The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-11
SECE ai1555 TReFf RETRACT
UOrLD WELCOME A LIBEL SUIT
ny BROKER PRICE.
.ThIs is a Quarrel Among Gamblers Tic
said, brought About by the Dlssat's-
faction OF some OF Them In Not Getting
what They Thought Was Their DUE


WASHINGTON. July lo.--There vera three
Interesting developments in connection
n,,h the cotton scandal to-day The first
vas the announce ment of Secretary OF
,r;cul,ura Wilson that he had no inten-
tion # apoogizing to Theodore II. Price,
the New York cotton speculator, for having
,nen,ioued Pric9's name in the official state
,ner, given out Saturday; the second was
,ba determination of the authorities to re-
ter the Holmes case to legal officers of the
Covern,nent with view to ascertaining
whether he can be prosecuted on charge
If bribery, the third was the issuance OF a
statement Nv George p. McCabe, solicitor
If the Department Of Agriculture, in which
10 tina, United States District Attorney
Norgan n Beach informed Secretary Will
son that the evidence submitted to the
secretary convinced him that prosecution
AGAINST Holmes could not be maintained.
secretary Wilson did not mince words in
discussing the demand made upon him by
Mr.. Price for a retraction.
This is quarrel among gamblers,
the Secretary said, brought about by
tho dissatisfaction Of some of them in not
getting what they thought was their due.
/ have nothing to take back. AS the head
Of an executive department of'the Govern
r,ent il was my duty and my right to give
to the public the result of the investiga-
tion bv the Secret Service agents into the
charges which had been fled, the investi-
cation Of which led up to the dismissal
Of Assistant Statstician Holmes
Secretary Wilson said he had reached
his decision not to make any retraction
Of the statements in the official document
in regard to Price only after serious con-
sideration had been given to Prices re-
quest presented through his attorney,
william NJ. Wins of New York. ito with
draw the unjust. offensive and unsus-
tanned charges and implications" in ques-
ton. The Secretary added that he would
not communicate with Mr.. Price or his
attorney in any way.
There is good reason to believe that
President Roosevelt will instruct the At
,orney General to review the report Of the
Secret Service agents on the cotton crop
scandal with a view to criminal prosecu-
lion of Holmes and his associates.
1t must not be forgotten that Secretary
Richard Cheatham of the Southern Cotton
Growers Association, who first presented
the charges against Holmes to Secretary
Wilson on Saturday night, said that Dis
trct Attorney Beach had intimated that
while there was not sufficient evidence
against Holmes and his associates in the
report turned over to him on which an in
dctment might lie, nevert heless he thought
there was a strong case for conspiracy
charge if The matter were properly handled.
The statement made by Mr.. Beach last night
bears out Mr.. Cheatham's views TO con-
siderable extent.
the Department of Justice and the De-
partment of Agriculture as to the nature
Of the opinion rendered by Mr.. Beach in
the case. AS Mr. Beach expresses his side
Of the story, he evidently informed Secre-
tary Wilson that, in order to prosecute,
additional evidence would have to ce Sc
cured. Internationally Secretary Wilson's
statement was not complete. The De-
partment's position is outlined in a state
ment made public to-day by George p.
Nc, abe as follows
About 10 A. Nj, Friday, July /, under
Instructions from the Secretary of Agri-
culture, | called upon Mr. Beach, United
States Attorney for he District of Columbia
taking with me the Secret Service operative
who had made the investigation in the
reported leakage on the cotton crop report.
The Secretary instructed me to place all
the evidence in the possession of the Der art
ment and the original report of the Secret
Service operative in the hands Of Mr.. Beach,
and to request that official to advise the
Secretary whether in his opinion. criminal
action would lie against any OF the PARTIES
named in the evidence or in the report. l
carried out the instructions OF the Secre-
tary, and further told him that the Score
tary desired to have his opinion on the
matter as soon as possible, and as''ed
whether Il would handicap him in his effor,s
to maintain prosecution if the Secretary
gave report of the investigation to the
newspaper men pending Mr.. Beachs de-
termination 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 an offense had been committed and
prosecution could be maintained.
Upon my suggestion Mr.. Beach called
up the Secretary Of Agriculture by tele-
phone and advised him of the fact that he
did not want publicity at that time and
tary as soon as possible. On Friday after
noon between and o'clock Mr.. Beach
called upon the Secretary in person and
returned all the papers, and stated that
prosecution would not lie. The whole
question was presented to Mr.. Beach. i. e.,
been committed and whether in his
opinion a criminal prosecution could be
maintained"
Secretary Wilson is not satisfied with
the, outcome Of the recent investigation
and he would be glad to see the matter
gone into at greater length. He very
plainly intimated to-day that he would
welcome some such action as is threatened
by Price, as he believed it might be the
means OF developing some facts not already
uncovered which 1t was extremely desirable
70 Know: The Secretary is inclined to
believe that if Mr.. Price brings suit for
hbel against him the resulting testimony
and court proceedings might reveal things
Of vital interest and Importance to every
body concerned
Secretary Wilson does not know at first
hand OF any connection Mr.. Price may have
mad with the leaks from the Bureau of Sta
t,lstlce That Is one of the reasons why he
DeIieves that Mr. Prices grievance, if the
iatter is sincere in his statement that he
mas one, should be against the Treasury
olhclalS and not against the head of the
Agricultural Department. The Secretary
considers that when the report Of the Secret
service officials was handed to him he had
out one course to pursue. Ee followed that
course he says, and made public the entire
report, holding back nothing, As matter
OF iaci the Secretary is inclined to believe
t'al ms action in giving out the entire re-
port i Whit has caused most Of the after
main u trouble. But he realizes that he
was m III" position Of culprit who hest
ar'd f"tw"en confession and denial and
W.. Wa told by the philosophical Sheriff:
II GO''f make no difference whet her