San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-01-28
Free Seeds Are Dead

Disregarding the warning Of the st.
Joseph (Mo) News Press to "remem-
Der how many times King MelenikS
died, how many lives the cat has and
how, when you cut a snakes head Oft
at shutdown it is apt TO snoop around
and find the body by morning" the
editors of the country are acclaiming,
with a marked absence of sentiment or
regret, the passing of that great Amer
lean institution" congressional free.
seeds. Unwept, unhonored and unsung,
the free seed graft" has been def
nitely killed for at least as long as
the ensuing fiscal year, and in editorial
opinion, as the Buffalo News puts it,
for Congress that has little to its
credit the elimination Of free seed
"may be counted one of its biggest
achievements"
A BIT Of Sentiment.
at was a little thing" the Cincln-
natl Times Star reports, that has fur
nished the plot and stage setting TOT
the great national comedy on when
the curtain has now descended-"J JUST
a franked envelope containing seed,
vet ait had touch of sentiment, be-
cause as q rule it could mean moth
ing else" The fact that you lived In
an apartment never prevented your
representative in Washington from
sending you little punches of crop sug-
gestions." 1t was not his concern "that
the seeds were born to blush unseen,
10 he sovn in an unsympathetic waste
basket" for the object of the seeds,
after all, was to raise votes, and you
were on the list"
The Wheeling Register raises a lone
voice TO declare that much sport
as has been made Of congressional
seeds, a seeds seed for a that,
and the paper regrets their passing,
because .they represented all that thou.
sands upon thousands ever got out OF
being good American citizens and pay
ing their taxes for government. Con-
gressional- seed were appreciated ana
used to a greater extent than It Is
thought" -s#
"Of course, there was always clam
or for them" the New York Tribune
answers. "as there is for anything
that is free; but there was no more
reason for sending them out than there
would be in sending free postage
stamps from the Bureau Of Engraving
and Printing or free pennies from the
United States treasury" and the prac'
tice, according to the Petersburg Na.)
Progress and Index Appeal, from be-
ing merely ridiculous had become a
scandal"
How 1t Started.
"Ths original purpose of this seed
distribution was commendable enough,
the Springfield Union says. at was
the theory that in this way the De
partment Of Agriculture could introduce
and test out new varieties. and for Q
time the theory was properly applied.
But ait takes old memories" the New
York Times replies, Ito recall the time
when seed distribution was really ex
perimental: when seeds of new varie,
ties Of useful plants we're disseminated
for the purpos Of testing them in va
rious conditions of climate and soil anc
introducing them if they were found
to be valuable" The Times agrees
with the Union that experimental dis
tribution soon gave way TO "the dis
covery that by literally dispensing seet
| to their constituents member OF Con
gress might be better regarded at cleo
| ton time"
The Hudson Observe (Hoboken)
finds it "wOrthy of comment" that the
action eliminating free seeds "wa'
taken by a Congress in which the as
ricultural bloc has for the first TINT
been a dominant figure, and with tho
assistance of innumerable lame ducks
who had proved in their own caset
the fallacy Of the theory that free seed
were potent vote getters.' On thu
other hand. the Chicago News feel:
that "if the budget bureau is respoH
sikle for the ringing down Of the cur
tain on the free seed farce, as somt
congressman affirm, then the bureau de
serves the gratitude of all taxpayer:
who detest graft and humbug."