The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-01-20
SEED OFTEN
GOES ASTRAY.
Woes Of q Rural District
Congressman.
HIS PERQUlSITES ARE MEAGRE
Constituents Demand All Tint L.
Coming TO Them in the Way of
Free Gifts - Colonel WuJtersOn
Early Fell II Victim to the Time
Honored Custom.

II there is any one thing more than
another that a member Of Congress is
Jealous Of, especially If that member rep
Tesents An agricultural constituency. il
is his allotment Of seed from the Agri-
cultural Department.
Sometimes it happens that a bag Of seed
will go astray, and when the member to
whom it belongs viii get out a search
warrant. so to speak, and have all the en-
ployes in the House postoffce searching
hish and low, and send queries all along
the line 10 locate the lost bag. Occasion
ally a lost bag will travel all over the
country before IL is returned to the own
er, but there have been cases on record
where the seed never did return. 1t all
depends into whose hands it falls
Last Friday while Representative
GOOch OF Kentucky was opening his mail
Representative Benton Of Missouri came
over TO the desk of the Kentucky states
man and said:
What's the trouble. Gooch? You seem
worried Can do anything for you?"
"oh, I'm not specially worried" said
Mr.. Gooch. The fact is I've lost a bag
OF seed. and all the packages were
labeled My secretary has been searching
everywhere for the bag, and / suppose
it's lost"
NO; I've the has said Mr. Benton
smiling 1T was sent to me by mistake.
As Missouri's soil is richer than Ken
tucky's and as you have more use for
the seed than ], why you can send for
the bag any time"
Loyal TO Blue Grass state.
"Kentucky's soil is as rich as the
best replied Mr.. Gooch. but I'll send
for the seed today"
The traffic in seed among the members
is one Of the features OF Congressional
life Hardly day passes hut the mem
Der who represents a country district viii
seek his colleague from the city and
bargain desirable public documents for
seed There are several employees around
the House who make handsome additions
10 their income by arranging exchanges Of
seed for documents and documents Tor
seed. The members from the city districts
like New York. Philadelphia. Chicago. or
Cincinnati. fer instance. seldom. IL ever
receive a request for garden seed. bur
they are overwhelmed with letters ask
ing for copy of this or that document
and as the quota OF documents is limited
the city member must do some trading
OF buying in order TO comply with the
demand for any particular Government
publication.
Ii he is new member ne makes en-
quiries, with the result that the aforesaid
House employees viii add him to their list
and arrange the trades" for a small
commission. which IS always gladly given.
1t viii take a new member at least three
inside workings and ascertain Just what
he viii be entitled TO. and where he must
apply TO get IT, Ia the meantime I'M
less he keeps his eyes open or has a wide
awake secretary. ne viii have signed
away some or the best things 10 which he
is entitled. But he is only caught once.
And then if he comes back for another
term he gets even with the new mem
Der"
One on WntterSon-
As an Illustration the story that is told
on Col. Henry Watterson, Of Kentucky,
will fl the case. Some years ago Colonel
Watters1I was elected 10 iii out an IN
expired term. One morning a few days
after he had been sworn in he received in
his mail letter from an old lady living
in the country asking him 20 send her
some garden seed
y
lar with the perGuisites OF the members
turned TO one OF his colleagues and ask
ed what he should do 10 comply with the
old lady's request.
why, just drop q note 70 the Commits
siOner Of Agriculture lat that time il was
a commissioner Instead OF secretary and
direct him 70 forward the seed to your
constituents address.
The colonel thanked his friend, and
then wrote the commissioner directing him
to send whatever seed there was 20 his
tWattersOn'sl credit 20 the old lady.
Had Many Calls.
About a week or ten days afterward
Colonel Watterson received numerous re-
quests from his agricultural friends ask
ing for seed. He wrote tie commission
CT 10 forward the variety OF seed asked
for. but 20 his dismay he received the in
formation that there was no seed 10 his
credit. And then came a letter from the
old lady thanking him for the carload Of
seed. which she said she had -distrib-
uted among her neighb0rs, and had some
left besides"
Colonel WatterEOn friends came 20 his
assistance and helped him, each member
contributing a large number Of seed
packages
After that experience the colonel made
enquiries before sigEinsaway his perks"