The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-12-07
HYDE MAKES DENIAL
Says that the Cotton Crop Report Was
Not Given Out in Advance.
1T WAS NOT POSSIBLE
As the Official Figures Had Not Been
Made Up at Time Specified.
ALLEGES THAT THERE IS BIAS
Correspondent Of Journal of Commerce
Uenied access 10 Office.
SEC. WILSON EXPLAINED THE MATTER
or Periodical Charges Of Fraud In a
Letter Written to Senator Allison
in February Last.
ALLEGES THAT THERE is BIAS
Correspondent Of Journal of Commerce
Uenled access 10 Office.
SEC. WILSON EXPLAINED THE MATTER
Especial to The Post,


Washington, December 6.--rhe charge
made by She New York Journal OF Com
me.ce that the ad, ance Information regard
Ing the crop estimate OF the department
OF agriculture given out last Wednesday
was ofored to certain individuals and firms
is still being discussed here. Consider
ablo light on the possible motive Of the
paper making the charge was furnished to-
day in a statement made by Mr.. Hyde to
the correspondent OF The Post,
such ehorge is absurd" said Mr.,
HYDE when shown a copy Of the Journal
OF Commerce continuing the reference 10
the alleged leakage" ''rhe estimates
given In tho report were not known untn
l0:45 o'clock Wednesday morning. They
were complied from thousands Of estimates
which cnmo 10 from NIL over the country
and were submitted 10 me IN tabulated
form and tho figures as issued in the &c.
port were then made up. These were
given to tho stenoEraphors here In my OF.
hce, and from the time that they were
made up until the typewrltten copies OF
the report were handed "a the newspaper
correspondents in the outer room Mt L.
o'clock not a single person entered or LETT
my Office. Accordingly, II was impossible
for the facts 60 leak out Furthermore
there was no opportunity whatever for
columns Of figures, FROM which the FINAL
estimates were obtrlpD get out aud
thus become the subj i Inference at
the hands OF others. The statement which
you have shown me is nothing but another
distance of the eight which the Journal Of
Con cree has been carrying on against me
for the last two months. It's hostility TO
me IS due. believe. TO the fact that have
refused 10 see or give out any informs-
tiou 20 It's correspondent here In Washing.
ton. was forced 10 such step about
two months ago, because this correspond
ent sent to his paper. time after time.
misstatements and incorrect reports pur.
porting 90 be from this bureau, since l
have refused 10 see him, his paper has be-
come openly hostile 20 me-
when asked n It was not true that IN
previous years Teak" was supposed 20
have occurred 10 the reports OF the cotton
crop, MT Hyde replied: Occasionally thero
have been offered for sale on one or an.
other OF the exchanges figures alleged by
their possessors to have been privately
secured from some Of the employees OF this
department. A claim Of this sort was put
forth in December. 1900, but upon invosti'
CATION by the officers Of tho secret serv-
ice was found to DO without foundation,
Sometimes what is claimed to be advance
information concerning the character OF the
December cotton report IS given out by
certain parties with the object Of causing
temporary furry In the prices which
win be taken advantage Of by those en-
| cheering such scheme. For instance,
on Tuesday IL was given out by one party
| that the cotton report would this year
estimate the crop at 100000 bales on
! Wednesday morning this estimate had gone
| up 10 100000"
| Mr.. Hyde spoke Of a letter which was
written early IN February last by secre'
tary Wilson 70 Senator Allison. In that
letter Mr.. Wilson says: 81 wish 20 say
! that the labor involved IN making crop
! estimates Is very greatly increased by the
extreme precautions that are taken Ia. ron.
/ der impossible premature disclosures. Tor
many years past II not throughout the Gu
/ tire period during which the department
\ has been issuing this estimate, there have
/ been allegations at more or less frequent
| intervals that such improper disclosures
/ had occurred. and while such charges arc
much less frequent than In former years
and rarely fail 10 carry with them their
own REPUTATION, they still recur az intervals
and viii probably continue TO do So"