Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-02-27

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culture on the Job in Washington
who is new type OF man for that
position. and who approaches it in
q different way from those who
nave gone before. His name is Ed
win Thomas Meredith. He is a
publisher and banker and is an
aggressive man of affairs. He
comes from Des Moines where, he
publishers farm paper. He has
been a director in one of the lead
ing banks of Iowa, in the Federal
Reserve bank at Chicago, and in
the Chamber Of Commerce of the
United States; has been the head Of
the National Association of Adver-
Using clubs, and has served on
various governmental bodies dur
ing and since the war.
The department Of agriculture
therefore has gone in for two
types OF secretary. The type which
has predominated through most of
its existence has grown copious
quantities of whiskers, has harked
back to the good old days of whit
Ting sticks at the corner grocery,
has harbored a pair of brogans in
its closet, reminiscent of earlier
times. 1t has been of the soil, rep
resentative of a class in our citi-
zenship. The second type has been
from the college class room, the
laboratory of the scientist. 1t has
understood the miracle performed
by the plant root when it reaches
into the earth for natures elements
and hands them to the farmer in
the form of prize ears of corn. 1t
has known that clover will not
bear seed unless the humble bee
is present in the fields, carrying
pollen from one blossom to an
other on its feet as it hunts honey,
and thus fertilizing those blossoms.
But here comes a new type. Sec
rotary Meredith has none Of the
earmarks Of the farmer. There is
none of the dandruff of the scientist
on his coat collar. While he has
edited agricultural papers, and
made something of a study Of farm
ing, he makes no pretense of be-
ing an authority. While he is a
college man from a school which
leans toward agriculture, he con-
verses little Of chemical reactions
He is stalwart. outstanding man
wearing a business suit of the best
materials, made by the best Of tail
ors. His mustache is short
cropped, his eyes alert, his enthu.
siasm unbounded, his geniality con-
tagious.. He is the type of mar
one would set down as an execu.
tive. He might be the head Of q
big corporation, the driving force
in any large undertaking.
1t is in the light of executive
general manager that the new sec
rotary of agriculture regards him
self. He does not believe that i
is his business to master the sci
entific problems of the department
There are hundreds Of scientist.
under him, each OF whom has de
voted years to the study Of giveI
details. Whenever he wants sci
entific direction he has but tt
press a button to get a specialist
He believes that the man who sits
at the center of an organization
which is far-fiung. nationwide, ii
primarily the coordinating agen
which makes it work as a single
producing machine, and second
arily, the sales agent who sees tt
it that the product of the machine
is properly marketed.
theoretically the departments a
Washington are executive. Theil
business is to handle the detail O
government. The state department
takes care of those issues tina
arise, day by day, as between thu
United States and other nations
The treasury department is thu
fiscal agent of the government. TAX
ing care of the business that comes
to it. Thus most of the depart
ments are intended merely to han
die the daily grist- The department
Of agriculture is on differen
basis. Its purpose is not executiy!
but chiefly creative. It is to maxi
two blades grow where one former
ly sprouted but withered. 1t is tt
increase the quantity of food tina
comes to the tables of its peoples
and provide some for other people
who are hungry. 1t is hardly al
executive department at all.
1t was a quarter of a centur,
ago that the department of agricui
ture began to get a hold on tn