The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-01-21
How congressman Make Most of
Garden Seeds.
Congressman Scott Of Kansas
Holds the Prize.
SENT 10000 PACKAGES.
He Will Exceed That Amount
This Year.
What Each Member Has at His
Disposal.

washington Jan preventative
Cromer of Indiana. who is counted
about the shrewdest practical politician
in the house of representatives. has
sublime faith in the vote getting eff
cacy of garden seeds. In the last cam
paign. when the Democratic organiza-
ton Of his state was moving heaven and
earth to defeat him. Cromer, keeping
all the while a discreet silence. quietly
sowed his district with garden seeds and
he reaped a bountiful harvest at the
polls in the ides of November.
It is safe to say. however. that Repre-
sentative Cromer of Indiana is not in it
with Representative Scott of Kansas
when it comes to scattering garden
seeds and plenty of them Last year
Mr.. Scott sent to Kansas about three
times as many garden seeds as any
other member of the delegation He
distributed between 10000 and 10000 of
the little packages, each containing five
varieties of seed, and they went to every
county in the state, and every town in
every county. This spring Mr.. Scott IS
preparing to repeat his performance OF
last spring, and will distribute as many,
if not more packages than he sent out
last year. Mr.. Scott is able to do this
by virtue of his position on the COM
mittee on Agriculture. The secretary OF
agriculture is very friendly to all the
ing to do almost any reasonable thing
for them. There are any number Of con-
gressmen who represent city districts,
and these gentlemen do not utilize their
quota Of garden seeds. hence they re-
vert to the secretary of agriculture un-
der the law. The secretary is therefore
able to favor the members of the COM
mittee on agriculture. and he does not
hesitate to do so. In this way Mr.. Scott
is enabled to deal most generously with
his Kansas constituents. and if the state
does not blossom forth with luxuriant
vegetable vegetation during the coming
spring it will not be his fault. Mr.. Scott
disclaims any Interior motive in making
this lavish distribution Of garden seeds,
however, and says he has no thought OF
the vote getting feature Of the distr1bu-
ton He says that one of the things he
is here for is to serve his constituents
the best he can. that the seeds are
available, and that his constituents have
as good right to them as anybody
else's constituents
Probably the general public is not
aware of what big thing the seed dis
/ tribution by the department of agri-
4 culture is. In the neighbOrhOOd of 10
million packages Of seed will be distrib-
uted throughout the country this year
/ and great quantities OF plants. trees.
/ bulbs etc. The distribution is now be-
| ing made, and each senator. member
and delegate in congress will send out
during the next two months the follow
| ing assortment
Twelve thousand packages, five papers
| each, vegetable seed
Five hundred packages, five papers
each novelty vegetable seed.
Five hundred packages. five papers
4 each, flower seed
One hundred and ten packages, five
/ growing tobacco.
/ Seventy packa ges. one peck each, cot
ton seed. to districts growing cotton
Thirty packages lawn grass seed
/ Twenty boxes bulbs. II bulbs each
Eight packages grapevines, I'VE vines
each.
Ten packages strawberry plants, Is
/ plants each
Twenty packages trees. five trees
each.
In addition to the above each mem
considerable quantity of forage crop.
( sorghum and sugar beet seed The ap-
preparation for the distribution is almost
double that of last year
W. NJ. Rice, of Fort Scott. special
agent of the United States treasury.
was in Washington last week. Mr.. Rice
spent several years in England as spe-
cial agent for the treasury department,
but is now located permanently in the
United States. He is at present residing
at Niagara Falls, but expects to move
to New York very soon.
supt. PEARS Of the Haskell institute.
Lawrence, is in Washington He is in
terested in inducing congress to make
an appropriation to restore the buildings
burned at the Haskell reservation
about year ago. An effort was made
to have the money appropriated at the
last session. but the effort failed.
An effort viii be made to induce Rep
resentative Lands Of Indiana to deliver
the commencement address at Baker
university this year. In other years the
address has been delivered by Senator
Dolliver of Iowa and Senator Fairbanks
Of Indiana. Representative Miller who
I is much interested in Baker university,
has taken the matter UP with Mr.
Lands.
The latter is a young man, a brilliant
/ very fortunate if he can be induced to
| accept the invitation He won warm
place in the hearts of the Kansas MEM
/ bers of congress at the last session of
! congress by his spirited defense of Gen
4 eral Funston. when the Kansan was be
+ ing attacked by statesmen at both ends
4 of the capitol.
Lieutenant Martin. son Of W W Mar
tin of Fort Scott. is a Washington
visitor.
Senator Burton has sent to each mem
Der of the Kansas senate with his com
which contains the constitution Of the
/ United States. with a handy index, the
rules of the United States senate, and
much other valuable Information OF
parliamentary, nature The books are
What Shall We
Have for Dnccarf p