The Savannah morning news., 1903-11-25


cession, recently obtained from the
War Department, by Representative
johnson of North Carolina. 1t relates
to the departments requirements for
the allowance of claims of Confederate
soldiers for side-arms, horses and bag
gage, taken from them by federal
troops, in violation of the terms of their
parole.
The department, preliminary to the
allowance of one of these claims. for
merly required the applicant to show,
among other things, that his property
was taken by direct order of a federal
officer. In almost all cases this was
very difficult, and in many quite i'm
possible. Through Representative
Johnsons influence, the department has
now agreed to allow these claims, when
it can be shown an officer was present
and concurred, at least tacitly, in the
taking of the property. Mr.. johnson
expects now to secure the claims of
several hundred of his constituents,
who have placed this matter in his
hands The rule will apply in other
cases, thus permitting many of the
claims, that otherwise would not have
been allowed, to receive favorable con-
sideration.
Congress has appropriated 100000 to
pay these claims. This probably will
not be sufficient but there seems to be
no question that there will be as large
an additional appropriation as is need
ed to pay all the claims allowed.
1t Wenried AdamsOn.
Representative Adamson was not
very patient under the deluge of elo-
ouence that swept the House during
the debate on the Cuban reciprocity
bill Mr.. Adamson thought as the
Republicans had determined upon the
bills passage and the Democrats. re-
garding it as a partial concession to
Democratic doctrine and recognizing
they could not amend it, had agreed
to gave it their votes, there wasn't
much that absolutely demanded eX-
preston.
1T reminds me-" he said, with weary
resignation "of the old darkey's de-
scription of his argument with his mas
ter. ole Marsa an me hab a mighty
hot 'spute,' he said. ole Massa say
sandy Ian de bes' place to raise water
milyuns and 1 say so too
War on Free Seed.
Considerable interest attaches to the
appointment of the Committee on Agri-
culture of the House by Speaker Can
non as following this announcement
the seedmen of the country against
the congressional free seed distribu-
ton The fact that the seedsmen, who
are DESTROYS of having this practice
abolished. are divided among them
selves as to the best course to pur-
sue, to the end that the coming an
nual appropriation by Congress may
be defeated, is having a deterrent in
fuence upon their efforts. year or
so ago the entire trade was united
against this distribution, for then the
contract was let as a whole and the
seedsmen who We're uninterested in the
matter of the contract made VlgOr-
Gus fight upon both the contractor and
the appropriation. Things are differ
ent now and this shifting of the cir
cumstances has tended to demoralize
the seed trade to a considerable ex-
tent The practice of the department
at present is to purchase direct from
the seedsmen, and it has been alleged
by a number of disconnected members
of the trade that purchases are made
largely from dealers who were former
ly active opponents of the distribution,
but who have now become reconciled
to it.
In view of these facts steps have
recently been taken by various seeds
men looking toward movement of
an Independent character in this di
rection The support of a number of
congressman has been enlisted
in the movement, who are very much
gratiffed over this step on the part of
the seedsmen, as they would like to
see the practice abolished, be-
cause of the scandals which have
sprung up from recent contracts and
also because of the annoyance and
trouble to them incident to the dis
tribution.
The Department of Agriculture has
devised a ms eli we n
ing the opposition to the distribution
by allotting to every member of the
Senate and the House of Representa-
tives $500 packets or 500 packages of
what are termed by the department
novelties and speciaties. :" They are
said to be Of selected varieties, and are
supposed to be new and novel Each
package of these seeds contains a cir
cular giving a brief sketch of the as
sortments, and calling the attention of
the receiver to the firm furnishing the
product and the grower developing the
seeds, and a report of the results OBJ
tanned from the seeds is requested. AS
this course of the department is
practical Endorsement by it of the seeds
furnished by private firm and sent
under the frank of the government, it
Is considered an exceptionally valuable
advertisement for the firms supplying
the Department of Agriculture with
these seeds. Considerable pique exists
IN the seed trade, because of the fact
That members of the Committee of the
wholesale Seedsmens League, which
committee was appointed to devise a
means of suppressng the distribution,
are known to be furnishing the depart
ment with the alleged novelties and
specialties." These facts, it is pointed
out, do not augur well for an agrees
slVe campaign by the league against the
distribution, and accordingly plans
were made for an independent move
ment.
Matter of the Stringham.
The inside history of how the torpe-
do boat destroyer Stringham happened
to make it's appearance at the League
Island navy yard early last Saturday
morning to the surprise of Rear Ad-
miral Sigsbee commandant of the yard,
leaked out to-day. On good author
ity it may be stated that the Harlan
and Hollingsworth Company, the con-
tractors who built the Stringham, ap-
pealed to Senator Alice for his good
OFFICES in Strengthening out the matter.
Senator Alice laid the case before
President Roosevelt, who arranged
meeting between President David G.
Reid, of the Harlan and Hollingsworth
Company, and Secretary of the Navy
Moody. AS a result of this conference
the Navy Department gave permission
to the contractors to deliver the yes
sci at the League Island Navy Yard