The Washington herald., 1914-04-06
LEAD TO VERBAL
BATTLES YEARLY
Mileage, Garden Seed, and
Battleships Always Cause
Scrimmage.
DEBATES OFTEN AMUSING
Efforts to Strike Out Item from Agri-
cultural Budget Invariably
Meet with Defeat. T.
DEBATES OFTEN AMUSING

Three verbal battles, always on the
same subject, take place annually in the
House of Representative They con-
cern mileage, free distribution Of garden
seed. and battleships.
The garden seed scrimmage for the
year 1914 has taken place, and, as usual
the members of Congress retained in
the agricultural appropriation bill the
provision authorizing them TO continue
10 distribute free to their constituents
packages OF seed. furnished by the De
partment OF Agriculture. Year after year
hundreds of thousands OF seed packets
20 through the mails bearing the frank
Of members of Congress. Year after
year an effort is made 20 strike TINS
item from the agricultural budget, DIT
the legislators from the rural districts
bowl over all such amendments
The debate over the seed distribution
always Is heated and frequently anus
ing. The opponents Of the authorization
assert that it is petty graft and that
seed are distributed for vote-catcnlnG
purposes.
Mileage sI5O,OOo Yearly.
Second in intensity to the fight over
garden seed is that centering in the an
nual proposal to abolish the mileage al
Iowances of Senators and Representa-
tives. The total mileage bill now amounts
TO more than $4,000 each year.
In the early days members received
% cents a mile each way TO pay the
expenses of the journey TO and from
the nations Capital. The statesmen came
by stage coach and on horseback anu
the amount was not unreasonAoie. IN
these days Of swift trains, the mileage
allowance remains the same and all
efforts to cut it down have been un-
availins. ,o
The battleship fight in the House
likewise is an annual ahair. Ihere
is a no battleship" group which seeks
TO strike from the naval bill any au-
thorization for a navy increase. Ihere
are other factions known as one pat
ileship," two battleship,' and three
battIeshIp" groups.
This year the naval bill carries au-
thorization for TWO new ships. Last
year the Democratic economists held
down the authorization to one. The
customary fights, however. are eN-
pected when the legislative bill. con-
tanning the mileage appropriation and
the naval bill, providing for battle
ships. are considered.
A sample of the debate on the gar
den seed distribution privilege was
Furnished recently with the passage OF
he agricultural appropriation bill. Mr..
Summers, a Texas Democrat, wanted
to strike out the clause permitting
members to send seeds under their
franks. He proposed that the Depart
ment Of Agriculture might continue
its work of testing, propagatnS. ana
distributing valuable seeds and plants,
but asserted that. the practice of dis
tribuyinE seed under the Congressional
frank ought TO be abolished.
REPRESENTATIVE Page. OF North Caro-
lima. declared that for five campaigns
in nv district | have voted consistent
.Iy against Congressional distribution,
and made it an issue in the district
represent There is not a newspaper
in nv district that is not opposed to
this Congressional graft
Representative Dies. Of Texas, took
an opposite view.
II am I'm favor of the farmer and his
sons and daughters getting the usual
allotment of seed under the frank Of his
Congressman said Mr.. Dies. Il know
there are smart people all over the coun-
try who poke fun at us because we send
garden seed TO our farmer constituents,
but | am not dismayed. because every
mail brings me some acknowledgment
from a little boy or girl of some humble
farmer thanking me for the seed
Closing the debate for the free seed
advocates. Representative Ezekiel Cand-
Ter. Of Mississippi, known as "Tombig-
bee Gambler because he is always DooSt-
ing the TOmbigbee River, called upon the
shades of Patrick Henry. Benjamin
Franklin, Thomas Jefferson. Andrew
Jackson and others of the nations faith
ers in support OF his argument
Franklin, said Mr.. Gambler. sent home
siIkworm eggs and mulberry cuttings
while he was in England as the agent
OF Pennsylvania; Jefferson sent back
bulbs and seeds when he was minister at
Paris: Patrick Henry, Jackson and 9TH
ers encouraged agriculture.
The amendment to strike from the bill
the seed distribution authorization was
defeated 96 to IS, and the House is eN-
pected to stand by its guns when some
economists seek to strike out the mileage
allowance.