Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1907-07-04
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Rron Our Regular Correspondent


Good old farmer Wilson who by
the grace OF Mckinley and Roosevelt
has run the Agricultural Department
for the last ten years, and az some
claim ran il into the ground. has be-
come laughing stock in Washing
ton and Kansas. Il appears that
when the green bug was devastat-
ing the Kansas wheat fields farmer
Wilson" out OF the goodness OF his
heart decided to give the Kansas
farmers some advice how TO beat
the bugs" in the future. Plant
turkey red wheat. said farmer Will
son. for In 1897 / made experiments
and found that turkey red spreads
out and withstands the ravages Of
bugs better than any other variety.
But the Millers and Wheat growers
oil over Kansas began to poke fun
at farmer Wilson for making expert
ments iE 1897 with turkey red wheat,
as for ten years previously Kansas
farmers had grown that variety al
most exclusively.
This shows how behind the times
the Agricultural Department is in
many things and how much it re-
quires reforming. It's statistics are
rotten and have been the sport of
grafters; many of it's socalled scien-
fists are far behind the times as the
turkey red wheat episode indicates;
the scientists OF the Weather Bureau,
which is part OF the Agricultural
Department, are still working on
the erroneous plan and theory OF
the winds and weather adopted 36
ago and the weather forecasts are
spoken OF as not as reliable as Hicks
predictions published month ahead.
The Department Of Agriculture, as
well as other departments of the
government. is suffering from dry
rot and grating brought about by
so many years OF control by Repub.
lican partisans, who that party
cannot, if it would. get rid of from
the party necessity OF providing for
its camp followers, who il not fur.
nished with what they have, OF
something equally as good, would
turn and rend il. 1t is not the
clerks who are TO blame, though
some OF them are worthless. but the
Republican politicians who are il
charge of them. II the voters knew
one half Of the partisan and graft
ing conditions In most OF the de
partments they would join in the
cry Of turn the rascals OUT.
-"
Congressman Hull of Iowa was il
this city last week and at once pro
ceeded to give out an interview in
which he said that "if' President
Roosevelt should be renominated
next year he would get about AZ
per cent Of the democratic vote in
the Northern States. Such an
absurd statement is OF course untrue,
and II the feeling OF those who
visit Washington is any criterion oil
the trend OF Democrats for or against
the President in the Northern States,
he would not get one per cent OF
their votes. At present every Demo.
crat | meet. and they come here from
all over the country, is anxious 10
know who the Democrats should
nominate to beat Mr.. Roosevelt.
Some think Mr.. Bryan can defeat
him on account of the number OF Re
publicans secretly opposed to the
President, but by far the greater
number declare they want a candi-
date upon whom the whole party
can unite. The great fear seems to
be that il Mr.. Bryan is renominated
for the third time. he cannot come
any nearer being elected than in
1896 or 1900, and some 90 so far as
to say that many voters, who are
ardent friends OF Mr.. Bryan, believe
he is one OF these leaders like Cal.
houn, Clay and Blaine who we're uu-
able to reach their ambition of being
President of the United States.
-
The optimistic view OF Chairman
Knapp OF the Interstate Commerce
Commission that an era of peace be-
tween the corporations and the PEG.
pie is dawning is all nonsense. Mr..
Knapp says the railroads are &C
ceptlng the situation aud that, ANY
further legislation will have the ap.
proval Of railroad men as well as
the public. II Chairman Knapp
really believes what he says, he
evidently does not understand the
railroad tactics, which at present
sre to lie low and take what small
knocks are coming to them from the
Commission by virtue of the very
imperfect law passed by the last
Congress. The coming Congress
is not expected to add any drastic
Legislation, for President Roosevelt
has decided n ros@ ,,,>- L. ,,