The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1912-12-19


was asked the secretary by a cor
respondent seeking an interview
What will be those things upor
which when you return home aftei
March 4 you will look back with the
most pride?"
IF you start me talking shop here
you will never get away" the secre
tary exclaimed. But there are some
things of which | am more thar
proud. 1t is hard to pick out the
speciaN things. Well here's one:
When we went down south to see
about the boil weevil business which
was destroying the cotton crop. We
found a terrible state of affairs. The
south was then one-crop country
and If anything happened to that one
crop. they were out Of business. Tho
negro labor was packing up and NOV
ing away. Everybody was scared to
death. Well, we did some good work
down there to get rid of the boil
weevll: but more important than that
one thing was what 1t led to.
Taught South How TO Farm.
I'VE began the business OF teaching
the southern farmer how to make the
most of his farm. We found a man
In each county best fitted to direct
this work. He knew where the need
was greatest and could drive about
from place to place showing his neigh
bors what ought to be done The
south isn't one-crop country any
more
Then we saw that there had to be
some animals on that land: that we
should have to look to the south
pretty soon for beef The homestead
ers were taking up the land of the
great western cattle ranches and the
ranchmen were beginning to give up.
SO we tackled the pasture question.
and helped the southern farmer about
his hogs and cattle
Secretary Wilson also talked upon
what has been done and what he
hopes may be done further in the
way Of putting demonstrators on the
farms in all the states Of the Union.
There are no postgraduate insti-
tutions to supplement the agricultural
| colleges" said he. I'VE have to train
our own men in many branches Con-
gress has not permitted us to pay
the salaries that would keep them
with us in all cases, and these train
ed men have sometimes been taken
away from US. But we keep on train
ing EN- just the same. 1t is the same
about road building; the technical In
situations turn out civil engineers, but
they do not teach them practically
how to build roads We are training
road experts. We should like to
train halfdozen superintendent for
New York state.
Another thing like to talk about
Is what we did to redeem the dry
belt west of the Tooth meridian. The
soil is good. but there is little rain
fall. There were great tracts OF al
most useless land, given over to half
wild animals. We visited the deserts
of the old countries in search of the
plants and grain that could be grown
in soil like that and learned the ways
of cultivating them. Do you know
about Durum wheat? We are grow
ing 100000 bushels OF 1t a year
now, and last year we exported 30
900 900 Then we had to have legumes
for that land-the plants that take
nitrogen from the air and put 1t in
the soil We sent four times to Asia
and Africa in this search We brought
over the -blossomed alfalfa
and installed 1t where 1t would do
the most good
Pensions for Ex-PresIdents7
When Andrew Carnegie proposed
his plan to pension ex-presidents
of the United States at the rate
OF $4,000 year in order that
they might take life easier and lend
their counsel as private citizens to the
lawmakers of the Union. 1t was strong
can philanthropist had no thought that
the pension plan would be accepted.
but that it's suggestion might stir con-
gress to take action looking to the
care of ex.presidents and their fam
lilies.
pensions for ex-presidents is an old
| one, and in many respects, apparently.
a perfectly proper one, that we should
have no civil pension list. 1t has been
held that II this country once begins
to give pensions to men who have held
civil jobs under the government. there
will be no end to 1t, and also that the
pension giving night be much abused.
1t always has seemed to be the fear
Of congressman that some men with q
! pull or personal popularity who have
held some kind Of government Jobs for
awhile might by their influence induce
congress to give them pensions. There
are some civil pensions granted by the
United states, notably those given by
special acts Of congress to the widows
OF presidents. AS a rule. however.
civil pensions have stopped at this
point, and while it seems probable now
because OF the agitation that some
plan may be evolved to pension ex-
presidents, probably long time will
elapse before anything like a plan for
general civil pensions will be sanction
ed by the congress OF the United
States.
What He Saw.
Pater-Well son, did you see 'em
milk the cows while you were on the