The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-04-02
TIE WATGHMAN AND soUTHRoN, APRIL Q, 1919.

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Wilson thcsc in charge Of The county
demonstration work IN the South, rot
being able 10 get money from con-
sress as fast as they desired, applied
to Ar. Rockcfeller's General Educa-
tion Board for funds and got thci1,.
At the time Mr.. Houston became ::''c-
retary this board was putting sev'.cil
hundred thousand dollars a year irto
this work. Secretary Wilson had 40;
been wholly pleased with this situa-
ton, and 10 prevent the Rockefeller
: interests from getting their grasp on
demonstration work over the entire
country, he had secured federal fuads
! for similar work in the Northern
/; and Western States. and had put this
work under the Office Of Farm Man
! agement. Of which I was then chief.
! This greatly offended the General
(, Education Board and their friends in
! the department. and they began
can, paign to (!iscredit the work Of my
/ Office. When this cotcric Of men had
finally gotten ono OF their own men
J began to make it very clear that the
! Office Of Farm Management was un-
der BAN One of them went SO far rs
to tell a friend Of mine that MIR.
Houston, before becoming secretary,
had pledged himself to destroy this
Office At any rate, very soon after
he was inducted into Office he made a
public address in which the newspa
pers report him as saying that the
Office Of Farm Management was q
big mushroom growth. headed by
men who did not know what they
were doing. and who were wasting
vast sums Of public money. He pro-
posed TO see that this Office did not
grow any in the near future. Mr..
Houston has kept his word in this
matter When he came into Office
the Office Of Farm Management had
a fund Of about $330,000 a year for
field Investigations. This fund is nov
about S21S. 900. This shows the Kind
OF support this important work has
had during Mr. Houston's admins
tration.
In order to further hamper the
work of the Office of Farm Manage
ment, Mr. Houston issued orders to
demonstration workers in the depart
nent not to cooperate with any out
side agency except Mr.. Rockefeller's
General Education Board. The pur-
pose Of this order was to prevent
the Office Of Farm Management from
beneating by funds from various
sources that were being made avail
able for demonstration work outside
of the Rockefeller territory. These
orders were not reduced to writing.
They were delivered to me verbally
by young man who is now clerk
in the department.
Soon after Mr.. Houston became
Secretary the Rockefelle. people
established bureau in the depart
ment. known as the Rural Organiza-
ton Service. The important work OF
the Bureau Of Markets was placed
under this bureau. evidently for the
purpose Of seeing that its work should
But these people made the mistake
of assuming that any man who was
paid fat salary by them would do
their bidding. BY misrepresentation
Of their purposes and plans, they in
duced Professor I. y. Carver, of
Harvard University, to become head
OF this new bureau. Professor Cary
er came to the department with real !
enthusiasm for his work. and at once
proceeded 20 outline L series OF I'M
portant Investigations on marketing
Of farm products, rural credits, and
similar subjects But when he laid
his plans before the General Educa- |
ton Board they turned him dowml
fiat, with no explanation for their !
action. Professor Carver was much
puzzled at this, but few days later
there came another typewriter sheet,
said to have come from the same |
source az the one previously mention
ed, pointing out what Professor
Carver should do. 1t stated that the
professor had not understood what
Mr.. Rockefeller wanted. What Pro-
fessor Carver should do was to en-
ploy about half a dozen of the ablest
men he could find and send them
around TO the various educational in 7
stitutions for the purpose Of interest
ing the professors in investigations
of rural problems. 1t stated that Mr.
Rockefeller would be very liberal
with funds for this purpose.
Professor Carver sought an inter
view with members Of the board, and |
asked them if their object in bringing |
him to the department was to re-
move the taint from Mr.. Rockefeller's
money, and force it into Institutions
that were now refusing to accept it.
They declined to answer this ques-
ton. but would not say just what
they wanted. Professor Carver then
told them in Very plain language
Just what he thought Of the General
Education Board and it's patron. Very
soon after this the newspapers car |
ricd a brief notice tc the effect that .
Professor Carver had not found his
wori. III tho Department Of AgrIcai- !
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