Imperial Valley press., 1914-06-24

FOR SOUTHERN
AGRICULTURE

south will come in for some little re-
ward for its half century of Democ-
\ racy under the terms of the agricul-
tural appropriation bill just passed
by Congress. Usually it has been an
axiom of Democratic politicians that
nothing that the South wanted was
urgent, because it would remain DEM
ccratic anyhow, and therefore it was
far more important to spend what
money could be spared, or distribute
what jobs were on tap, to sections
which were more doubtful, and which
might win over to the Democratic
column in the next election.
/ On the agricultural appropriation
bill, however, the Southern representa-
tives, and especially the Southern
Senators, demanded appropriations
and got them. So noticeable were the
appropriations for the cotton farmers,
and of such frequent occurrence the
bill was perused, that Senator McCum-
/ Der, of North Dakota, proposed an
amendment, limiting the total cxpen-
dituree out of the more than 10 mil
/ lions appropriated, so that not more
/ than four fifths of the entire amount
could be spent in the cotton belt.
After a conference with Senator
Gore, chairman of the Agricultural
committee, however, he withdrew his
amendment, and ceased his oppos;-
ton. Shortly afterward an amendment
crept into the bill reading: "For farm
demonstration work and for conduct
ing boys and girls clubs outside of
the cotton belt, 100000"
The prize southern appropriation was
for the study and demonstration of
the best methods of meeting ravages
of the cotton boil weevil. For this
work the House of Representatives
allowed 1878, ,240. When this item came
to the senate the outcry against Rookie
/ Teller methods in Colorado and else
where was particular acute, and 4
number of senators including Kenyon,
of Iowa, made fight against the
government cooperating with the
General Education board, endowed By
Rockefeller. In the past the board
had been spending considerable mon
ey in cooperating with the Agricul-
tural Department along this line. As
the result of this fight, the appropria-
tion was increased by tho Senate to
S67S, ,240 but a provision made that
il should not be used in connection
with any sum contributed by the Con
eral Education Board, or any like or
ganization.
Senator Knute Nelson's astonished
query "if. 2 Rockefeller dollar would
not prove just as efficacious in killing
Loll weevils as any other dollar"
brought the retort from Senator Lane.
of Oregon, that eff it killed with
the same deadly precision as in Colo
RADIO it would be much more effective
For the eradication of Southern cattle
ticks an appropriation of 100000 was
made, out of which, it was provided.
$4,000 could be used for live stock
demonstration work, in co-opes at;0ll
with the Bureaus of Plant Industries,
in arccs already free of ticks. This
was another Of the socalled "scctiol-
aP appropriations which was bitterly
opposed by many of the Northwestern
senator's and representatives. Their
greatest ire, however, was reused by
The appropriation of 100000 for ex-
eriment9 and demonstrations in live
stock production in the cane sugar
and cotton districts. This appropria-
ton was intended not only to be
limited to the extreme Southern states
but to the one particular state of
Louisiana. The representatives of the
state, who had $4,000 inserted in the
House bill, and the s,n tors, who la.cc
got th2 appropriation doubled, intend
ed the clause making the appropria-
ton to read only sugar cane dis
tricts. Their plea was that the fellow
members of their party had forced
through tariff bill putting sugar OH
the free list, which would put quite
a crimp into the solidly Democratic
State of Louisiana In reparation, they
urged that the government should do
something with view to building up
some profitable industry to take the
place of the one it was DESTROYING
to the end that all of the people of
the country might have cheap sugar.
This was not all that was done
for the cotton states, however, for
there was an appropriation put into
the bill in the House for $8O,58O for
investigation of the ginning, handling
grading, gin compressing and wrap
ping OF cotton, and for the establish
ment and demonstration of standards