St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1905-02-15
Current Press Comment.


the kind of work that has been performed
by the Hon. Charles HAL Darling as AS
sistant Secretary of the Navy that we
regret to announce his resignation OF
that Office, to take effect next tall.
Quick to appreciate the value OF his SER
vices the President has declined to per-
NIT Mr.. Darling to leave the public SER
vice and has announced his intention to
make him collector OF customs at Bur-
lingtou, Vt, upon his retirement from
the Navy Department, at salary more
than double that which he receives as
Assistant Secretary. The ultimate po-
sition to be given him is understood to
be Federal judgeshp in New England
as soon as one is available. We have
had occasion many times to recognize
publicly the valuable service OF Mr..
Darling, and it would be difficult now to
record in the aggregate the occasions up
on which he has shown himself entirely
capable of assuming the full duties OF
Secretary of the Navy. Indeed, for at
least third Of the time he held the office
of Assistant Secretary, he was the act
ing head of the Department and under
his regime the duties OF the office of AS
sistant Secretary have been greatly en-
larged. He leaves the Navy Department
with the good wishes OF the officials and
subordinates.- Army and Navy Jour
nal.
The Simple Burial.
Rev. Charles Wagner has been talking
deal about the simple lite, but Rev. Father
IL e A 10 90 4 ha
simple burial. The great evil among
his parishioners is not that they are liv-
ing beyond their means, but that they
are dying too extravagantly. Accord
ingly he has placed limit on floral offer
ings at funerals, on the number OF hacks
to be used, ETC., so that poor man can
actually afford to die, without consign-
ing his friends and relatives to bank
ruptcy court; and the Adams situation
does not exist exclusively in that town
either-[ Haverhll Gazette.
The Free seed Evil.
Senator's Lodge and Proctor deserve
the commentator OF their constituents
and the public for their denunciation OF
the overgrown practice OF sending out
free garden seeds to the American pub
lie. 1t is one OF those abuses that have
expanded from small beginnings until it
now makes a very formidable figure in
the aggregate. Every senator and every
representative has assigned to him over
10000 packages of seeds, which he is ex-
pected to distribute in that portion OF
the country which herepresents, the Gov
eminent furnishing, OF course, free trans
pOrtation. If this would lead to recog-
milton of the propriety of esta blishing or
charging the parcel post system, it
might have an incidental value; but, as
yet it has had no such effect. These
privileges the congressman still claim as
exclusively their own. And the express
companies know better than to affront
the farmer vote. Discriminating CO.
operation with the agricultural interests
OF the country by the Department of
Agriculture would undoubtedly be good
thing, but this business is now conduct
ed on an indiscrimi,FEte basis. The seeds
sent out are not rarel varieties, whose in
PRODUCTION might benent the farmer and
through him the c9Sntry, but the ordi-
nary variety, such as might be purchased
at the nearest seed store. Senator Proc
tor Justly characterizes this political
gratuity as "cheap chromo." Were it
proposed as new measure it would be
laughed out of court, and spurned as
soclalistic suggestion, bur, now, having
its roots in that eternal desire to get
something for nothing, it has become an
abuse whose eradication is by no means
easy. Even Senator Pettus' pathetic
reminder of the volets that grew in the
flower box on the front porch fails to
reconcile US to this illogical and prodi,
gal use of the public money Boston
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