The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-01-03
WATSON TO GO
g1aarea That G.Te.aor Dleass Will
Give His Place to A. D. Hudsea.

WATSON has MADE GOOD
Ee Hss Made q Splendid Commission
er Of Agriculture, and Has Done
Much Good Work for the Farmers
Of the State, But lie is Not a Bieas-
ite.
The State says for weeks there
have been persistent runors regard
ing changes conuem plated in the State
department. OF agriculture. These re-
ports have caused much comment
throughout the State because OF the
great interest the public takes in the
work that has been accomplished oy
the department Of agriculture under
Commissioner Watson.
One runor is that E. J. Watson IS
to be displaced when his term e1-
psres In March. His place, offered to
one or two others before, is now OF
tered to 4. D. Hudson Of NeWberry.
OF all the departments OF the State
government there is more patronage
attached to the Office Of the depart
ment Of agriculture than any otnec.
The State department Of agriculture
Is constituted as follows and receives
the following appropriations:
Direct appropriation about S1s,-
600.
About $4,000 is received from the
feed stuffs stamps. This work en-
ploys about ten men, including IN
specrors and chemists.
The legislature appropriates Sl0,-
00e for the United States farm dem
onstration work and an additional ap-
preparation Of $4,000 is received
from the national department Of agri-
culture. The State aid is included IN
the direct appropriation.
There are employed in this feature
Of the WORK a State agent, two dis-
trict agents and more than 40 county
agents. The county agents come IN
der the direct supervision OF the state
agent and also come in direct contact
with more people in the State than
any other class Of representatives OF
the State department.
There is also an appropriation OF
$4,000 for corn breeding work, Wh!cn
is expended under the direct super
vision of the commissioner OF asrl-
culture and two other members OF a
commission provided by the act.
During the past several weeks Com
missioner Watson has been very &C
tive in his work to help the farmers
Of the State and the South to devise
some plan or means whereby the SIT
uatton with reference to low priced
cotton might be relieved. Early n
the fall he attended g meeting OF the
cotton growers and business men II
Montgomery, Ala, and was elected
president Of the Southern Cotton con-
gress.
The election to this position de-
volved upon him the leadership IN
the fight for higher price for cotton.
Later acting as the agent for the
farmers Of the State and South, he
attended a conference in New York,
when loan Of s5o,o0o,oOo was prof
fered on the cotton crop in the South
BY a syndicate Of New York bankers.
The proposition met with some ad-
verse criticism at the time and has
never been worked out.
Several weeks ago Commissioner
Watson, as president Of the Southern
Cotton congress, and not as tie COM
missioner Of agriculture Of South
Carolina, Issued a call for the presl-
dents Of the Farmers Union and the
representatives Of the governors, tax
ing part in the New Orleans cotton
conference, constituting the executive
committee to meet in New Orleans
ON December Is to discuss plans Tor
a reduction Of the cotton acreage.
It was the intention Of commis-
sioner Watson to attend the meeting
Of the committee. Just before Com
missioner Watson was to depart from
the State letter, It is reported, was
sent him by the governor informing
him that the position Of commissioner
OF agriculture, commerce and indus
tries would be declared vacant should
he Commissioner Watson) attend
the conference. The governor further
stated in the latter that Mr.. Watson
must ask permission to leave the
State in the future or leave without
his position.
To set back to the tangle in coz
cectto1 with the farm demonstration
work this much IS certain:
The next State farm demonstration
agent must be acceptable to c. L.
Blease, governor of South Carolina.
Il the next farm demonstration agent
IS not acceptable to the go7ernor OF
South Carolina, then the governor
will use his veto power ana cut on
the State-ald appropriation Of SlQ,-
e00.
Let 1t be remembered here that the
national government gives $4,000 to
assist in the work. This means that
the State farm demonstration agent.
who has charge Of the expenditure Of
$4,000. must be acceptable to the
governor Of South Carolina.
Why the antagonism CT the gov
ernor against Ira ". Williams?
tits long story and started nearly
a year ago, just after the governor
S-- &c