"
not only retained the free seed scheme but
voted thousands of dollars more money
to be spent ON it.
Being animated by the desire common
among congressman to place his seeds
where they would do the most good,
Representative Gillett of Massachusetts,
recently wrote to a postmaster in his dis
trict requesting him 10 send a list OF
names of persons in his community TO
whom it would be well to send free pack
ages Of seeds The postmaster politely but
firmly declined to comply with the re-
quest, saying it would be a violation Of
the postal regulations, section 462, for him
to do so. Section 462 cautions postmasters
and postal employees against making pub
lie names, addresses and similar informa-
ton obtained in the course of their duty,
saying that this regulation is necessary
because of the evil brought about by the
infraction or relaxation of this rule by
postmasters, who have unwittingly assist
ed and encouraged fraudulent schemes,
such as green goods"
Either consciously or unconsciously, the
postmaster has cleverly satirized the con-
gressional free seed distribution. Green
goods" He might, indeed, explain to his
scandalized congressman that he thus
classified the distribution because, with
good luck, such of the seeds as escaped
the pot and contained the germs of vege-
table life might be expected to produce
green goods in the spring, with careful
cultivation. But by the average observer
o. practical politics" as it is played in
Washington, green goods with reference
to the seed distribution will be accepted in
a similar sense to the meaning of the ex-
preston when applied to the well-known
bunco game. There is this difference, how
ever, that when Hungry Joe and Slippery
Mike engage in little green goods trans
action, they pay their own expenses,
whereas the political sharpers make the
taxpayers pay not only for the green
goods but its transmission through the
mails to the "come-ons."
As the seed bureau was first instituted
it was good thing. It's purpose then was
to collect and distribute, in limited guam
titles, samples of rare and valuable seeds,
requiring the recipients to report to the
Department of Agriculture the methods Of
cultivation employed and the results
achieved. Under such a plan much useful
information could be collected. OF late
years, however, all care with respect to
value or rareness of seeds has been thrown
to the winds, and not one person in a
thousand who receives the free packages
sends in a report on the vegetable or fruit
| raised. The seeds are now bought by the
ton, from the lowest bidder They are
| government seeds" in no sense save that
| the government pays for them and gives
them away upon the order of congress
men. The congressman have found them
a convenient and costless Ito themselves
way of keeping in touch with their constt-
uents. 1t is a green goods scheme for
which the Republican party is RESPONSE
| BILE, as il is responsible for about every
other extravaganza with the peoples
money that has found a Judgment and
| permanent abiding place in Washington.