The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1905-07-13
SECY. WILSON
STANDS PAT
rs NOT DISTURBED BY PRICES
LIBEL SUIT.
HOLMES NOT PROSECUTED
Law Officers State that Prosecution
Could Not be Maintained Sugges-
ton for Legislation to Cover Such
Cases in the Future.


Secretary Wilson's statement as to
Holmes dealing in cotton figures has
stirred up nest of hornets. Theo-
dore III. Price, the well known cotton
man of New York, accompanied by
his attorney, VIM M. Ivens, corpo-
ration lawyer Of considerable promi-
hence, came to Washington to force
Secretary Wilson to retract all that
had been said about him in connec-
ton with the Holmes case or face a
damage suit. The Secretary, after
conferences with Secretary Cheatham,
who prepared the original charges
which brought about the IN,
vestigation; Chief Statistician Hyde,
Mr.. Price and Mr.. Ivens, has con-
Guided to give the matter serious
thought for the next day or two. At
the same time he is considerably agi-
tated over the new situation which
has developed.
That Secretary Wilson intends to,
take no step backward in his report
on the cotton leak investigation was
evidenced by his statement that he
was not afraid Of any libel suit which
might be filed against him by Mr..
Price or Others mentioned in the re-
port. In fact he said he would well
come such action because it might be
the means Of developing facts not al
ready uncovered and which it was de-
sirous to know.
"This is a quarrel among gam
blers,' he said, drought about by
the dissatisfaction of some of them III
not getting what they thought was
their due. / have nothing to take
back. AS the head Of an executive
department of the government, it was
my duty and right to give to the pub
lie the result Of the investigation by
the secret service agents into the
charges which had been filed leading
up to the dismissal Of Mr. Holmes"
The secretary added that he had
given consideration to Mr. Prices
request as presented through his at
torney, William M.Ivens, of New
York, Ito withdraw the unjust, Of
fensive and unsustained charges and
implications and had reached the de-
termination to take no further action
in the matter He said he would not
communicate with Mr.. Price or his
attorney in any way.
In view Of the opinion Of the United
States that a criminal prosecution
against Holmes would not lie, Secre-
tary Wilson intimated that he would
suggest to President Roosevelt a
recommendation to congress that leg
islation be enacted to cover cases Of
a similar character involving breach
of trust.
In view Of the discussion which has
taken place regarding the conference
of Secretary Wilson and the United
States Attorney relative to the leak
in the cotton report and Secretary
Wilson's request for advice as to:
whether criminal action against AS
sistant Statistician Holmes would lie,
Solicitor McCabe of the department
of agriculture has given out the fol-
lowing statement:
"About 10 a. m. Friday, July Z,
under instructions from the secretary
of agriculture, [ called upon Mr..
Beach. United States attorney for the
District of Columbia, taking with me
the secret service operative who had
made the investigation into the re-
ported leakage on the cotton crop.
The secretary instructed me to place
all the evidence in the possession OF
the department and the original re-
port Of the secret service operatives
in the hands Of Mr.. Beach and to re-
quest that official to advise the secre-
tary whether in his opinion criminal
action would lie against any OF the
parties named in the evidence Of the
report. I carried out the instructions
of the secretary and further told him
that the secretary desired to have his
opinion on the matter as soon as pos
sible and asked whether it would ham
dicap him in his efforts to maintain
a prosecution if the secretary gave a
report of the investigation to the
newspaper men pending Mr.. Beach's
determination of the matter. Mr..
Beach replied that he did not want
one word to be made public until he
had time to go over the matter and
satisfy himself as to whether or not
any offense had been committed on
which a prosecution could be MAIN
tanned
"Upon my suggestion Mr.. Beach
called up the secretary OF agriculture
Harlan River Tunnel.