The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-08-05

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KG%-A94JI afternoon the govern
Wk "a vs. ment crop report for
~ ANkSN the month was made
b. nj public at the depart
az N nent of agriculture.
ESA@slls~lglSS Precisely at the str1k-
&ZgGNSS@ ing of the hour the
door of the office of
the chief statistician opened and AS
sistant Secretary Willet N. Hays ap-
peared, bearing in his hand. a dozen
sheets of paper covered with tgures'
These papers were seized eagerly by
dozen waiting messenger boys, who
rushed off with them to the telegraph
Offices.
Then Mr.. Hays drew a long breath.
'Two hours ago I had no idea what
those totals would be- he unused. I'll
be nightly surprised, though, if there
isn't a story in some paper tomorrow
morning about those same totals being
known to certain favored stockholders
for several days. Twas ever thus"
Mr.. HAYS had not miscalculated. On
the following morning all the leading
dailfes in the country published the re-
port and commented freely upon 1t.
Some of them did little more than hint
darkly at abuses which seemed to pre-
vail in the department. Some of them
printed in full the charges of the South
ern Cotton Growers association that
the reports of the cotton crop were
: "doctored" systematically and furnish
ed in advance to favored operators
But this was by no means the begin
ming of the trouble. Fer months the
criticism and accusation had been go
ing on. Charges had been preferred
against some of the department en-
pIoyees, and some of them had been
asked to resign. The most recent crop
reports were less satisfactory than
ever. 1t was charged. boldly by those
most interested that leaks" were &C
curing constantly. Secret service
agents reported that discriminating evil
dence could be found against more than
one trusted clerk in the statistician's
Office Some of them had become. rich
in most unexplainable and mysterious
manner. The president demanded
speedy reform. Secretary Wilson be-
gan an oyerhauling of the department.
From the first he exhibited a willing
ness to cooperate with all outside eff
forts looking toward a full and i'm
partial investigation and showed in
every way his determination to put an
end to the department abuses and to
restore the government crop report to
its former position in the public conf
dence
About a year ago sharp attack was
made on Chief Statistician John Hyde
by a combination of cotton growers
The matter created a good deal of dis
cussion and i'll feeling. and there was
talk of a congressional investigation,
but nothing was done at the time The
committee of agriculture of the house
gave a preliminary hearing to some of
the charges of jobbery, but it was de-
cided not to attempt a formal inquiry.
Since then Secretary Wilson has been
standing, stanehly by his crop fore
casters. He is thoroughly familiar
with every detail of the complex scheme
by which news of local crop conditions
is picked up from, all parts of the
country and combined. in a comprehen-
sive statement covering the general
situation. The system is surrounded
with so many safeguards to prevent
leakage and most of the men who
handle the reports have been tested
through so many years of temptation
that the secretary has found it very
hard to realize that the methods en-