Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1913-11-29
Washington Letter

Those Congressman who owe their
mighty positions in part to their skill
and artfulness in distributing free
government seeds" are ever and again
threatened by withdrawal of this
privilege, which during the past year
has been considerably curtailed- The
Department of Agriculture has taken
positive stand against the present
modus operanda. These seeds cost
$500, 900 year, and the government
experts say that the money is largely
a dead waste. For many years the
government supply has been made
quate, and the result has been that
the large seed houses of the country
have dumped their old goods upon
the government to meet the shortage
at fancy prices, and these are the
seeds that 'never grow" In both
Houses of Congress the seed distribu-
ton has been fought for years, and
last session it was only with the
greatest difficulty that the appropria-
tion was kept in the Agricultural
bill. Secretary Houston has been up
in New Hampshire talking to the
National Grange and he has empha-
sized his condemnation of the present
method of spending the entire ap-
preparation in supplying ordinary
vegetable and flower seeds. In his
new estimate to Congress the Secre-
tary has redeemed that the usual APP
preparation of $500, 200 for seeds be
made available for the introduction
and distribution of new and valuable
seeds and foreign and forage crops.
The idea is in line with the intention
of Congress when the free seed distri-
button was first established. The
main idea at that time was to secure
new and rare seeds and plants from
foreign countries for Introduction
and distribution in this country, but
the practice gradually degenerated
into a scramble for more seeds by
the Members of Congress.
TAFT's OPINION OF EXPERT
EXAMINERS
Two years ago the tender-hearted
President Taft was touched by the
appeals of Mrs. Morse of New York,
who succeeded in securing the release
of her convict husband, Charles E.
Morse, the banker and ice king, from
the Atlanta prison. 1t was found to
Mr. Taft's satisfaction that Mr..
Morse was dying, and i'll with an in
durable disease. The former Presi-
dent has felt very keenly the fact
that he was imposed upon in this in
stance. for during his recent visit to
Washington he referred to the case,
stating that Morse, whom he had
pardoned, is apparently in excellent
health, since he was seeking to re-
establish himself in business sin the
state lin which he had committed a
penitentiary offense. The conclu-
sion by the former President is that
inasmuch as he did not act on the
application for pardon until he had
instituted a thorough investigation
to find out the truth through the
army medical corps, that the results
shake ones faith in expert examiners.
GOVERNMENT CONTROL OF TELE-
PHONES.
What promises to result in far
reaching legislation is the inquiry
into the telephone company of the
National Capital, instituted by Sena-
tor Norris of Nebraska. 1t was not
many years ago that the country was
torn asunder by the fact that public
officials profited from free railroad
transportation and other sorts of
gratuities. 1t now appears that the
telephone company at Washington
has been extending special privileges
to Senators, Representatives and
other high officials of the government,
which have been denied to private
subscribers, who in turn have been
compelled to submit to stiff regula-
tions and insolence from telephone
officials, who assume that most rights
of existence are conferred in them. 1t
is very likely that the investigation
instituted by the Senate will result
in some interesting information be-
ing secured in reference to business
methods of telephone management
throughout the country. Since the
telephone is practically monopoly,
and experience teaches that more
than one system in community is a
nuisance, il is strange that advocates
of government ownership have not
frozen tight TO the telephone as a
method that is far more practicable
in testing their theories than would
be railroad and telegraph manage