The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1905-07-20
President of New York Cot
ton Exchange After Wilson.
WRITES TO ROOSEVELT
Members Of Exchange Greatly Shock.
ed by Disclosures Of VenaIity in
Agricultural Department-New
Phase is Added to Scandal.

A Washington special says: A new
and interesting phase of the cotton
leak investigation was developed on
Wednesday through the publication Of
the letter Of Walter C. Hubbard, the
president of the New York cotton ex.
change, addressed to President Roose.
velt, in which the writer declared
that the members of the exchange
had been greatly shocked by the re-
cent disclosures of venality in the de-
partnent of agriculture" and request.
ing a full investigation OF the meth
DDS which led to the corruption with
a view OF preventing the possibility
OF recurrence. That letter, it is be-
lieved Is the outcome of some recent
correspondence betweea Secretary
Wilson and Mr.. Hubbard, in which
the latter called upon the secretary
to make him a public apology because
be had some years ago called the Sec
retary's attention to alleged leaks,
and that no notice had been given
the suggestion.
The secretary wrote a tart reply,
in which he informed Mr.. Hubbard
that he owed no one an apology in
the light Of having done mis- duty to
the best Of his ability and that, when
be got anything that looked like facts,
promptly sent them to the secret ser.
vice officers to hunt down
The case to which Mr.. Hubbard re-
ferred in his recent letter to the sec-
retary occurred in 1900. On Decem.
Der 20 of that year Mr.. Hubbard sent
the secretary certain papers showing
that a Mr.. Steinberger wsrted to sell
information to a New York cotton
brokerage firm, claiming that he got
it in advance Of the department. Sec
retary Wilson Immediately turned the
matter over to the secret service Of.
ficers, but in about week Chief VIII
kie reported that 1T looks Hike an at
tempt Of Steinberger to bunco the
New York firm" After allowing two
months to elapse and not hearing fur
them, the secretary, on March 26, 1901,
called upon the secret service for In
formation as to whether they had
made any discoveries. On the follow
ing day Secretary of, the Treasury
Gage replied, as follows: 'The action
of this man, who wanted to sell in
formation, was done with the hope
of being able to sell information. but,
as a matter of fact, his efforts to OBJ
tain the advance information failed,
as he received no assistance from the
person in Washington upon whom he
depended for information"
Hubbard Complained Long Ago.
The 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 jan
uary, 1902, Mr.. Hubbard complained
of having been advised that southern
ginnefs were sending to the depart
ment returns of their ginning opera
tions bearing date Of December % or
%, "and," said Mr.. Hubbard, "1 am
unable to understand why additional
returns from ginners should be OBJ.
tanned, since the result is to be pub
lished." It seems, however, that the
department Of agriculture had not call
ed for any ginners' statistics at that
time, but that the circulars had been
issued from the census bureau.
In the same month Mr.. Hubbard
wrote the department Of agriculture,
asking for certain information on cot
ton, but the secretary, in the course
of a. sharp letter, denying the request,
written under date Of January II, 1902,
said: eve take the ground here that
nothing goes out unless it goes to
the whole people. We have no favor
ties" Secretary Wilson, Wednesday,
permitted the examination Of the cor
respondence, In order to show that as
far back as five years ago he had
taken prompt action to discover any
leaks in his Office.