The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-07-19


6al In Washington.
''These crop reports, especially those
dealing with cotton, have always been
used by growers and manufacturers, as
as well as by spectators, as the basis
FOR their transactions, he continued.
''They have always been regarded by
the planters as above suspicion, and
each report has always established the
price of the white staple approximate
" for the month following.
SIT is now known that these prices
we're as false as the reports themselves:
and the cotton growers OF the South
have been made the victims OF this
gang Of sharpers for two years through
the fundamentally OF department.
intended solely to advance the inter
ests Of the planters.
Deaths and suicides, as well as the
loss OF great fortunes, have followed
the operations OF Edwin S. Holmes,
the Agricultural Department clerk,
and the coterie Of gamblers Of whom
he was the tool.
It has been shown that ne Geno-
erately changed the actual figures IN
the Government reports and made the
cotton market the plaything OF these
gamblers, playing with loaded dice,
who not only knew in advance what
the reports would say, but caused
Holmes to juggle the figures In the re-
ports so as to make them say what
they wanted said, and led to the down.
fall Of some OF the strongest cotton
houses in the county"
The effect Of the revelations in con-
nection with this scandal will be OF
the most unpleasant sort. The Govern
ment spends 5000, 005 year collecting
the statistics, and the declaration that
hereafter they will be safeguarded in
a manner to make leaks impossible Is
regarded In Wall Street as lest.
Strong commercial influences will
be brought to bear upon the President
to order the prosecution OF Holmes.
The Southern Cotton growers Asso-
citation is preparing case for crimi-
nal action and will demand that it be
submitted to the Grand Jury.
That no attempt has been made to
prosecute Edwin S. Holmes, the clerk
responsible for the leak in the cotton
reports, is regarded as inconprehensi.
BILE in New York, unless there Is an
underlying explanation based upon an
effort to save some other Official with
a stronger political pull.
It Is now known that the cotton re-
port OF last Monday was the first that
has been given out in that city in two
ysars that was not anticipated thers
BY some one in collusion with the au-
thorities at Washington.
It is also known that these advance
advices regarding not only cotton re-
ports, but wheat, corn and other crop
reports, went to q number OF opera
tors in New York.
There are at least six decoy "inVes-
tigating departments" in Wall Street
that never investigate, and which have
been established as blinds in order to
make it possible for the men in touch
with Holmes and clerks OF his ilk to
give q semblance Of reSpectability to
their operations.
Whenever they have hit the market
just right, they announce that their
agents throughout the entire South
have sent them in reports which have
tailed exactly with those OF the Gov
eminent, even when, as now known,
the Government reports have been
6octcred to favor bear OF bull mar
ket.
It IS known that last Mondays re-
port was not tampered with, and it is
certain that no advance information
regarding it's contents reached New
York before noon.
As result the cotton market jump
ed 100 points in FIVE minutes.
Something OF technical knowledge is
required to understand this phase OF
dealing in the cotton market. Each
month the Agricultural Department
sends out it's report showing the acre
age Of the cotton crop and it's condi-
tlon. This latter is based upon 100 as
a full crop. Acreage and crop condi-
tion taken together fix the price OF
cotton in speculation, and any altera-
tion In these figures can be made Of
great value to crooked operator in
the cotton market.
The June report was cooked" more
dsringly than any report in years.
The actual crop condition was IS. It
was made to appear in the report
77.2.
The acreage was about l2s below
the normal, and was made to appear
much less.
These statements in the Govern
ment report would tend to show a
greater production Of cotton than
would be shown by the correct tabul2-
tion Of the agents figures, and was in
tended to make q bear market.
When the July report came out 1t
showed the correct acreage, and gave
the condition OF the cotton crop as II.
This showed a smaller crop than was
shown by the June report, and was
something so utterly unexpected that
panic followed in the Cotton E2-
change such as has not been in years.
New York American.
Fatal Runaway.
a special dispatch to The News and
Courier says q distressing accident
happened at Batesburg Monday morn
ing. A mule driven by Robert Kneece
ran away. Kneece got tangled up in
the lines and was thrown from the
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