Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1906-03-22
FREE SEED GRAFT
OUGHT To STOP
POLITICAL JOBS KEEP THE
WASTE GOING.
COSTS 100000 YEARLY
Press of the Whole Country Against
the Extravagance-Far mers' Or
eanizations Denounce II as Nui.
sance-CIerk Hire and MisceIIane-
Gus Outrapes.

The ridicule heaped by the press
and public on the congressional free
seed distribution has encouraged the
majority of the house committee on
agriculture TO believe that their eff
forts to stop this great abuse will be
successful and that the house will
support their action in refusing to
make any approximation for the dis
tribution Of common flower and veg
etable seeds This graft dies hard.
One of the most pernicious forms Of
wasting public money, without le-
Ultimate excuse and almost without
defender, nevertheless it clings to
congress and for many years Chair
man Wadsworth of the committee on
agriculture has been trying in vain to
pry it loose. The report of B. r.
Galloway, chief of the bureau of plant
industry, for the fiscal year of 1905,
tells the story of why the country is
bled for 100000 annually on this ac-
count. In it appears these items:
"Salaries-in Washington, $62,472;
outside of Washington, $S,60S; travel
ing expenses, $1,000; contract for as
semblng and mailing seeds, SAL, 924.'
A large number of persons are thus
employed in the seed distribution and
every time congress proposes to abol-
ish this graft they weep copiously on
the shirt-fronts of the tender-hearted
members who finally shrug their
shoulders and say the public pays the
freight" and vote for the approprta-
tion. The report of Chief Galloway
contains much valuable data on this
subject, but a great deal Is omitted
and would undoubtedly make inter
esting reading For instance, it notes
that during the year there were mis-
cellaneous authorizations amounting
to $4,359 but no hint is given as to
the character of these authorizations
1t might be thought that less than a
hundred thousand dollars worth Of
peas, beans, corn. etc, could be
bought and distributed from Wash
ington, yet it seems to have required
$1,000 for travelling expenses Who
Travelled, where and why? It also APP
pears that miscellaneous seeds to the
amount of $6,490 and miscellaneous
plants" to the amount of $3,S64 were
purchased and distributed.
Nothing could show the wasteful.
ness of the seed Distribution better
than the cost of handling the seeds.
The total expenditure of the depart
ment Of agriculture on this account
was $245,374. OF this amount only
$90.979 was expended in the purchase
of seeds, bulbs, trees and plants. In
other words it cost $40 to distribute
every dollars worth of seeds, plants,
bulbs. and trees without counting the
immense cost to the postotfie depart
ment for delivering them, The flow
er and vegetable seeds are put up in
packets For these seeds $66,177 was
expended, while to packet them by
and mail them, cost SAL
924 or more than twothirds what
the seeds cost.
But the item which most needs eX-
planning is that of miscellaneous eX-
penses' which are set down at $15,.
961. After salaries, travelling eXpens-
es, purchase and mailing seeds, mis-
cellaneous authorizations, kilograms,
freight, express, hauling, gas and cleo
trio light, telephones and fuel had all
been set down, it was still necessary
to include $15,961 for miscellaneous
expenses"
From the above it appears that al
though a contract was made under
which s41,924 was paid for "assem5,
ling and mailing" $66,177 worth Of
vegetable and flower seeds, the gov
eminent paid IN addition $71,079 in
salaries in and out of Washington;
$7,064 travelling expenses, $4359 mis-
cellaneous authorization" and $l5,
961 miscellaneous expenses At the
end of the distribution about $4,000
packets of seed We're on hand in ad
dition to which the department had in
stock the enormous quantity of 16S
SOL pounds of various seeds. As Pro
fessor Galloway recently testified be
fore The house committee on agricul.
ture that since the government did
not carry seed over from one distri'
button to the next as It wished always
to distribute fresh seed the dispost
ton Of the 16S.6sl pounds of seeds
left from the last distribution is a
question Of interest