Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-08-03
STRUCK 4 sNAc
The Government In It's investigation
 of Cotton Scandak

Washington, D. C.. Aug 5, 1905.
 The government has already run up
 against a snag in the investigation of
 the cotton leak from the department
 of agriculture. Two of the witnesses
 summoned from New York to answer
 questions in the investigation before
 the grand jury looking to the indict-
 ment of Holmes and perhaps other
 persons in connection with the leak
 have refused to answer and tine court
 has given them one more day to cor
 sider their decision before sentencing
 them to jail for contempt The ground
 taken by these witnesses, Haas and
 Peckham, both of whom are advised
 by counsel, is that the court has no
 jurisdiction to compel them to an swer and that their answers might
 tend to incriminate them. Mir Haas
 read a long statement to the court, prepared of course by his counsel. and asked the jury to make it a mat
 ter of record. How far the witnesses
 will go in their refusal to answer the questions of the district attorney is of course question, but tine ground on which they have based their re fusal makes it possible that the court will not compel them to answer. At
 the same time their refusal on the ground that their answers might in criminate them, while it may be pure ly technical. renders their refusal the more interesting and probably will convince the jury that they know something worth revealing or perhaps better worth keeping secret. In either case it makes the proceedings of the grand jury more mysterious and in- teresting than ever and serves to con
 vince the general public that the dis trict attorney is going to have whole lot of trouble in getting to the bottom of the case. He has promised that there is already sufficient ground for criminal proceedings. but this is only natural to man in his position and people will be more ready to.believe that he is right after he has secured a conviction than before.
 It seems, however, that the trouble in the department of agriculture die not stop with the cotton leak. There have been other troubles under the surface in the department and one of them was brought to light recently by the resignation of Dr George T. Moore of the bureau of soils. Secre tary Wilson has complained year af- ter year that he could not get men of the scientific caliber required by the department for the wages that the government was willing to pay. The government has been pretty liberal and the appropriation for the depart ment have about doubled since 1898. but it appears that the private em ployers are still able to outbid the government. Dr Moore while in the employ of the department devised a nitrogen compound that was supposed to be highly beneficial as soil en- richer. and the device was patented under his name by the agriculture! and number of pamph- lets written on the subject. It was about as good an advertisement as 3 patent compound could have. though the fact that it was patented by the department precluded the possibility of there being any commercial monop- oly in it's use. However, there was formed in West Chester, Pa. which was willing to take the risk, and offered Dr Moore substantial sal ary and good block of the company stock to come with them. ..The doctor thought over the propositionSaHd dick. cred with the department for raise of salary. The negotiations dragged on and the raise was deferred for a long time. Meanwhile block of stock was made in the name of the doctors wife and stood that way till a hearing was had the other day from couple of men on an agricultural paper, when all the facts were brought out. Dr Moore wrote d letter to the secretary his resignation and stating that he did not want to embarrass the department by continuing in his present position if it should be any embarrassment. Secretary Wilson did not say whether it was an emDarrass- ment or not. but he accepted the re- signation.
 In addition to the fresh row in the agricultural department. the govern ment is confronted with more trouble in the government printing office. That big institution has just been treated to very funny investigation by special government commission in with the purchase of sev- enty-two type-setting machines. The was one of the most ex- secret in all of the numer- ous government investigations in and it's report Is now in the hands of the executive, but has not yet been given to the public. Now it seems. however. that the govern ment is tired of paying printing bills of the sizs recently presented 10 it. and as the appropriations demanded by the printing office have jumped from S3.JOO.O00 in 1898 to S1.OOO.0W in the present year. committee of which Senator T. C. Platt was the chairman has been appointed to ran sack the affairs of the office and get little reduction If possible in the size of the bills. This committee has nor yet had chance to meet. Rather it has had plenty of chance. but the weather has been too warm and fine members have not gotten together. When they do. however. they will find 2 nice state of affairs. The govern ment has been saddled with the print ing of the reports of Dr Seldom Jack son relative to the breeding of rein deer in Alaska. These reports are lengthy and profuseiy illustrated and the public which Is deeply interested
 In the raising of reindeer in Alaska is limited. But tine reports have been printed under the authority
 n sT.- II. .f they have helped largely to swell tlie printing bill The Daughters of the American Revolution have also gotten inc government to publish the reports If all their factionsl fights and feD'in-
 me hairpuIIlng which are too lV sven for tho Washington papers to