Omaha daily bee., 1905-07-10
PRICE CALLS UPON WILSON
Cotton Broker Demands that Department
Withdraw Report.
SECRETARY DECLINES 10 TAKE ANY ACTION
He Says the statement Regarding
the Leakage IL work of
secret Service ON
ciaIs.

/ WASHINGTON, July 9.-Theodore II.
Price of New York arrived in Washington
| today and through his attorney requested
| Secretary Wilson to withdraw what Mr..
! Price characterizes as the unjust, offen-
! sive and unsustained charges and implica-
! lions" contained in the report made public
yesterday In connection with the removal
Of Edwin S. Holmes, jr., the assistant
statistcian Of the Department of Agricul-
ture. Mr.. Price stated later that the sec
rotary had his request under consideration
Meantime Mr.. Price has secured from Rich
ard Cheatham the following signed state
| ment:
| Mr.. Cheatam states that after the evil
| dence which he had furnished to Secretary
! Wilson was TUNED over to the secret serv-
| Ice department, his services were enlisted
| by that department to assist the men in
| whose charge the matter was placed TO Sc
| cure any additional evidence regarding the
case. 1t decided that more evidence
might be secured I'm New York and In the
| hope of doing so the secret service agent,
| accompanied by Mr.. Cheatham, went there
| for that purpose.
After working together in close touch
| Tor two or three days, during which time
number of persons who were supposed TO
| know something about the case were eX-
! amined by the secret service agent alone
| and after having fully gone over the ground
and examining each one who in the opin-
ion OF the secret service agent and Mr..
! Cheatham could possibly have any connec-
ton with the AFFAIR, Mr.. Cheatham left New
/ York. Before leaving he had a long con-
! ference with the secret service agent, who
| expected to leave few hours later. Dur
| ing this conference full discussion of the
| matter was had and Mr.. Cheatham insisted
| that the secret service agent call to see Mr..
| Theodore Price before leaving the city for
| the purpose of finding out what connection
| he had with the case, If any, as his name
submitted as evidence Mr.. Cheatham was
| informed by the secret service agent that
| he had not been able to secure any evil
! dence from that in the least con-
| nected Mr.. Price with the affair and that
| he had been told by Mr.. Haas that ne
! Haas did not know Mr.. Price and he mad
! not had any connection with him In any
] way.
| Up to the time that Mr. Cheatham left
| New York he was informed by the secret
service men that he had not seen Mr.. Price
| for the reasons above stated and would not
| do So as 1t was his opinion that 1t would
| be useless as he had not been able to Sc
cure any evidence that would implicate Mr..
! Price. Up to the time the secret service
| closed its report Mr.. Cheatham remained
In close touch with 1t for the purpose Of
! furnishing it with any facts connected
with the case, that were o6tainable. MI r:
! Cheatham stated that he failed to learn of
| any new facts or even suggestions from
anyone who might know that Mr.. Price was
! connected with the matter. Consequently
Mr. Cheatham was very much surprised
when he first noticed in the report first
given out by Secretary Wilson to the press,
/ the name of Theodore Price mentioned so
prominently in connection with the case, as
| he did not know of any evidence having
been presented or secured by anyone ri tna I
! name in connection with the affair.
(Signed) RICHARD CHEATHAM.
Wilson stands Pat.
! Secretary Wilson told Mr. Price, as he
! had William M. Ivans, his attorney, earlier
in the day, that he had no statement to
make along the lines requested. The secre-
tary explained in detail how the matter
/ had been brought to his attention by Mr..
/ VanRiper through Mr.. Cheatham and he
had in turn referred it to the secret serv-
ice division of the Treasury department by
officials of which this investigation had
! been conducted. Their report had been
made to him and he in turn had made it
public. What had been made public, there
fore. the secretary explained. was entirely
the work Of the secret service, except that
| portion of his statement which related to
the reorganization OF the statistician's
office. Under these circumstances, he added,
he did not feel called on to make an ex-
PLANTATION or withdraw anything that had
been given out. II Mr. Cheatham saw ft
to make statement regarding the matter,
as Mr.. Price told the secretary Mr. Cheat
ham had, that was very well and good.
Statement by District Attorney.
District Attorney Morgan H. Beach to-
night declined to discuss the question
whether any action would be taken by his
Office in the case He, however, made the
following statement:
| OFFICE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY
! FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA,
July 9.-On Friday last a report of an in
vestigation conducted for the last month
by the secret service division was laid be-
fore Ine by the secretary of agriculture
with the request that he be speedily ad-
vised whether one Holmes sometime act
ing stahstician of the department, was on
the facts in the report, individually liable
| to criminal prosecution.
On the afternoon of the same day ! a
| vlsed the secretary that on the case as pre-
scented to me no such proceeding would lie.
| AS to the manner in which the investi-
CATION was conducted or on the broader
question of a possible criminal conspiracy
was not consulted, and any suggestion
subject would have been an improper in
trusion upon the administrative province of
the secretary
II is the duty OF the district attorney
on complaint regularly lodged, without
complaint when the facts within his own
knowledge fairly warrant such a course,
to present to the grand jury alleged viola
lions OF law, but 1t is equally his duty to
avoid the slightest encroachment on ques-
lions of mere administration in an execu-
tive department.
A possibility that the action of the sec
rotary may be misunderstood or that the
connection of my ONCE with the subject
may not be clearly defined is the warrant
for this statement
(Signed) MORGAN II. BEACH