The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-07-14
WHY THE REQUEST WAS MADE
Outcome of Recent Correspondence
Between Secretary Wilson and Mr.
Hubbard

Washington, July PA new and
interesting phase of the cotton leak in
vestigation was developed today
through the publication of the letter
Of Walter G. Hubbard, president of the
New York cotton exchange, addressed
to President Roosevelt, in which the
writer declared that the members of
the exchange had been greatly shock
ed by the recent disclosures of venality
in the Department of Agriculture, -
and requesting full investigation of
the methods which led to the corrup-
ton with view of preventing the pos
sibility Of recurrence. That letter is
believed here to be the outcome of re
cent correspondence between Secretary
Wilson and Mr.. Hubbard, in which the
latter called upon the secretary to
make him a public apology because he
had seine years ago called the secre-
tary's attention to alleged leaks and
that no notice had been given the sug
gestion. The secretary wrote a tart
reply, in which he Informed Mr.. Hub
bard that he owed no one an apology
IL the light of having done his duty to
the best of his ability, and that when
be got anything that looked like facts
Ec ScllI 10 tllO secret S0ENlcS
officers to hunt down.
The case to which Mr.. Hubbard re.
ferred in his recent letter to the secre-
taIy occurred in 1900. On December
20, Of that year, Mr.. Hubbard sent the
secretary certain papers showing that
Il MIR. Steinberger wanted to sell infOr
nation to a New York cotton broker
age firm, claiming that he could get it
iii advance from the department. Sec
retary Wilson Immediately turned the
matter over to the secret service Off
GERS, but in about week Chief Wilkie
reported that ''it looks like an attempt
of Steinberger to abuse the New York
firm"
After allowing two months to elapse
and not hearing anything further, the
sc cretary, on March 26tf, 1901, called
upon the secret service for information
as to whether they had made any dis
coveries. On the following day Secre-
tary of the Treasury Gage replied as
follows:
'The action of this man who wanted
to sell information was done with the
hope of being able to sell information:
but as a matter of fact his efforts to
obtain the advance information failed,
as he received no assistance from the
PERSON in Washington upon whom h:
depended for information
This report of Mr.. Gage was trans
mitted to Mr. Hubbard by Secretary
Wilson the next day, and the matter
was allowed to drop, but in January,
1902, Mr.. Hubbard complained of hav-
ing been advised that Southern ginnerS
were sending to the department re-
turns of their ginning operations bear
ing date of December % and 23, ''and'
said Mr.. Hubbard, Il am unable to un-
de1stand why additional returns from
ginners- should be obtained, since tie
result is TO be published.' 1t seems,
However. that the Department of Asri
culture had not called for any ginners'
statistics at that time. but that the cir
cularS had been issued from the CEN
sus bureau.
In the same month Mr.. Hubbard
wrote the Department of Agriculture
asking for certain information on cot.
ton, but the secetary in the covers of
& sharp letter denying the request,
written under date of January II, 1902.
said:
1--WE take the ground here that moth
ing goes out unless it goes to the whole
people. We have no favOrites.'
Secretary Wilson today permitted an
order to show that as far back as five
years ago he had taken prompt action
to discover any leaks in his office.