The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-07-26
WASHINGTON BETTER.
Ne.rs &C Interest From tie Natio,:'s
Capital.

Washington. July 1.-THE secre-
tarv Of agriculture and his chief
s1at;stician, John Hyde. are making
Strenuous efforts to lock the barn
door now that the horses have been
sralen. Ii other words, after stoutly
denying for years that there was any
possibility Of a leak in the bureau OF
statistics, the secretary and chief sta
tistician Hyde have discovered runner
Gus ways in which the spectators
may be given advance information Of
the official crop reports and the sec
retary has devised a supposed meth
Cd of preventing further leaks but
one which would occasion amusement
if it did not call louder for pity, from
every practical business man. The
secretary attempts to exercise person
al supervision over the crop report
inc to an extent which shall make
leaks impossible and promises to
himself stand over his guileless statis-
tician while the final estimates are
being prepared Of course, this
scheme will not prove practicable.
The secretary Of agriculture is too
busy a man to devote himself to the
petty details Of his department, and
especially the details: Of a single bu-
reau. Even since the rascality OF
Holmes and the incompetence Of Hyde
have been demonstrated, the secce-
tary on the one occasion when it
became necessary to tahulare the
totals of a crop estimate. found k'm-
self too busy. to supervise the work
and had to delegate its supervision TO
the assistant secretary, who looked
on hopelessly, not understanding the
least thing that was going OH around
him and as liable to be made the
prey of any designing and dishonest
employe as has been Chief Statistician
Hyde, perhaps more so.
Secretary Wilson, whose honesty
no one can possibly question, seems
utterly to lack appreciation Of the
gravity Of the scandal which has
arisen in his department He has
taken no steps to dismiss, or even to
suspend John Hyde, while Hyde's bu-
reau is being investigated. He has
even appointed as successor to Holmes
a man who, the recent investigation
demonstrated, left his Office on two
different occasions when final crop
reports were being compiled and
went directly to a brokers' Office.
This man claims that he went to the
broker to ascertain the quotations on
steel stock of which he owned block,
but there are few successful business
men who would employ in a capacity
OF SO responsible a character as that
held by Holmes, and now by his
successor, a man who would dabble
in stocks and even leave his Office at a
time when he must have been in
possession of information Of great
value from a speculative standpoint to
go to a brokers' Office. A man with
SO little sense as to incur such ap-
pearance of evil, if not dishonest
must be too senseless to be trusted.
The President has caused a report
to be. sent out from Oyster Bay to the
effect that he has no mention OF ask
ing for the resignation of Secretary
Wilson and adding that Mr.. Wilson'S
only fault is that Of possessing too
confding a nature. Mr.. Wilson, ac-
cording to the President. is SO honest
that he is unwilling to believe any Of
his employees dishonest. The late
Postmaster General, Henry c. Page,
was of somewhat similar nature and
he stood by the Prince of Grafters,
Nachen. and by c4achen's rartne., IL
crime. Beavers, and talked OF the
charges against these thieving en-
ployees as "hot air" Until his course
became intolerable to the adninistra-
ton and only the political exigencies
of the Republican party saved him
from dismissal.
Will the President have the force Of
character to insist on the sort Of rail-
way rate legislation which he out
lined in his message to the last session
of the late Congress in the face Of the
almost unanimous opposition Of the
leaders Of his party? This is a cues
1,-1oio friend of the