The Conservative.
person , by warrant on the county
treasurer , a sum of money , amounting
to three dollars and thirty-three cents
per acre , for each acre so planted and
cultivated annually , so long as the same
is planted and kept growing and in a
proper state of cultivation , for a period
not to exceed the space of five years ,
and to an extent not to exceed throe
acres of land.
"Sec. 11. It shall be the duty of the
assessor of each precinct to make proper
examination , and report to the county
commissioners at the time of his annual
report , the condition of all timber so
planted and cultivated under the pro
visions of this act.
"Premiums. The State Board of
Agriculture gives premiums annually
as follows :
For the greatest number of trees
planted on Arbor Day , to include
fruit , forest , evergreen , and all
varieties $50
Second best 25
Greatest number hard wood 25
Greatest number cutting 10
"A large proportion of the schools in
the state annually observe 'Arbor Day'
by planting trees , shrubs , vines , and
flowers. Much of it is 'memorial' plant
ing , accompanied with interesting
literary exercises.
"Statistics show there have been
planted in Nebraska since Arbor Day
was instituted 855,229,919 forest trees ,
fruit and shade trees , and grape vines in
cities and villages.
"To show the probable extent of tree
planting in Nebraska the spring of 1888 ,
mention is made of the business of three
firms in the state and there are a large
number of smaller operators. These
three firms had orders for over 10,000-
000 forest tree seedlings. One of the
firms had contracts for planting 8,500 000
of forest trees. There are nine U. S.
laud districts in Nebraska. In one land
district there were known to be 11,000
tree claims , requiring 27,000 trees
planted 'to the claim. Say then , there
were 99,000 tree claims in the nine dis
tricts , multiplied by 27,000 , and we have
2,678,000,000. This gives a rough ap
proximation of tree planting in the
'Great American Desert , ' west of the
Missouri River the 'New West. ' "
SEED AND SHIP SUBSIDIES.
The strong opposition developed
against the ship subsidy bill , and against
the general idea of subsidies by govern
ment in favor of one set of taxpayers al
the cost of another , has renewed public
criticism of the abuses which have
arisen in connection with the con
gressional free seed distribution , and
which , it is believed , have now over
shadowed all the beneficial effects which
this distribution once possessed. Speak
ing today of these two drains on the
public purse , the one of long standing ,
the other thus far only a threat , a man
{ * . *
versed in agricultural pursuits and
familiar with the needs of the farmer's
calling said :
"Mr. Landreth , the secretary of the
National Seedsmen's League , has per
formed a valuable public service in call
ing attention to the inconsistency and
abuse of the congressional free seed dis
tribntiou business. The relation of this
system to the proposed ship-subsidy gift
to ship-owners deserves more than pass
ing notice.
"In the gift of more than a million
dollars' worth of seeds at the expense of
the people of the whole country , a
former laudable object in the dissemi
nation of new and valuable varieties of
fruits , vegetables and grasses has
deteriorated into a system of personal
and political favoritism in the distribu
tion of common seeds , of the most com
monplace type. The injury to the seed
merchants and those directly engaged in
the seed industry is not by any means
the most objectionable feature of this
free distribution , but rather the under
lying principle , and , in a free govern
ment , the always inimical condition of
taxing the many for the benefit of the
comparatively few.xWhat would be
thought of the proposition of an annual
appropriation by congress for the pur
pose of a free distribution to the favored
congressional constituency of a million
dollars' worth of lumber or of groceries
or of textile fabrics woolen and cotton
goods ?
"What recognition from press and
public would such a scheme receive ?
Yet it would hardly be more unreason
able and un-American than the present
system of seed distribution. The enor
mously valuable land grants and special
privileges to some of the railroad com
panies and the government's favoritism
shown the national banks still have a
strong hold on public favor , as the com
pensating advantages to the nation as a
whole in opening up new portions ol
the country in the one case , and the
uniform system of currency in the
other , have been potent factors in dis
arming criticism and effective oppo
sition to the principle of special favorit
ism to private interests involved.
"No such counterbalancing advantages
obtain in the plan of congressional seed
gratis business. It is special legislation
pure and simple. It encourages an ever
growing tendency to use the public
treasury for personal and political ends
The system favors governmental
'paternalism' and appeals directly to the
unpatriotic impulse of seeking specia
favors through legislation at public ex
pense. An enlightened public sentiment
must sooner or later dispose of this phase
of class legislation.
"While unlike the ship subsidy scheme
in application , the principle involved is
apparently much the same. Both dip
into the United States treasury to help
special persons or interests that , in com
mou with the mass of people in other
ines of occupation or industry , should
help themselves. As has boon repeatedly
) ointed out in the debates in congress
and by the press , a largo part of the
millions provided by the proposed ship-
subsidy measure would soon find its
way directly into the treasury of a few
great corporations , some of which have
already received liberal governmental
patronage. The plan of free seed dis
tribution does not call for so large an
annual outlay by the government as the
ship-subsidy bill would entail , but if the
one measure is to stand and the other ,
notwithstanding the widespread oppo
sition , be enacted , what logic or con
sistency will there be in opposingspecial
benefits through legislation to any or all
private interests in every trade and in
dustry corporation and the so-called
trusts included ? " New York Evening
Post.
SEED GIFTS AND OKEEN GOODS.
One of the country postmasters in the
district represented by Mr. Gillett ( rep. ,
Mass. ) deserves to rank as an accom
plished satirist. Not long ago Mr.
Gillett , wrote asking him for a list of the
names of persons in his community who
would like to receive a package of the
seeds distributed by the department of
agriculture. The postmaster replied
most courteously , but declined to send a
list , saying that it would be a violation
of postal regulations , section 462 , for
him to do so. On receipt of this sur
prising information , Mr. Gillett hastened
to hunt up a copy of the postal regula
tions , and read the section in question.
It cautioned postmasters and other
postal employees against making public
names , addresses , and similar information
mation obtained in the course of their
duty , saying that this regulation was
necessary "because of the evil brought
about by the infraction or relaxation of
this rule by postmasters , who have un
wittingly assisted and encouraged
fraudulent schemes , such as 'green
goods. ' "
The point struck Mr. Gillett's asso
ciates , to whom he related the _ incident ,
as decidedly novel , And yet , on re
flection , they all agreed that the post
master's refusal was not without a
certain philosophical basis. The seeds
are supposed to produce green goods ,
although , in point of fact , the percentage
of failure to do this is said to be rather
large. The distribution also resembles
the wiles of the bunco-man in the fact
that few persons get in the way of seeds
exactly what they expect , or get these
packages at a time when seeds are most
advantageously planted. All things
considered , the resemblance between the
government gift-seed enterprise and
other green-goods schemes seemed to in
crease so upon reflection that the post
master was finally absolved from all
criticism , and Mr. Gillett , who had at
firt thought of going out to inquire into
his tenure of office , will now compli
ment him upoij his discrimination.
New York Evening Post.