The Kemper herald. (Scooba, Miss.) 1875-1908, 1905-07-13
SOLD INFORMATION TO
NEW YORK COTTON BROKERS
EDWIN S. HOLMES, ASSOCIATE STATSTICIAN IN DEPART.
MENT OF AGRICULTURE, DISMISSED In DISGRACE.

Washington AS the result of the
Investigations of the secret service
agents into the charge made by Rich
ard Cheatham, secretary of the South
ern Cotton Growers Association, that
information had been given to cotton
brokers in New York by some person
or persons connected with the bureau
Of statistics Of the department of ag-
riculture, Secretary Wilson made pub
lie an official report in which he states
that Edwin S. Holmes, the associate
statistician, has been guilty of "jug-
Cling" it has been found that Mr..
Holmes communicated advance infor-
nation to L. C. Van Ripper, a New
York broker, and M. Haas of New
York who, Mr.. Van Ripper said, acted
as a go-between to conveying informa-
ton from Holmes to other New York
brokers, including Theodore Price.
Steps have taken by Secretary Will
son to prevent any further leakage OF
the department figures and an entire
reorganization of the bureau OF stat
istics and manner of preparing, month
ly crop reports has been outlined by
him. The papers in connection with
the investigation were referred to the
United States attorney for the Dis
trict of Columbia, and he has report
ed that in his opinion a criminal pros
e%cution will not lie against Holmes
Holmes has been dismissed from the
service Of the department.
The charges by Mr. Cheatham were
backed up with evidence that certain
information had been given to cotton
brokers in New York by some person
or persons employed in the bureau Of
statistics, relative to the acreage and
condition of the cotton crop of the
United States prior to the official pub
LEGATION Of the information and that
the crop figures had been tempered
with in the department in the inter
est of certin cotton speculatlors
Secretary Wilson determined at once
upon a thorough investigation and fur
nished the officers of the United
States secret service all of the evil
dence which had been given to the de-
partment. The agents then were put
in touch with Mr.. Cheatham and di-
rected to use every possible effort to
ascertain whether there had been a
leak in the department and it so to
furnish the secretary with the name
of the person or persons responsible.
Holmes is the only employe of the
government who has been found to
have had any connection with sup
plying information to brokers prior to
the publication of the official report.
After reviewing the charges Sec
rotary Wilson gives a summary OF tes-
timony addueed before secret service
agents. Nh. Van Ripper, the New York
broker, under examination said he be-
came acquainted with Holmes in New
York in August, 1904, through a
''mutual friend" According to this
testimony, Holmes told Van Ripper he
could get information concerning the
government crop report probably
through the report of the general
agents and the reports of the state
agents. Van Ripper said Holmes fur
nished him with information from
time to time, for several months in adj
vance of the publication of official
figures and that the information fur
nished by Holmes corresponded exact
ly with the figures afterward publish
ed by the bureau as the official crop
reports. Van Ripper stated that Haas
of New York, acted as a go between
for Holmes and himself, and was CIV
en- to understand that Haas was secur-
ing information for Theodore Price,
, cotton broker Of New York. The
witness said hal he met Haas at the
Hotel Waldorf and was told by him
that the report for June, 1905, would
be Is per cent on condition and II
1-2 or l per cent, on acreage which was
as bearish as they could make it and
that he was going to see Price with
whom he would have an interview and
wanted to see Van Ripper after he saw
Price; that in about an hour Haas
called on him and said that at the re-
quest Of Price he was going to Wash
ing;on to see if they could not get the
percentage a little higher and the
acreage a little smaller to make the re-
port more bearish. Van Ripper testi-
fed that the official report previously
given him and that he took this mean
that the effort to influence the report
had succeeded.
The letters produced by Van Ripper
which he alleged were written by
Holmes, were all signed with the in
itial eth"
Most of these letters were for the