Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-06-26
Abolish Agriculture Department
Including Brown, Riley Demands
LEGISLATOR OUT
TOAIDCOLLECES
BY ENDING WASTE
Market Bureau, Costing 100000
Year, Not Worth 2 Cents
Sumter Man Says

"The entire department of agri-
culture, including Commissioner j. j.
Brown, should be abolished, and for
one will vote and work for its utter
elimination" said Representative
George w. Riley to a reporter of the
Times-Recorder Monday afternoon.
"The money that is appropriated
to this department, if given to our
State College Of Agriculture, would
make it possible for us to give our
country boys and girls an education
facond to none in the land.
rT'Why, right here in Americus, out
at our own Aggie College, we should
have a chemical laboratory equipped
to meet the demands of this section.
Instead of a limited course, every
branch of agriculture should and
could be taught our Sumter county
boys.
"The truth of the matter is, what
little the department of agriculture
really does for the farmer IS dupl-
cation of work being done by the
college at Athens, and the various
district schools. All analytical and
inspection work should be done by
the college, as it is done in other
southern states. The inspection of
gasoline and oils should be done un-
der the college; the analysis Of fer
tilizers should be under the college /;
nd our district schools, working un-
der the direction of the college, can
carry on this work without nearly
the expense that is required when
handled. under the department OF
agriculture.
Right At Our Doors
"And another point: We have the
district schools almost at the door OF
every farmer in the state. If the
district school handled the analytical
and inspection work, the farmer could
and would secure this aid and infor-
nation without the expense to him
of sending or going to Atlanta. In
other words, every farmer would have
chemical bureau for the analysis OF
mis- soil, the inspection of his fer
tilizer, the examination of seeds, and
the numberless other things on which
the farmer wants information, right
where he could get this information,
and get it without waiting month
or two weeks.
81 saw Brown jam through the
house an appropriation for 100000
last year for the so-called bureau Of
markets, operated under his direction
and worth about 2 cents to the peo-
Pile of this state. 1t, to my mind, Is
the most colossal piece of grating
political pap ever perpetrated on
the state. 1t isn't even original. II
contains a lot of worthless junk
clipped from daily papers OF other
sources.
''This bureau was created to help
the farmer market his products. |
would like to find Just one farmer
who has derived a penny's benefit
from it, But the pertinent question
now is:
"Wipe Out Whole Crowd
What has Brown and his crowd
done with that 100000? Let's wipe
out the whole crowd. I just wish
some of our men would come up to
Atlanta and spend a little while with
me around the legislative halls. They
would soon find out where some of
that 100000 goes. Paid lobbyists,
entertainment fees to any one Brown
and that crowd think will help them
to continue this terrible waste of the
neople's money-that's where soma
f it goes.
"But the waste of money is not
tie worst side of this question. When
we stop to think how much that
money would mean in the hands Of
our agricultural schools, in the train
ing of our youth to produce more
per acre, teach him how to operate
his farm as business, how ~ market
his crop, or hoy to- store it while
waiting for high prices, tell you tins
sum would be multiplied a hundred
fold by the increase in wealth of our
citizens.
Not Satisfied Then.
"The department of agriculture Is
not satisfied with wasting the states
money. 1t goes farther than that 1t
1as continuously interfered with the
conduct of the State College. 1t las
sought to bring that great, institution
under the management of the Depart
ment. 1t has hampered, slandered
and crippled that institution year af-
ter year, for no Other reason ihan
that the department wanted to break
it down so it could be taken into the
department.
Il am in no way the champion o.
the State College of Agriculture, nor