Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-07-10


has been appointed associate statisti-
clan of the department of agriculture
to succeed Edwin $. Holmes.
Mr. OlmStead has for some time past
held the position of chief of the divi-
sion of domestic crop reports to the
bureau of statistics and was also for
merly assistant statistician of the de-
partmcnt. He was assistant director
of the ccnsuses of Cuba and the Philip
pines.
The report says it has been found
that Mr.. Holmes communicated adj
vance information to l.. c. Van Ripper.
a New York broker, and NJ. Haas of
New York. who. Mr.. Van Ripper said.
acted as a gO-betWeen in conveying in
formation from Holmes to other New
York brokers. Steps have been taken
by Sec. Wilson to prevent any further
leakage in the department figures. and
an entire organization of the bureau
of statistics and manner of preparing
monthly crop reports has been outlined
by him.
The papers in connection with the
investigation were referred to the Unit
ed States attorney for the District of
Columbia, and he has reported that in
lis opinion d criminal prosecution will
not lie against Holmes. Holmes has
been dismissed from the service of the
department.
According to the report, Wilson Judd
OF New York. formerly in the employ of
l.. {. Van Ripper, induced the latter to
tell Of his connection with Holmes, and
then communicated the information to
Mr.. Chcathaln. Van Ripper became the
principal witness of the investigation
conducted by the secret service, and
said he was induced to communicate
the fact that advance information was
being given out by Holmes because he
had heard that Holmes and his aSso-
ciates had intended to try to manipu-
late the June cotton report, using this
official report.
After reviewing the charges Sec. Will
son gives summary of the testimony
adduccd before the secret service
agents. Mr.. Van Ripper. the New York
broker, under examination, said he be-
came acquainted with Holmes in New
York in August, 1904. through Il "nlu-
tual friend" According to this tcSti-
monv Holmes told Van Ripper he could
get Information concerning the govern
ment crop report. principally through
the report of the general agent and the
reports of the state agents. Van Ripper
said Holmes furnished him with infor
nation from time to time. for several
months. in advance of the publication
OF the official figures, and that the in
formation furnished by Holmes CORES
pended exactly with the figures after
ward published as the official crop re-
ports Van Ripper stated that Mr..
Haas of New York acted as II Eo-be
tween for Holmes and himself.
The witness said he met Haas at the
Hotel Waldorf and was told by him
that the report for June, 1908. would
be 20 per cent. on acreage, which was
as bcarish as they could make it: and
that he was going to see Price, with
whom he would have an interview, and
wanted to see Van Ripper after he saw
Price. that in about an hour Haas
called on him and said that at the re-
quest Of Price he was going to WASH
inGton to see if they could not get the
percentage Il little higher and the acre
age a little smaller to make the report
more bcarish. Van Ripper testified that
the Official report was more bearish
than the figures previously given him,
and that he took this to mean that the
effort to influence the report had sue
cecded
The letters produced by Van Riper
which he alleged were written by Holmes,
were all signed with the initial III"
Most Of these letters were for the pur-
pose of making appointments with Van
Ripper. but the following note dated Aug
90 1904. shows the relationship between
the writer and Van Ripper:
IF you have bought any of that stuff
sell it at once, and sell as much as you
can in addition. We are going to show
a very slight decline, and as this is to-
tally unexpected it will send things down
like fury. Other parties will close out to-
morrow and sell on Thursday. Where is
T.. Tear this up. 1t may go up a little
before Friday, but probably not
This letter was signed with the initial
H. Van Ripper testified that all of the
letters surrendered were from Holmes,
the state of the cotton report. A large
number of letters and kilograms signed
with the initial F. were sent from New
York to Van Ripper. Nearly all Of those
contained information concerning the
cotton report, together with instructions
l" Sell or buy on the market. according
10 the information furnished, and all of