Warren sheaf., 1922-03-01
w her 3 our
a x es
How Uncle Sam Spends.
Your Moneyin Conduct
inc Your Business
By EDWARD g. LOWRY
Author Meaningless Close Ups, . s.Bank, -
IS Financial Systems. y ete Contributor Political
4 and Economic Articles to Leading Periodicals
and Writer Of Recognized Authority a III
National GovsEnmsntss Business Hsthode.
Copyright. Western Newspsper Union
XIX.
JUST KEPT GROWING

JUSl kEPT GROWING
The origins of these antiquated, cum
bersome, costly, inefficient pieces Of the
national machinery that we call the
executive departments show how any.
blishment If we'll watered with:
government money will expand and
hold together. no matter how conflict
ing and incongruous its functions.
Hardly one Of these great business .es-5
tablishmentsfor that is what they
are--Was planned. AS they are today
they just happened.
Take the Department Of Agriculture,
for example, one of the greatest and
most complex and Wides spreading of all:
the departments. 1t Is in closer touch
and more directly affects the greatest.
number of people in the United States:
than any other branch Of the govern
lnent with the possible exception Of
B the post Office. 1t began in 1889 with
an appropriation of ST 1000, taken from
the patent funds for the distribu-.
tion of free seeds and the collection
of agricultural statistics by the patent
office, then bureau in the State de-.
partment. Now look at the darned
thing. 1t is all over the place.
. The title Of the department. indicates
its most Important field of activities. but.
its functions have been extended to In
clude the whole range Of rural indus
try and some branches Of administra-
tion only very indirectly related to-
agricultural interests. For about 60
years subsequent to the Revolution the
general interests of agriculture were
left almost entirely to individual initia-5
tive. Federal activity was confined to.
relatively narrow limits and was mere
ly sporadic Soon after the national
government was organized some at
tempts were made to establish board
of agriculture; but neither the first
proposal in 1906 nor a second effort IN
1917 was successful.
Shortly after the Revolution, follow
ing the example of Benjamin Frank
lin while in England, as agent Of the
colony of Pennsylvania during the
years 1864 to 1875, American consuls>
and naval officers began the practice
of sending home foreign seeds and cut
tings for new crops, and Of aiding in
the introduction into the United States
of new breeds Of domestic animals.
Even such small governmental particle
patton was. I'm the beginning, rather
extra official.
In 1886 the commissioner of pat
ents, one H. L. Ellsworth, began the.
distribution of considerable quantities
Of seeds and plants received from gov
ernment representatives in foreign
countries; and 4 three years later
through his influence an appropriation
Of $1,000 was made for the purpose Of
procuring and distributing seeds of
new plants. carrying Agricultural In.
vestigations and collecting agricultural
statistics. This was the historic be
ginning. of the much-t talked-abo free
seed distribution. .
BY an act Of congress in May, 1862,
since generally called the organic act,
the activities Of the government affect
ing agriculture were placed under q
separate and distinct organization
known as the Department Of Agricul-
ture, in charge of a cOmmissi ioner of
agriculture 1t did not rank, how
ever, with the other executive depart
ments, and the commissioner was not
entitled to a seat in the Presidents
cabinet. Isaac Newton. chief Of the
agricultural section in the patent office,
was appointed the first con missioner
of agriculture. Other officers provided
by the organic act included statis-
tician, a chemist, an entomologist and
a superintende dent Of the propagating
garden and experimental farm
The chrysalis was now ready to be
broken. In 1889 the Depa artment OF Ag g-2
riculture was elevated to the rank Of
the other executive departments and
its COMMISSIONS was made secretary
OF agriculture with a seat In the Presi-
dents cabinet. This was in Grover
5Cleveland's admins ion. In honor.
of its new rank a few more functions
were taken on a. hi
But that's enough detail It kept on
growing. beg ginning With an appro
rriation Of 81, goo and two or three
clerks, the department had, IN no..
employees TO the number OF u, 4sO, and
nj appropriation Of So 900, ,OS6. Five
years later tile appro oprla tion had
grown to sis, 1896, 1872 and the em-.
p1oyees to l8, 2233 The employees in,
May, 1920. numbered 1s,098 and the
appropriation given sby congress for
the fiscal year 1921 was $8l, Az, ,36s.
The department. has increased Its;
cost OF living IN So years frolnsla mere
ISL ,O00 that Is, $S883333 $S883333 q mont to,
more than .$8l 900 900 a year $2,6 ,622,
9t9,47 SO every month. That shows as!
clearly and as sharply as Ii can be,
shown how the high cost of govern
sment living affects your own cost of1
living
I We, yous and i paid out 81 our saw
sings and earnings every red cent Sc
that increase from 600 a year to more