Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1907-07-08
WASH|NGTONLETTER
NEWS and GOSSIP FROM The
NATIONAL CAPITAL,
kanSaS Has Joke on 'farmer" vii.
son of the Agricultural Depart.
ment. Political Gossip at the
Storm Center of National Politics.
VagranCy Statistics.
Special Correspondence to HERALD.


WASHINGTON, D. g., July 3.-Good old
Farmer Wilson, who by the grace Of
Mckinley and Roosevelt has run the
Agricultural Department for the last ten
years, and as some claim ran 1t into the
ground, has become laughing stock in
Washington and Kansas. 1t appears
that when the green bug was devastating
the Kansas wheat fields, Farmer" Will
son, out Of the goodness of his heart, de-
cided to give the Kaneas farmers come
advice as bow to beat the "bugs" in the
future. "Plant turkey red wheat" said
Farmer Wilson. "for in 1897 made ex-
periments and found that turkey red
spreads out and withstands the ravages
OF bugs better than any other variety"
But the millers and wheat growers all
oyer Kansas began to poke fun at Farmer
Wilson for making experiments in 1897
with turkey red wheat, as for ten years
previously Kansas farmers had grown
that variety almost exclusively.
This shows how behind the times the
Agricultural Department is in many
things and how much it requires reform
ing. Its statistics are rotten and have
been the sport Of grafters; many OF its
so-called scientists 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 thirty-six years
ago, aud the weather forecasts are spoken
OF as not as reliable as Hicks predictions
published month ahead. The Depart
ment of Agriculture, as we'll 40 other de-
partments OF the government, is suffer.
ing from dry rot and grating brought
about by so many years of control by
republican partisans, who that party
cannot, if it would, get rid Of from the
party necessity Of providing for its camp
followers, who if not furnished with what
they have, or something equally as good,
would turn and rend it. 1t is not the
clerks who are to blame, though some of
them are worthless, but the republican
politicians who are in charge Of them.
II the voters knew one half Of the parti-
can and grating conditions in most of
the departments they would join in the
cry of "turn the rascals out"
Congressman Hull, Of Iowa, was in
this city recently, and at once proceeded
to give out an interview, in which he
said that elf President Roosevelt should
be renominated next year he would get
about 40 per cent of the democratic vote
in the Northern states" Such an absurd
statement is OF course untrue, and if the
feeling of those who visit Washington is
any criterion OF the trend Of democrats
for or against the president in the North
ern 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 to know
who the democrats should nominate to
beat Mr.. Roosevelt. Some think Mr..
Bryan can defeat him on account OF the
number Of republicans secretly opposed
to the president, but by far the greater
number declare they want candidate
upon whom the whole party can unite.
The great fear seems to be that ii Mr..
Bryan is renominated for the third time,
he cannot come any nearer being elected
than in 1896 or 1900, and some go SO far
as to say that many voters, who are
ardent friends of Mr.. Bryan, believe he
is one of those leaders like Calhoun,
Clay and Blaine, who were unable to
reach their ambition OF being president
of the United States.
The optimistic view of Chairman
Knapp, of the Interstate Commerce Com.
mission, that an era of peace between
the corporations and the people is dawn
ing is all nonsense. Mr.. Knapp says the
railroads are accepting the situation and
that, "any further legislation will have
the approval OF railroad men as well as