The Washington times., 1917-02-09
Here and There
In the News

lima? Pages OF the Congressional
Record have been filled with Smith
during the last week. Gore is i'll,
and, as the next ranking member of
the Senate Committee on Agriculture,
Smith has been handling the bill
making appropriations for the De-
partment OF Agriculture for the next
fiscal year, and the way he has
handled 1t makes even the least en-
thusiastic of Senator Cores admirers
sorry that he is sick.
The Republican Senators-'speciaIIy
Jones, of Washington, and Smoot, OF
Utah-have had a good deal OF fun
In a dignihed way out OF Smith, De-
cause even a Republican Senator
could see that he didn't know a
blessed thing about the bill he was
trying to manage.
Mr.. Jones asked how long It had
been since special appropriations had
been made for the study OF corn i'm
provement and corn production. Mr..
Smith could not answer the question,
but claimed to know that "the in
vestigation is still in process of de-
velopment." Smith explained "juSt
so" that the experimentation OF the
department in corn culture has dis
covered the very peculiar fact that
In the case OF corn bread, say, in the
Senator's State and corn bread in n
place some distance away, IL the seed
is interchanged II will not breed back
to type; SO that they have bred
these varieties in the different en-
vironments in order to get the va
riety best adapted to each.
Bred and Bread.
"Jones wanted to know" is that the
reason why we cannot get any good
corn bread any more"
Smith answered that "the reason
we do not get any good corn bread
any more is because they really are
not housing the corn before it is pat
on the market"
Jones thought "if we had good
corn we could get good corn bread
when you find some one who knows
how to make It."
Smith promised "if the Senator will
visit me some time, 1 will give him
good pone corn bread"
Mr.. MARITIME, of New Jersey, sug-
gested that 1.-THE Senator from South
Carolina invite the entire Senate"
The Senator from South Carolina
said, 81 will be delighted to do So"
But he will have to be quick about
1t or the Senator from New Jersey
will not be there.
Spending Government Money.
All this happened at one session Of
he 70 aFf IL, Of a l
whole. A day or so later the bill
was again under consideration and |
ten pages OF the Record were filled
with proceedings" Three changes
were proposed in the bill. as 1t came
over from the House, raising the sal
aries of men employed in the depart |
ment. They were defeated.
Another amendment called for the |
OF $4,000 for the es-
and maintenance of a
weather bureau station at Greenville,
South Carolina Thomas, of Colorado,
wanted to know whether or not such
an expenditure was needed at this
time. Smith started to explain
Thomas asked IL an appropriation
was not made for this identical pur-I
pose last year.
Smith answered: mo; not last
year"
Thomas persisted: "well, the year
before last"
Smith replied: NO; I think not"
Thomas asked how many weather
bureaus there were in that part of
the country. Smith said: This will
be the only one that l know Of"
Thomas asked where the nearest
one was. Smith thought "the near
est one, perhaps, is at Norfolk, Va,
at a place where the conditions are
totally different from those at Green
Vile" (There is a weather bureau
and has been for years at Columbia
about 100 miles from Greenville, and
another at Charleston, about 300
miles from Greenville.)
No Need for the Expenditure.
Then Jones took a hand in the dis
,ussion. He wanted to know whether
my estimate had been sent down by
he department for this item.
Smith answered.: "Yes."
Jones asked: "Did the estimate
cover the location of the weather
bureau at Greenwich"
Smith answered: Yes"
Jones kept at II and asked whether
,r not this estimate was contained in
he book OF estimates, and Smith
II am not advised as to
hat: do not know; presume 1t is
lot"
The amount proposed for this
Weather bureau is $4,000. The de-
,artment did not estimate for 1t, did
Tot care for ii, did not think it neces-
AIRY, and when pressed for informa-
ion suggested that II the establish
nent OF the bureau were determined
lpon the sum of $4,000 would be suffi-
lent for the purpose.
'enator AIdrich's Wise Comment.
The bill making appropriations for
he Department Of Agriculture origin
ted in the House, where it was fully
discussed by a competent committee
fter the most thorough hearings and
With all the facts before it, 1t was
ent to the Senate after IL had passed ;
he House, and the Senate commit
ee without any hearings and with
title or no original information in
Is possession, proceeded to tinker
With II and without improving 1t. The (
ate Senator Aldrich is reported to
ave said that with anything like 1
fficient business organization IL
you'd be possible to cut the expen- ,
itures of the Federal Government
like $3.50, 0OO, 900 annually;
ut IL that should be done what would
ecome OF the Senators who do things