Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1916-07-12
GOVERNMENT SEED FOR SOUP.
Farmer Wrote to Congressman Ask
ing for Another Package.

interesting reading matter III The
Congressional Ttecord but the extract
below from speech Of Senator Ken
yon on the garoen seed traffic is fun
ny, If nothing else. The Record
states that $1,11O,933 were spent in
mailing out 4S,56S,SO1 packages Of
seeds OF various kinds from 100? to
1913, and quotes Senator Kenyon as
follows:
"Mr. President, | know the argu-
ments that are presented every year
for the system; they are that it is
good thing for the farmer; that we
can afford to do something for the
farmer; that it is trivial to object
to it; that 1t tends to the develop
ment Of the love Of the beautiful;
that the back yards are adorned with
flowers; that the school children get
an int entive to develop the beauti-
full in their lives and in nature: that
it makes wives happy; that it makes
+he "hilaren happy; that it keeps
'he boys on the farm. brings the
blush of health to the cheeks of chill
dren, and it is for the benefit Of ag-
riculture. If this were so, it Is very
strange that the Department Of Agri-
culture should have repeatedly asked
to have this practice stopped, for the
Department Of Agriculture Is about
as much interested in the develop
ment of agriculture as is anybody or
any institution.
do not know, Mr.. President, that
we can ever stop spending money.
This bill is carrying appropriations
for every conceivable kind of propo-
sition'-choosing every kind of bug
that anybody could think Of This
government is getting into all kinds
OF business; and, as the chairman Of
the Committee on Appropriations said
the other day, that if the matter does
not stop pretty soon the government
will be bankrupt institution. do
not know where all this money is to
come from to pay these bills. The
sundry civil bill, which we passed
few years ago, has in it appropria-
tions for buying sites and for the
continuation Of public buildings in
towns of less than a thousand people.
We ought, If we can, to pay some at
tention to where the money is to
come from.
81 think this Congressional seed
distribution brings Congress into dis
repute. 1t Is joke throughout the
country. few little packages Of
garden seed are sent out, when you
could go to the store and buy for
cents better garden seeds than are
sent out by the government, because
ii is seldom that many Of these gar
den seeds ever grow anyway. One
Congressman received a letter from
one Of his constituents, to whom he
had sent package OF these garden
seeds, which read as follows:
Send me another package Of
beans. My wife made soup out Of
the last ones you sent, and we had it
last night for supper. 1t was great
Naughter.)
''rhat is about the way the garden
seed business is regarded in this
country. 1t can hardly come under
the head OF Preparedness although
beans are considered a very essential
factor in military warfare"
Senate Against Free Seed.
Washington, July 5.-Following
It. ,ol
record to-day in favor Of abolishing
the free distribution of seeds by the
government. The matter came up on
the agricultural appropriation bill.
The vote by which the appropriation
for free seeds was struck out was 35
to 21. 1t is expected that the con-
ference committee Of the two Houses
Of Congress will restore the provis-
ion.
Senator Kenyon, in attacking the
provision declared the cost to the
government OF the free seed d;stri-
button was not to be measured by
the cost Of the seeds alone, which for
the last four years had reached ST.
-. but to this should be added
the cost of postage, which would
amount to nearly 100000 for the
four years.
Where there's will there's usu-
ally contest.
Character Is the man; reputation
" a..