The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-02
Two of These are to Be
Southerners.
WILSON SECURES ONE
The Other Three He Hopes to Find in
a Short Time. He Informs the
President That He has no
intention OF Resign

(By the Associated Press.)

Oyster Bay, N. Y, July 31.-Secre-
tary Wilson will re-organize thor
oughly the crop statistics bureaus of
the Department of Agriculture. AL
ready he is seeking men of character,
standing and education to conduct the
work of the bureau. men in whom the
farmers and growers of the country
will have implicit confidence and who
will place the reports of the bureau
on standard of excellence never here
tofore achieved. One man he has
found. although he does not at this
time wish to publish his name. The
other three he hopes to secure in q
short time. Two OF them will be
Southern men, and both will be eN-
perts in cotton and tobacco statistics
This, in brief, is one of the ideas
which Secretary Wilson elucidated t.
President Roosevelt today.
In response to invitations twice eX.
tended Secretary Wilson visited tbs
President this afternoon. After his VIZ Z
he talked frankly about some phases
of the work He said he had not beer
asked to resign and did not intend t
do so, adding, II am going TO stick
to my post and continue to build ny
that great department. You VIII re
call that when ! went there l found
practically nothing but a few roller
top desks and a half dozen starved
scientists. The Agricultural Depart
nent today is a great department and
sound as a nut.
Since | took charge of it, 279 peo-
pie have been let out of its service fol
various reasons, many of them on
charges. He made it Il point TO keep
only first class men and women. The
purpose of the investigation now IN
progress is 20 purge the department OF
all selfishness and corruption and that
end will be accomplished. II is my
purpose and it is the purpose of the
President"
Peters Not With Jordan.
The Secretary refererd to the fac
that President Jordan, of the Southern
Cotton Growers Association, is de-
handing his resignation; but that MT.
Jordan's own people do not agree with
him he said is evidenced by tele-
gram just received from Vice-Presi
dent E. S. Peters, Of the Southern
Cotton Growers Association, which
read:
elm reference to the interview O
President Harvie Jordan published
this morning i'm the Washington Post,
1 would say that / cannot endorse IL
same. Inc farmers and cotton grow
ers of the South have implicit conf
dence i'm your honesty and ability to
purge the department OF all grtLter
and they nope the President viii not
interfere with the great work you are
now doing for them
The Secretary also displayed another
telegram from William Harvey, who
the Secretary said he understood was
connected with the Merchants Asso
citation of New York, and which
read:
Have sent the President a. telegram
so he will know how the great com
nercial bodies we represent fee
about your department in New York
What about Mr.. Jordan's statemen.
that you did not collect new figure:
on the cotton ACREAGE"
Tine reports which we received
from the departments reporters in
field" he replied, I'VE placed in the
hands of a board appointed to make
new estimates from them. That boards
estimate differed from the estimate
made by Hyde and Holmes by p per
cent That it is correct / believe, but
if it is not, it is the fault Of the field
reporters and not OF the department.
Hitherto it is true, the figures prob
ably have been juggled and changed,
but we have eliminated practically
any opportunity for future Juggling
Of that sort