The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-07-24
BEACH IS VERY ACTIVE
 IN GETTING EVIDENCE
Subpoenas have been Issued for Many Witnesses and the Holmes Case Will Be Taken
 Up Today.

Washington, D. C., July 23.-(Special)- The grand jury has been called to meet tomorrow for the purpose of considering the agricultural department scandal The case of Edwin S. Holmes. Jr., the dis missed assistant statistcan, will be pre- scented 10 it by District Attorney Beach and with it the names of several per- sons outside the department and probably of some within It. In addition to these specific cases the grand jury will be in- vted to consider the whole situation in the agricultural department.
 Subpoenas have been issued for a large number of witnesses, including the New York brokers who have figured in the scandal. This sis the outcome of Mir. Beach's labors since the time when Sec retary Wilson announced to the world that the scandal was closed with the dismissal of Holmes, and that there was no ground on which Holmes or anyone else could be prosecuted. At that time MT. Wilson asserted that his decision was based on the advice of MT. Beach and that the district attorney, after ex- amining all the evidence. decided that criminal proceedings would not lie.
 RsHr,1-S1 kd !ssue.
 MT Beach pf4 m Issue with the Secretary and declared that he had given no such opinion. What he had said was that on the case as presented by the Secretary. there was no ground for pros- ecution, but he had not been asked to consider any case involving conspiracy and had consequently given no opinion on that subject. Directly after this Pres ident Roosevelt took the case out of Secretary Wilson's hands and turned it over to the department of justice. Nom- inally, Solicitor General Hoyt as the ranking officer. was in charge. Actually. the bulk of the work has been done by the district attorney. He has visited New York and consulted with the persons there who are interested in and connected with the case and he has been in almost con stant conference with Richard Cheatham, secretary of the Southern Cotton Crow CTS association, who has furnished the government its best information.
 Mir. Cheatham, who originally came here in the character of a complainant endeavoring to secure justice at the hands of the agriculture department. has lately been here in the character of a man assisting the department of justice to secure evidence against the depart ments. He has placed a good deal of evil dence at the disposal of MT. Beach and the district attorney has been constantly at work on this matter. MT. Beach be- lieves he has now found that there Is legal ground for prosecution of the of lenders and he will so represent to the grand jury which he has summoned to- morrow instead of its regular day in Sep tember
 Evidence Is Strong.
 While the officials of the department of justice are reluctant to talk about the case, they are confident that the evidence in their hands Is such as will warrant indictments and also a strong presentment against the condition of things in the department of agriculture It Is the general opinion that the outcome will be a severe blow to Secretary Will son, who at every stage of the scandal has been several steps In the rear of the procession. First he declined to admit the possibility of leak, then when he had investigated Cheathams charges he de- clared that Holmes only was involved and that even he could not be prosecuted. Then he refused to admit the necessity of correcting the June report and still stands to the report juggled by Holmes. He resisted the attempts of Cheathann to get John Hyde out of the department It was by President Roosevelt's order and not Mir Wilson's that Assistant Sec retary Hayes was placed in charge of the statistical bureau, and 1t was by the Presidents order that MT. Beach began his investigation.
 MT. Wilson 1t is generally agreed. is Tn an unfortunate position. His absolute rectitude is not doubted in any wav hv anybody, but his failure to rise to each successive step of the investigation and put himself in the position of q resol,,te investigator, it is believed, may endaneer his place in the cabinet