The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1906-05-18
FREE SEED AND OUR cONGRESSMEN


FREE SEED AND OUR CONGRESSMEE
We are happy once more
For weeks We walked under the
dark cloud OF uncertainty 40 every
step we asked. with each fall OF tnc
foot. "Wnl ne? Will he. VIII Uncle
sam take from oar representative,
the privilege of mailing their consult
uents package Of free seed HUt
now we are happy What are cone
gressmeu for if not 90 send free seed
Abolish free seed and tue next step
will be to abolish congressman. AND
then another old Landmarks "ii. be-
gone. like the old county couI. and
candy pullngs and corn ,huchine>
We recognize that everything has 't-
day; yet we still sigh fol the dean ODD
customs, and we bimdly cling Co !ho-e
that linger superfuou, on One stage.
The battered taw of oar boyhoui ".i.
which We usedto plump themdl.emon
and render rival "dead uy m,un-
his taw with our'n. the dea- oli game
ofhop scotch, wherewth we "oie o--
our home made shoes the corn -nuch-
ings where We surepuuousy drank
persimmon beer and kissed uIepii-
tiously-the pretty girls. tlc Oh
swimmin' pool, where we iachei
each other and tied each other 81
clothes i'm "a hard knot these 0.d times
and customs have gone forever 20
give way To newer games and diver
sions There still fingers sigh ior
the county court, abolished ty the
new Constitution. And before Wc
had recovered from this blow at %
time-honored institution, there came
the dire threat of abolishiug fee seed
of abolishiug the one thiugthat make,
a congressman possible.
Are all our dear old diversion, 90 be
taken from Us? All work and no play
makes Jack "a duh boy and If our
sovereigns are not 10 have a congress
man, what diversion is left but swap
ping horses and lies, and busting the
trusts? The end of the trust, is plain
ly in sight-Roosevelt has declared
it-and now the swapping of yam.
and horses and the election Of "a cone
gresham are the trio left Co relieve
the monotony of daily toll
Who's kicking against free seed,
anyway? Nobody but these self
styled reiormers who are determined
to remedy evils, even If they have TO
create them, and the -eedmeu who
now sell cheat for oats and guarantee
clover seed that won't terminate.
Why should the seedmen kick
Don't they sell TO the United states
Government all the seed that the
greenest farmer will refuse 20 buy
the old seed that won't even bring
weeds? And don't they get good
prices for them? And don't the farm
ers pay for all Of 1t, anyway Their
greed is almost equal TO that of the
fertilizer man who formerly sold real
guano with the smell in IT, but who
finally ground up coal and rock and
mixed it with the smell; and who now
won't even take the trouble 90 grind
up the rock, but fin the bags with
rocks and smell aud call it Make
havoc's Special, or Pure Phosphate
Rock, or We Victor, or other high
sounding title.
No. Let US have oar congressman.
The free seed matter is of small mo-
ment. But we must have something
to keep the congressman glowing with
patriotism. They can't save the coun-
try because it isn't lost They can
revise the tariff, because everybody
wishes to be protected. And, then,
too, Senator Aldrich and Speaker Can
non don't want the tariff revised, as
both of them would be out of "a job.
So there's nothing left for congress
man to do but TO run for congress, disc
tribute free seed and draw bis meagie
pay Of S4l6.G6 a month and mileage
And if free seed are abolished, our
congressman must go-and one more
useless, but still delightful. ola Gus
tom will have been taken from us.
Think Of the thrill Of patriotism that
courses up and down the spine of "a
congressman and through his big
heart when ne receives warm letter
Of thanks from Bill Jones over iu Pos
sum Hollow, telling him that the
orange seed for raising seedles, oranges
have come and will be planted in the
full of the moon. The figs sent Mrs.
Jones last year were planted and q
good crop Of figs was expected, but
the hens and the frost prevented any
results AT any rate Nh Joue, is
grateful that he should have been re-
membered by one whose dutie, kept
him so constantly occupied, etc., etc.
Abolish free seed Well, we should
think not
Tennessee has snapped Ed. Car
mack for Bob Taylor In either case