The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-11
SEC'Y RIIsos A0E'7 RE7RAc7
uo,.ID WELCOME A LIBEL SUIT
BY BROkER PRICE.
.Thls is quarrel Among Gamblers lie
said. drought About by the Dlssatis-
,,r,ion Of Some OF Them In Not Getting
vho, Thc, Thought Was Their Due

;,,ero.t!ng devalopm nts in connection
'+,,h ,ho cotton scandal to-day. The first
uos the announcement Of secretary OF
agriculture Wilson that he had no inten-
ZION Of apologlzing to Theodore H. frioe'
,he New York cotton Spectator, Tor having
r,cn,inrod Prices name 10 the oiiic!a! state
,,ert given out Saturday; the second was
~, contamination of the authorities to re-
,o- the Holmes case to legal officers OF the
ca,er,,uent with view to ascertalning
rbetber he can be prosecuted on a charge
~ bribery; the third was the issuance OF a
abatement by George y, McCabe, sohcltor
~ the Department Of Agriculture. in which
he saws that United States District Attorney
Morgan II Beach informed Secretary VIII
son that the evidence submitted to the
Secretary convinced him that prosecution
AGAINST Holmes could not be maintained.
secretary Wilson did not mince words in
discussing the demand made upon him by
Mr.. Prics for a retraction'
This is quarrel among gamblers,
The Secretary said, brought about by
the dissatisfaction Of some Of them in not
Getting what they thought was their due.
I have nothing to take back. AS the head
~ an executive department Of the Govern
men, it was my duty and my right to give
n the public the result of the investiga
,;on hv the Secret Service agents into the
charges which had been filed. the invest-
cation Of which led up to the dismissal
Of Assistant S,atistician Holmes.
Secretary Wilson said he had reached
his decision not to make any retracton
NJ the statements in the official document
in regard to Price only after serious con-
sheraton had been given to Prices re-
quest. presented through his attorney,
william NJ. Wins of New York, TO with
draw the unjust offensive and unsus-
tanned charges and implications in ques-
ton. The Secretary added that he would
not communicate with Mr. Price or his
attorney in any way.
There is good reason to believe that
President Roosevelt will instruct the At
tornev General to review the report of the
Secret Service agents on the cotton crop
scandal with view to criminal prosecu-
ton Of Holmes and his associates.
1t must not be forgotten that Secretary
Richard Cheatham of the Southern Cotton
Growers Association, who first presented
the charges against Holmes to Secretary
Wilson on Saturday night. said that Dis
trct Attorney Beach had intimated that
while there was not sufficient evidence
against Holmes and his associates in the
report turned over to him on which an in
dctment might lie, nevertheless he thought
there was a strong case for conspiracy
charge if the matter were properly handled.
The statement made by Mr. Beach last night
bears out Mr.. Cheatham's views to con-
siderable extent.
bar lie. ,lit nf hot
the Department Of Justice and the De-
parment Of Agriculture as to the nature
Of the opinion rendered by Mr.. Beach in
the case. AS MIR. Beach expresses his side
Of the story, he evidently informed Secre-
tary Wilson that in order to prosecute,
addit onal evidence would have to be Sc
cured. Internationally Secretary Wilson's
statement was not complete. The de-
partment's position is outlined in state
ment made public to-day by George p.
McCabe as follows:
About 10 A. NJ, Friday, July I, under
Instructions from the Secretary of Agri-
culture, | called upon Mr.. Beach. United
States Attorney for the District Of Columbia,
taking with me the Secret Service operative
who mad made the investigation in the
reported Leakage on the cotton crop report.
The Secretary instructed me to place all
ment and the original report Of the Secret
Service operative in the hands of Mr.. Beach,
and to request that official to advise the
Secretary whether, in his opinion, a criminal
action would lie against any of the parties
named in the evidence or in the report. l
carried out the instru ctions of the Secre-
tary, and further told him that the Secre-
tary desired to have his opinion on the
matter as soon as possible, and asked
whether it would handicap him in his efforts
to maintain a prosecution If the Secretary
gave report Of the investigation to the
newspaper men pending Mr. Beach's de-
termination of the matter. Mr.. Beach
replied that he did not want one word to
he made public until he had time to go over
the matter and satisfy himself as to whether
or not an offense had been committed and
prosecution could be maintained.
Upon my suggestion Mr.. Beach called
up the Secretary Of Agriculture by tele-
phone and advised him of the fact that he
did not want publicity at that time and
that he would communicate with the Secre-
tary as soon as possible. On Friday after
noon between 2 and 8 o'clock Mr.. Beach
called upon the Secretary in person and
returned all the papers, and stated that
prosecution would not lie The whole
question was presented to Mr.. Beach, l. e.,
been committed and whether in his
opinion criminal prosecution could be
maintained
Secretary Wilson is not satisfied with
the outcome OF the recent investigation
and he would be glad to see the matter
gone, into at greater length. He very
plainly intimated to-day that he would
welcome some such action as is threatened
by Price, as he believed it might be the
means OF developing some facts not already
uncovered which it was extremely desirable
to know. The Secretary is inclined to
believe that if Mr.. Price brings suit for
libel against him the resulting testimony
and court proceedings might reveal things
oil vital interest and Importance to every
fody concerned
Secretary Wilson does not know at first
land of any connection Mr.. Price may have
had with the leaks from the Bureau of Sta
,stlcs. That is one of the reasons why he
believes that Mr., Prices grievance, if the
latter is sincere in his statement that he
mas one Should he against the Treasury
n1'hclaIs and not against the head of the
Agricultural Department. The Secretary
Considers that when the report of the Secret
service officials was handed to him he had
but one course to pursue. He followed that
course, he says, and made public the entire
report, holding back nothing. As a matter
OF TACT the Secretary is inclined to believe
mat his action in giving out the entire re-
port Is what has caused most Of the after
nath of trouble. But he realizes that he
was IN the position Of culprit who hest
tated between confession and denial and
w v,t was told by the philosophical Sheriff
IT don't make no difference whether
&c