The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-11-14
Free Seed pistribution.


 In view of the amazing character of the testimony in the Court of Claims in the suit of the New York Market Gardeners Association to compel the Secretary of Agriculture to pay the balance due on a contract for furnishing seed for the Con- Gressional Free Seed Distribution some years ago. 1t is ascertained that reso- lution will shortly be introduced provid- ing for a Congressional inquiry into the whole matter of the free seed distribution. and quite possible that the resolution will be adopted. A canvass Is being made of members of the Senate and House by lower officials of the department and others familiar with this distribution. and the facts are being called to their atten- tion in a forcible manner.
 From the testimony in the Court of Claims it appears that A. c. Nellis. who Is the General Manager of the New York Market Gardeners Association, pos sessed a. most remarkable influence over the officials of the department who were supervising the distribution made by him. The Government alleges that he furnished short weights and inferior seeds and substituted cheap varieties in place of the more expensive ones called for by his contract Yet all the officials who had any supervision over the dis tribution, from the clerks detailed to this work up to Secretary Wilson him. self. endorsed the accounts of the Asso- citation and vouched for the propriety with which the distribution had been made. It appears that just no wthe last payment was to be made on this con- tract. Professor B. T. Galloway, Chief of the Bureau of Plant Industry. who was authorized to make an investigati tion, discovered that the Government clerk who was assigned to the duty of, receiy- ing and weighing the seeds as they came into the warehouse had utterly failed to perform this duty. Since this time the contractor has been unable to satisfy Professor Galloway that he really fur nished the seeds. and in the absence of such a report from the Government off, cials, the payment has been held up and the matter is now in the Court of Claims.
 The officials charged with the weighing of the seeds has testified before the court that he utterly neglected his duty and that instead of weighing the seeds him. self he had accepted whatever weights the contractor chose to give him. It Is understood. however, that since this dis tribution he has received a promotion in the Department of Agriculture. The foreman for the contractor originally tes- tified that every effort had been made to follow the contract to the letter. Later. he was given a position in one of the Government departments, and going on the stand the second time he reversed his previous testimony and swore that Nellis did everything he could to defraud the Government. Other officials. more or less connected with this distribution. have been dismissed or have resigned. as the case may be. The remarkable feature of this distribution appears to be that, if 1t Is true, as alleged. that the contractor defrauded the Government, he must have done so under the eyes of at least half dozen clerks and inspectors. and 1t seems improbable thaaA@this could have been done without the connivance of these officials. ..
 Another distribution was not given to the lowest bidder. but was let at higher rate to another firm under exceptionally favorable conditions. In still another in- stance 1t is alleged that the seeds were so rotten that they had to be fumigated before being sent out.