Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1905-07-21

Hyde, Chief Of Bureau Of Statistics, Unfit for
the Position Secretary Wilson. if Not a
Crank. is the Victim of Cranks-Common
Sense and Business Experience Needed
Gen. HUMPHREYS Encouraged and Stimulated
| by Weavers Success. Has Undertaken to Ex.
pose "Graft" in the Clothing Factory at
| Schulkyll Arsenal-Scandal also in the Gov
eminent Printing Office to Investigate.
tFrom our regular correspondent
WASHINGTON, ID. c., July Is.
The President, at least, has been
made to appreciate that there is a
large. sized scandal involved in the
"leaks" in the Bureau OF Statistics OF
the Department OF Agriculture and be
has stirred his Secretary of Agricul.
ture up with sharp stick. A day or
two ago Secretary Wilson was saying
thst the incident was closed, that no
further investigation would be con-
Quoted and that there was nothing
more to be said on the matter.
Twenty-four hours later he had de-
termined to cause thorough investi-
CATION of the entire Bureau of Stats.
tics and had turned the evidence in
the case over to the Acting Attorney
General 80 that the latter might as
certain if the evidence constituted
basis for q criminal prosecution. Now
the Acting Attorney General has
transmitted the evidence to the Dis.
trict Attorney and it is assumed that
the latter will Immediately take steps
to bring the matter to the attention OF
the grand jury.
Meanwhile, information has reached
not only the Secretary of Agriculture,
but the President as we'll, indicating
that the leaks in the Bureau OF Stats.
tics have been going ON for a long
time and have concerned practically
all the crops on which the government
makes official reports. Wheat, corn,
oats and cotton have all been reported
in advance to certain Spectators so
that they could take advantage Of the
governments information and secure
profits at the expense OF the farmers
to which they were in no way entitled.
How much money has been made by
the guilty persons in the Department
of Agriculture and by the spectators
in this manner no one can possibly
estimate but there is reason to believe
that it may have amounted to mil
lions OF dollars.
No one believes that Secretary Will
son was himself responsible for this
condition of affairs beyond the fact
that he was what is popularity termed
"easy" in his dealings with all his
subordina,es. Probably no one be-
lieves John Hyde, Chief Of the Bureau
of Statistics. to have been dishonor-
ably connected with the leaks. but
most people believe that Mr.. Hyde
cannot lbe held to be blameless; that
he failed in his duty to prevent leaks
and in trusting Holmes, the associate
stats tician to an unwarranted degree,
and that he has demonstrated, despite
Secretary Wilson's contrary opinion,
his unfitness to remain in the respon.
| lC INV IOluS.
The truth is that the Department OF
Agriculture has long and quietly been
approaching a climax in its affairs for
the reason that it is not properly Or
ganized. Secretary Wilson is a man
with an almost holy respect for science
which makes him the victim OF nu-
merOus scientific enthusiasts, not TO
say cranks. If the Secretary of Agri-
culture is to be himself scientist, he
should at least have plain, practical
business man for Assistant Secretary
and the Department would be even
better off with plain. practical bust
ness man at its head and scientist for
Assistant Secretary. Scientists are
proverbially lacking in sound business
sense and in administrative ability, and
what applies to the Department as
whole applies to each Of the scientific
bureaus. An ideal organization would
consist OF Secretary guided only by
hard common sense and business ex
perience. whose Assistant Secretary
was scientist while each bureau had
at it's head scientist, with q practical
business man for assistant. With such
an organization the scientific enthu.
siasts would be compelled to demon
strate to the Secretary the utility OF
the various lines of work they proposed
to undertake and when such lines
we're undertaken the assistant chiefs
of the bureaus would be able to look
after this business end OF each line OF
work. To accomplish such reorgan-
ization, however, it would be necessary
to employ better paid assistants than
the Bureau now have, and not to waste
all the funds appropriated by Con.
gress on highly trained but generally
impracticable, and often irresponsible,
scientists. Under James Wilson, the
Department OF Agriculture has gone
science mad.
The Administration is confronted
with the necessity OF uncovering an
other unsavory mess OF "graft," this
time in Philadelphia, where. according
to General Humphreys, Chief Quarter.
master, u. S. A.. there must be thor
ough investigation OF the Depot Quar-
termaster's Office and of the clothing
factory at the Schulkyll Arsenal. Gen.
eral Humphreys frankly admits that
political influence has been permitted
to dominate affairs in Philadelphia
and even intimates that condition
of affairs exists there not dissimilar,
although, of course, on a smaller scale
to that which has recently been ex-
posed in the Republican administra-
ton of the city OF Philadelphia. EN-
boldened by the exposures brought
about by Mayor Weaver. General
H humphreys announces that every dis.
honest man must 60, be he civilian or
officer. Of course the General did