The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1913-01-03

destroying the cotton crop, we
iound terrible state OF affairs. The
south was then a one-crop country
and II anything happened to that one
siop. they were out of business. The
negro labor was packing up and NOV
ing away. Everybody was scared to
oeatn Well, we did some good work
ooWh tnere to get rid of the boil
~eeVii; but more important than that
one tning was what it led to.
Taught South How to Farm.
we 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
pors what ought to be done. The
south isn't one-crop country any
more.
Then we saw that there had TO he
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 IN.
80 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 thu
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 em just the same. 1t is the same
about road building; the technical in
| situations turn out civil engineers. bus
| they do not teach them practically
how to build roads. We are training
road experts. We should like to
train half-dozen 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 75,000,000 bushels of 1t a year
now, and last year we exported 3O,-
100000. 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 yellow-blossomed alfalfa
and installed it where it would do
the most good"
Pensions for Ex-Presidents?
When Andrew Carnegie proposed
his plan to pensic? ex-presidents
of the United States at the rate
of $4,000 a year in order that
they might take life easier and lend
their counsel as private citizens to the
lawmakers of the Union, it was strong
ly suspected that t&s Scottish-Ameri-
can philanthropist. had no thought that
the pension plan would be accepted,
but that its suggestion might stir con-
gress to take action looking to the
care of ex-presidents and their fam
ilies
The argument In congress against
pensions for ex-presidents is an cid
one. and in many respects. apparently,
perfectly proper one, that we should
have no civil pension list. 1t has been
held that If 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 mignt be much abused.
It always has seemed to be the fear
of congressman that some men with
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 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 plan for
general civil pensions will be sanction
ed by the congress of the United
States.
Plan Tariff Hearings
The Democratic members of the
ways and means committee already
are mapping out a scheme for tariff
hearings in order that revision bills
may be presented to the hous as soon
as the extra session which is to be call
ed by President-elect Wilson opens. 1t
can be said on good authority that the
wool schedule will be given first at
tention at the hands of the commit.
tee, and probably will be the first of
the tariff bills to be passed by the