The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1916-08-17
No More Free Seeds
BY FREDERIC j. HASKIN

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a great many instances, according to
letters received by various members,
the seeds are Immediately thrown into
the waste basket or given to the child
rem to play with. One congressman
who represented district composed of
mostly poor people, including farmers
and men who work in the mines, placed
an advertisement in every newspaper
throughout the district stating that he
had several thousand packages of
garden seeds to send out, and asking
those who desired them to write him a
letter. Then he sent to every school
teacher printed slips to be distributed
among the school children, requesting
those who wanted the seeds to write to
their congressman. From these two
sources of widespread advertisement.
the congressman received in all five
thousand requests for seeds in answer
to which he was able to send out 125
per cent. of his total allotment.
A congressional prerogatlve of any
kind, however, usually dies hard, and
until the bill actually leaves the Cap
itol on its way to the President there
is chance that the amendment will be
stricken off. In the debate which pre-
coded the final voting of the Senate
many senators insisted that the seeds
were appreciated in all parts of the
country and if only ten per cent. of the
seeds were used, anyway, the distribu-
ton was justified,
1t was then suggested that the mat
ter be left entirely in the hands of the
Department of Agriculture which would
send seeds in answer to any request for
them. Since the quantity of seeds re-
quired would be greatly reduced it
might. therefore, be possible to buv
better ones and to take more time to
give explicit directions as to their
growing. The money formerly wasted
in inadequate radishes and lettuce could
be sent for the introduction of a new
and useful species. For example. oc-
casionally in the past when the depart
ment of Agriculture had made success
full experiments with some new specie
it would send out a few packages to
special sections of the country under
the congressional distribution system.
In this way, the durham wheat, which
was discovered growing in Siberia, was
sent into various sections of the West
TOR experimental propagation, where it
is now tiourishing vigorously. Under
the new system the department would
specialize in this. sort of distribution.
sending the common varieties of seed
only when special requests were made
for them.
The expense of purchasing the seeds
is minor consideration as compared to
bother and expense of carrying the
thousands Eof packages through the
mail. This year over eighty million
packets of garden seeds, making six
teen million large packages, were car
ried by the-postal service under con-
gressional frank, which if bearing post
age would have amounted to 1920. 900.
Not only this, but every spring large
force of employ must be hired by
the Bureau of.Seed Distribution of the
Department Of Agriculture to assert
and prepare the seeds and mail them to
the lists of constituents. At this time
national legislation is forgotten while
the members of Congress play Santa
Claus. Letters must accompany sever
al of the packages and time and care
must be exercised in making out the
lists of persons to whom they are to go.
Many congressman who represent urban
districts where garden seeds are use
less for the reason that there is no
ground in which to grow them, endeay-
or to exchange their supply with rural
congressman for something else. Now
after many years the members of Con-
gress have suddenly come to realize
that their work is largely unnecessary
and that their benevolence is not ap-
preciated.
Thus the member of Congress has
tul med his newly acquired sense of
economy,upon himself and nobly sac
riiced time-honored perquisite No
longer is he to be the dispenser of zin-
MAS and beets, sunfiowers and oats.
The constituent has at least reniged on
planting any more congressional seeds
unless passed. by an expert board of