The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-07-11
The Leak in the Crop Reports.

The regular July government wheat
crop report, due yesterday, but delayed
because of the closing of offices for
the funeral of Secretary Hay. will come
out late this afternoon. This IS one or
the most important reports Of the year.
1t is most unfortunate that there should
be any reason to doubt its correctness,
vet the recent disclosures OF the leak
ing out of departmental figures from
Washington has brought all the statisti-
cal work Of the department into DIS
credit, and the scandal must be cleared
away at once or the government reports
will lose all value and influence.
If there was nothing more against
Edwin S. Holmes, the disgraced former
associate statistician. than the charge
that he gave out information in :ad-
vance, to the favored few, it would be
bad enough, but while this is what ne
was dismissed for, there is that IN the
testimony of the New York men, in the
complaints of Richard Cheatham of the
cotton growers association, and. in the
statements of the delegation of cotton
growers now in Washington, to suggest
that not only wars information given out
in advance, but the figures may have
been manipulated beforehand to SUIT
the views Of the clique Of spectators
that Holmes is said to have favored.
This is serious beyond all question.
There can no longer be any temporizing.
If Holmes did this, he must have had
some help; there must have been collu-
sion of some sort. Secretary Wilson
must either clean up his statistical bu-
reau, or the government must go out
of the business Of giving out crop re
ports. 4ss. sa ,as 5aezss2 s
r. The department has been losing pres
tige ever since the last census was tax
en-. At that time Mr.. Merriam covered
the same ground that the agricultural
department had been going over yearly,
with results widely different. A long
alteration ensued between Mr.. Mer-
riam and Mr.. Hyde, the agricultural
department statistician, in which the
head of the census department more
than held his own.
The present scandal covers the cotton
reports only, but the effect has been
to discredit the wheat reports as well,
for in the compilation of the wheat re-
ports practically the same methods are
pursued as in the cotton, and if leak
could occur in one, it could occur in the
other. The principal difference would
appear to be that wheat is even a
greater speculative commodity than
cotton, and the inducements to a man
who would sell the department out,
would certainly appear to be no less in
wheat.
The thing will probably work out for
the greater good in the long run, for it
will purify the bureau, but it is greatly
to be regretted that such loose methods
ever existed. In the case in point the
allegations would imply that Holmes
and the New York manipulators were
in scheme together to bear the mar
ket or depress the price Of cotton. This
can only strike the farmer of the north
west as a damnable proposition, for he
will figure that if this can be done in
cotton it can be done in wheat. It
WOu1u % uIIOrCuuctte, luQeeu, 10 nave
the department issue reports represent
ing faithful work and much expense
and perhaps rejecting true conditions
and have the farmers and the grai1
trade take them instead as representing
the market commitment of some mem
Der Of the governmental staff who ha:
juggled the figures to suit his pur
poses. Yet this is the suspicion that
will almost certainly follow if the sec
retarv Of agriculture does not at once
take hold more vigorously and acqui
his department entirely of the charges
which now find easy credence.
Mr.. Root considers the acceptance O
,,Io 1,,fxy RI he CO