The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1913-09-17
HOUSTON REFUSES
HARRISON'S
REQUEST
REPRE- ESENTATIVE FROM THIS
DISTRICT WANTED LEcTuR-
ERs FROM AGRl. DEPT.
REASONS FOR HIS POSITION
Secretary Believes Requests Are Too
Often Made for Political Purposes.
Question is One Of Importance and
Will Be Freely Discussed In Future.


Washington, Sept. 17.-Recent con-
ferences between Secretary of Agri-
culture Houston and Representative
B. P Harrison, Of Mississippi, have
resulted. in the head Of the agriculture
departm mt deciding on future policy
that is not at all to the liking of many
of the D mocratic majority as well as
the Repu hcan minority in Congress.
Secreta Houston has announced
, unofficial that he will decline all
requests cf congressman for lecturers
I from the agricultural department to
visit theil districts and give the farm
ers frst-ha I'd information on the ad-
vanced me Jhods OF agriculture that
are approvvd by the department ex-
perts.
His reason for this position, it is
understood is that many such requests
are made for political purposes. Sec
|retary Houston believes that congress
men too frequently ask for lecturers
just before running for reelection,
and use the fact that they have
brought the experts into the district
as a political asset 1t is understood
= that Represen tative Richmond Pear
son Hobson Of Alabama, who is a can
Ididate for the Senate has recently made
such requests. nd that these requests
were too plainly for the purpose of
advertising his senatorial aspirations.
Representatiye Harrison has asked
: the department 10 send experts to his
district to tell the farmers how they
might best utilize the soil whose
profits have been decreased greatly
1. by the boil weevil and, much to his
surprise, this request has been denied,
because of the reasons set forth above.
81 agree with Secretary Houston
that such methods should not be en-
ployed as political capital and
would favor a ruling to forbid sending
= out lecturers with representatives who
= said Mr.. Harrison. "but 1 think il is
- going decidedly too far to deny all
such requests. In my district i'll Mis-
~ sissippi many farmers want to learn
- new methods of agriculture. The gov
&c ernment is spending something like
=" S27 100000 a year in this department
10 and I see no reason why the people of
~ Mississippi long accustomed to rails
g ing cotton and therefore inexperienced
:" in other agricultural pursuits should
{ not be instructed what to do in the
is present emergency, They ought TO be
told what to plant, how to plant i. and
- how to cultivate it. in addition to many
other essential scientific principles. u
at does not seem right" continued
Mr.. Harrison, that such requests,
made honestly and calculated to ad
r vance agricultural pursuits, be denied
il simply because it is known that other
congressman try to make politica
capital of II. Secretary Houston ad
re mitted that he would be glad to SEND
an the representatives l asked but FOL
ee the fact that be could not deny othei
a requests. OF course, there are bulle
be tins and other printed matter, but tn,
in average farmer can get more real in
rly formation out of personal contact will
these experts for an hour or so, thai
ric he can get from all the bulletins tha
as have ever been issued"
on Mr.. Harrison is by no means tn
Inn. only Democratic congressman VIII
looks at the matter in this light Il
deed, although many Of the represei
} . tRtivee do not care to express the
= opinion publicly, It is probable thu
;. . Secretary Houston's stand will me'
. with opposition from majority OF h
. party, and II Is certain that definite
h . organized movement will be institut,
IT . to persuade the agricultural head
Is . set aside his decision. This could
r = effected. of coure, by special act
Is . Congress, but it is certain that
te . Democratic Congress viii not go
. far as to embarrass a member of t
eel CONTINUED on Page Four.)