The San Francisco call., 1905-08-01
WILSON HOLDS
To HIS PLACE
Secretary of Agriculture
Has No Intention of
Resigning Under Fire
WILL EXPEL RASCALS
General Cleanup to Be
Made in the Discredited
Crop Statistics Bureau

OIUp StdtlSIlcS Du1Cdu
OYSTER BAY. July Sl.-secretary VIII
son will reorganize thoroughly the crop
statistics bureau department of the agri-
cultural department., according to lnfor-
nation here tonight. Already he is
seeking men OF character, standing and
education TO conduct the work of the bu-
reau-men in whom the farmers and
growers OF the country will have implicit
confidence and who will place the. re-
ports of the bureau on a standard Of ex-
cellence never heretofore 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
short time Two of them will be South
ern men, and both will be experts in cot
ton and tobacco statistics.
This, in brief, is one the ideas
which Secretary Wilson elucidated to
President Roosevelt to-day.
At the conclusion of the conference
Secretary Wilson talked frankly about
some phases of the work in his depart
ment He was asked whether there was
any likelihood of his early REIMBURSEMENT
of his portfolio as Secretary of Agrieul-
ture. He replied with smile:
do you remember the story of Andrew
Fairs service in Sir Walter Scotts Rob
Roy? Andrews master was going TO
discharge him. In fact he told him to go.
Andrew said:
81 won't 60
Why not?' asked the master
Because l won't replied Andrew.
"'Well, you are discharged declared
the. master.
~ won't CO. retorted Andrew. If
you don't know when you have good
servant know when have good mas
ter
Mine is not a precisely parallel case.
continued the Secretary; but it serves to
illustrate the situation. l have not been
asked to go and lam not intending to re-
sign. 1 am going to stick to my post and
continue to build up that great depart
ment. You will recall that when l went
there 1 found practically nothing but
few roll top desks and a half-dozen half
starved scientists. Since that time we
have built UP an important branch of the
Government. The Agricultural Depart
ment to-day is great department, ana,
l may say, is as sound as a nut. We are
trying every day to make it better. Since
L took charge of it 279 people have been
let out of its service for various reasons,
many of them on charges of one kind or
another. We make it a point to keep
only first-class men and women. The
purpose ofsthe inve stigations now in prog
ress is to purge the department OF all
selfishness and corruption, and that end
wiz be accomplished. 1t is my purpose,
ard it is the purpose of the President
Have you heard anything about Mr.:
Hyde?'
We'll, he has gone to Europe" re-
piled the Secretary, grimly. L had no
idea he was going away from the coun-
tfy when he left the department. i re-
ceived a letter from Mrs. Hyde, explain
,eiIH III IL DC
departure; that she had purchased her
self his steamship transportationf and
had insisted that he go away, on ac-
count of his health. Sne said he was
in danger of a nervous collapse"
Concerning the inquiries now being
made as TO the scandals by the Depart
ment Of Justice, Secretary Wilson did
not care to talk
"Manifestly," said he, sit would
scarcely be proper for me to discuss
the work of another department, par
ticularly in the present circumstances.
Only two cases now are before the At
torney General from my department,
that of Holmes and that of DR.. Moore.
What may be the result of the in
quiries have no idea. DR.. Moore had
accomplished some fine results, and if
he had only made clear to the depart
ment his entire connection with the
Nitro-Culture Company, L think we
could have kept him on straight
course"
Then Secretary Wilson outlined his
new plan for the Bureau of Crop Sta
tistics. Said he:
1T is my intention to create board
with Assistant Secretary Hays at its
head, which shall handle all crop sta
tistics l appointed board a little
while ago, the members of which handle
the statistics individually and turn in
their results to me or Mr.. Hays. The
present board is a sort of makeshift
affair 1t was the best we could or
ganize in hurry from people in the
department, 1t is my intention to or
ganize n hoard of four men, two of
whom will be from the South The
other two will be from other parts of
the country. They will be the best
men we can find in the country-men
of character, standing and education.
They will be scientific experts in whom
the country will have absolute conf
dence. All reports will be sent to me
from the field and 1 will place them at
the proper time in the hands of these
scientists Each will make up his es-
innate and the four estimates will be
received by me or by Assistant Secre-
tary Hays The members Of the board
will be regular employees of the depart
ment and they will spend some of their
time in travelling in search of any in
formation which may bear upon their
work"