Omaha daily bee., 1906-05-14
SEED MENOPPOSE FREE SEEDS
Opportunity Given for Hearing Before
Senate Committee,
WILL DENY EXISTENCE OF TRUST
Contention ~ that DistrIbutiOn Of
Common Varieties is Unwsrranted
Interference with Legitimate
Bustness.
Crrom a stan CONVERSATIONAL

From a stan Correspondent)
WASHINGTON May 13.-CSpecial. The
senate committee on agriculture has
granted the representatives Of the seed
trade a hearing on the question Of the free
distribution Of common garden seeds
through what lie known as the congressional
free seed distribution. The seedsmen have
long protested against what they term Is
an unjust interference with their legitimate
business, but never before have they had
an opportunity 20 present the matter to
the senate committee. Some years ago sew
eral seedsmen appeared before the house
committee on agriculture. but this year
they knew nothing of the possibility OF the
committee eliminating the customary free
seed appropriation until after the commit
tee had acted Consequently they had no
opportunity to present their views to the
committee in a formal manner.
They VIII Present Reasons.
The hearing before the senate committee
promises to be of more than usual interest,
following as 1t does the riotous debate in
the house of representatives The seeds
men will maintain that there is no consti-
tutional authority for the distribution Of
common garden seeds and will present to
the committee that there is not so far as
away anything, and of everything produced
in the United States the only product
gratuitousiy distributed by this government
is seeds. The existence of Seed trust or
the possibility of the same will be denied,
and something will be said concerning the
charges of adulteration OF seeds. Hun
dreds of letters from editors of agricultural
publications daily newspapers and others,
will be presented, we'll as editorials and
articles from almost every newspaper in
the United States of prominence denounc-
ing the seed distribution as a graft. Reso
lutions from the national and state oranges
will be submitted, together with those of
many agricultural societies.
Opposition 10 to Common Seeds.
The seedsmen are highly indignant that
anyone should question their right to pro-
test against what they believe to be an
unwarranted, unjust and illegal interference
with their business. They do not oppose
the free distribution of valuable or rare
seeds within the meaning of the original
act. but they hold that agriculture derives
no benefit whatever from the gratuitous
and indscriminate distribution of turnips,
rutabaga, radish cabbage and horse
radish seed. The hearing is set for Friday
morning, and seedsmen from Boston, New
York, Rochester, Philadelphia, Richmond,
Baltimore, Cincinnati and elsewhere will
be in attendance
smOOt Case Comes Up Friday.
The committee on privileges and elections
Of the senate expects to vote upon the
question OF the right OF Senator Reed M.
emoot OF Utah to continue to occupy his
seat on Friday next, This case has been
pending for three years and scores of wit
nesses have been brought from Utah and
Idaho to tell what they know about the
Mormon" church.
Up to the present time the total expense
of the inquiry has been between $4,000 and
$4,000. That sum, however does not in
clude the printing bills nor the attorney
fees paid by the protestants or Senator
Smoot himself. AS It is understood ex-
Senator Carlisle received a fee of SO, 900
and ex-Congressman Taylor like amount.
It is safe to assert that the total cost of
the inquiry to all parties concerned will
approximate between $4,000 and $3.50
AS TO the outcome only one thing is GER
tain and that is that the report OF the
committee will not recommend the "exclu-
sion" OF Mr. Smoot. Senator Burrows,
chairman Of the committee, and Senator
Dubois. the most active opponent OF the
Mormons, favor the adoption of an lex
clusion'' vote; that is they hold that it is
within the power of the senate to declare
the seat vacant by a majority vote. To
expel would require two-thirds Not
sufficient number OF senators are willing 10
support the Burrows-DuBois plan for the
very good reason that the establishment
OF such precedent might lead to the arr
bitrary use OF power by a majority, when
the senate is nearly equally divided po-
litically.
1t is generally believed that II will be
Impossible to secure the votes of sixty sem
ators to expel Mr.. Smoot. Indeed. there is
a growing belief that not even majority
can be depended upon to so vote. Mr..
Smoot has made many friends since ne
first took his seat. three years ago. He
is a gentleman OF affablity and integrity,
who has done more for Utah than any one
OF his predecessors since the state was ad-
mitted. Even his worst enemies do not
claim that he is not man OF high moral
character,