Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-06-07
SUSPECTED
In Giving Out United States
Cotton Statistics.
Tips from Some EmpIoye Have
Reached Some Brokers.
Southern Cotton Growers Association Will
Ask Rigid Investigation.

New York. June 6.-Richarl
Chez than of Atlanta, secretary of the
Southern Cotton Growers Association
who is in this city. has declared his
intention of calling President Roose-
VeltS attention to what he considers
gross irrcgul lritios in both the prepar-
ittlon and the publication of the gov
eminent cotton report issued last Fri :
day. Mr.. Cheatham will make no
charges Of bribery or any other crime.
nut his intention IS to ask for a rigid
investigation and that the resignation
of one of the important employees in
the statistical bureau of the depart
ment of agriculture lie demanded. II
is understood that he charges someOn"
in the department with having manip-
ulated the figures ana given them in
advance of publication to certain
brokers for use in depressing the cot
ton market
The southern Cotton Growers Asso-
citation is an organization Of planters
and Southern brokers whose object il
is to regulate SO ia" as possible the
acreage Of cotton ma 20 protect the
planters and other Southern cotton i'll
forests fIom manipulation of the mar
ket tending to depreSS the price of the
staple Officers of thu association de =
clare they have Us many experts as
the department of agriculture and
make every effort to secure the most
trustworthy Information re garding the
condition of the crop. For several
months the statistics gathered by the
association have been at variance with
those emanating from Washington and
the officers of the association together
with brokers and cotton merchants in
this city, have conducted a secret in
vestigation in the nope of ascertainin5
the reasons for the discrepancies.
\ prominent broker, it is now as
serted, has gathered the most impor-
tant of the documentary evidence in
the case. From employees of the de-
pdrtment Of agriculture, he says, some
of wnom are in the habit Of making
frequent visits to this city. he learned
that advance information in regard 10
the reports, could be secured. He fol
lowed up this line by inquiring wheth-
or or not the report could not be
changed. and alleges he was success
tiers from at least one employee of the
department and learning that at least
one of the prominent firms of cotton
brokers in this city had such an I'M
Outstanding with one official.
Mr.. Cheatham was notified Of the al
legged discoveries by telegraph and
made a hurried trip to this city. After
many hours consultation II" journeyed
to Washington. reuaintd IL few hours
and returned to New York. saying he
desired signatures To 4 document in his
possessior.
1t is said that Mr.. Cheatham viii!
charge that the figures of the bureau
of statistics have been manipulated In
the interests of certain bearish ele-
ment IN the market here and this
charge will include NOT only the fur-
n;shing Of advance information per
talning to the government figures. bu'
also Justification of those figures. In
the case of The report issued. last Fri
dav. he will Charg" that plans We're
Laid practically Il month in advance.