Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-07-08
REPORT ON LEAK Of |.
COTTON STATISTICS.
Asst Slatisticiap Edwin llolme,
Cav. II TO Cotton Brokers
10 New York.
SECY, WILSON TELLS STORY


s~~===s-=
Washington July S,--As the result %
the investigation by secret sorvic,
agents into the charges made by Rth
ard chealham secretary Of the Cotton
Planters association, that information
had been given TO cotton brokers II
New York by some person or person.
IN the bureau Of statistics NJ the dc
parment of agriculture, Sooy Wilson
today made public AN official report II
which he states that Edwin = Holmes
the associate slalistlcian has beer
guilty Of 'jugelng' the onlc.al report
The report wys
ut has been found that Mr. Iolmt
communicated advance information I,
!, c. Van Ripper New York broker
and NJ, Haas, Of New York who uctc,
as go'bctWocn In conveying mfomu
ton from Holmes to other Now Yorl
brokers including Theodore Price
steps have been taken by SouN Wipol
To prevent any further leakage of III
department figures and an cnlre re-
Organization Of the bureau Of slatistic
ana manner " preparing month";
crops has been outlined by him rhl
papers IN connection with the inNosli
Rnlion were referred 20 the United
States attorney Tor tho District O
Columbia ana he has reported that n
his opinion n criminal prosecution VII
not lie against Holmes, Holmes hal
been dismissed from the service Of M
department
New YORK July s--Theodoro n
Price, the New York cotton broker. To-
day declared that he had no acquHint
nnce with or knowledge of either l., {
Van Ripper or NJ Haas from whom N
N said IN n report Of the department o
agriculture 10 have received informu
ton concerning the cotton crop
According To the report Wilson Jud
Of New York, formerly In the omplo
of l., n Van Riper induced the latte
90 tell ~ hi connection with llolmD
and chen communicated the Information
20 Mr., thoNtham Van ripper bornm
the principal witness IN the inyestiRa
ton conducted BY the secret service Hul
mid h. was Induced tO communicate tn
fact that advance information was be
INK given out by Holmes because h
had heard that HOLMES ana his ALSO
clatos had intended 10 ny 90 manipulate
the June cotton report Using this In
formation aF foundation lho score
service agents interviewed uumolou.
persons who had been mentioned D.,
Judd ana Van Rircr us Woll az gather
Ing mass Of correspondence, in'lud'
ng many letters written by Holmes I,
Van ripper and othcls The charges
by Nj Cheatham were hacked mp VIII
evidence that ini0r.nllon had beol
RlNen to cotton brokers IN New Yorl
by some person or persons employed IN
the bureau OF statistics relative 10 ih'
acreage and condition Of the cotton
crop ~ the United states prior to th'
Official publication Of the Information
ana that the crop figures had bcw
tampo,cd with IN the department IN lh'
mtrrost of certain cotton spccululots
Holmes Is the only onployo oi the soy
owmout who has bcon found ~ hly'
had any connection WIN supplying IN
formation 10 brokers prior 10 the publi
cation NJ the onlolOl report
An'f reviewing tho CHARGES, focN
Wilson gives summary of he tosll
mony induced before secret ecgiD'
agents M Van llpor the Now Soll
broker under examination, nld ne hc
came acquainted with llollncn ~ New
York IN August 1901 ihluugll q 'mh
WM nicud " According 90 ms l'sll
wouy. Holmes told Van Ripper NJ Coul'
set information conccr0lnp me goNorn
mont plop report principally tnruuRl
lho report u tho general agent an
Inc rcporls 81 the state agents, NNl
ripper fold Holmes furnished him wiz
Inflammation from time 20 time, fol
several months IN advance Of inc pun
llualIou Of No onlolll llgurcS uud lhl|
the Information furnished ny Homo
oorrrspondol exactly with the iigufo'
afterwards published In tho Official oroI
rcpowg Van Ripper stated that u Mr.
llaas " NoW YORK acted 49, go.ho
tNoou for Holmes ana himself ana Id
Nas given to understand that llaU
was securing Information FOR Theodore
Price "A cotton broker Of New YORK
THO witness sali NJ met Haas Al thD
Ilo.cl WaNorf and was told by him
mat the report for june, 1908, would M
=, pcr cenl ON condition ana " or n
por cont ON acreage which was ~ bear
ieh ns hoy could mako NJ ana that IN
Vag going 10 SOC Price, Wllh whom h,
would have nn interview, ana wanted
fla 700 Van N pew tllcr no WW Price
That In about an hour llaut onIlod oI
MIN and paih a. the request NJ prioo M
WAS oung IN Washington 10 sec " they
would not Rd the 1or conl0po IL lItll1
higher and the nowagc little HmallNl
tD mako Tho report more bearlsh Van
Ruor tcwinNl iha' lho onloIal report
was moro bcArlsO thln tho llguog pre-
ylousy given him and that Ne TOOK
ibIg IN mean that me effort lo lunuono,
lhc report had succeeded
Tho letters produced by Van RIuer
which he ullog,d we're written bi
Holmes Woro M sgned with Inc inl
tlnl ~ Most Y toso letters Woro fol
iho purpose ofmaRIng appointments
With Van Rlporbul the following note
dated August "A 1904 shows the roa'
tlnnshW hotWoel llolmoS ana Nlr
BIpor
IL you had htght any NJ that sun
cell II oul M Out, ana sell an much a'
Won can In add Jon, We are Rolng I,
show n very rlli decline, ana this u
mo- totally unoNfrteh " win Fond
things down IVA fury other parties
Wlll rl0sc out bmofiow nnl cell an
Thursday Whqp Ia ~ Tear this up
n may 40 Mp n he before Frld1N bnl
probably not
This lottcr wt1N lgncd with the lnltin
~" Van Rlpt testified that nll oI
the letters W1ondrrod were iron
Holmes, ana thlt their contents had
reference 10 the tate Of tho cotton re-
port A large lumber Of letters and
kilograms Hlgnelwilh the initial ~