The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-08-12
CONGRESSMAN LEVERS MESSAGE
The New Chairman of the House Com.
mittee on Agriculture Tells of the
Governments Plan to Promote
Agriculture Progress

A. F. Lever in Progressive Farmer.
l wish to express to you my very
keen appreciation of your letter of
congratulation upon my appointment
as chairman of the house committee
on agriculture. Personally, l should
prefer infinitely to be the chairman of
this committee than to hold the chair
manship of any other committee OF
the house, because my service on it
makes me know that no other commit
tee affords such splendid opportuni-
ties for real service to all classes as
this.
This new committee on agriculture,
if it's temper is understood by me,
will do real constructive fundamental
work We shall have to reorganize
the department, tighten up the screws,
give it the proper exercise in order
that its muscles may be hardened, and
that it may be developed as an orga-
nization for the strenuous work be-
fore it. This reorganization is go
ing on at the present time, but it
will have to be confirmed by the COM
mittee on agriculture, and it will take
more than ordinary courage to cut
out some excrescences coming to
view.
Information embodied" in Learned
Bulletins.
The department of agriculture was
created for the purpose Of collecting
and disseminating information to the
people on subjects pertaining to agri-
culture. For long while, even un-
der the secreraryship of Mr.. Wilson,
the department contented itself with
the investigational side Of it's work.
Information through the experiment
stations of the several States and
through the department itself was
collected in great quantities, and
beautifully embalmed in farmers bull
letins, which we're distributed, and
the public neither understood them,
nor in most cases read them.
Lately the department has been
conducting in the South a campaign
to demonstrate the result of its in
vestigational research work, and the
result has been good. 1 propose in
what is known as the Lever bill, to
reorganize this work, making the
agricultural colleges of the States
the centers from which the demon
stration work shall flow out, and this
purpose is predicted upon the idea
that the local institution is best
equipped to know the local needs.
What the Lever Bill Proposes.
The bill~seeks to unity the work of
the department of agriculture, the ex-
pertinent stations, and the agricultural
colleges, making them all understand
that they are public functionaries
created to do a common public service.
The provisions of this bill will de-
velop a better spirit than now exists
between experiment stations and
agricultural colleges, and the depart
ment of agriculture, and the jealous y
which has served TO handicap the work
of these respective institutions in
the past will cease. In this program
Secretary Houston and Assistant Sc
cretary Galloway join heartily, and
I am led to think that there will be
no holding back upon the part of
the other parties concerned.
The department has spent a great
deal of time in teaching the farmer
how to produce more from the soil,
This is we'll
We have sent our men in the field
to teach the farmer how TO grow
two bales of cotton where one grew
before In this effort the great COM
mercial and philanthropic associa-
tions of the country have joined.
The farmer has been aroused to
better understanding of his control
of the soil with the result that
where these demonstration methods
have been pursued crop production
has increased largely. We are car
rying to the farmer through these
methods the accumulated informa-
ton of 50 years, but this informa-
ton touches only one side of the
problem.
Marketing Problems Now Most Ser
iOus.
To ascertain fact about agricul-