Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-10
TAKES BACK. NOTHING
Secretary Wilson Will Not
Retract His Statements.
Mr.. PRICES REQUEST
SERIOUS CONSIDERATION GIVEN
TO THE MATTER.
Secretary Says He Would Welcome
Mr.. PRICES REQUEST
Secretary Says He Would Welcome
Some Such Action as is Threat
ened by Mr.. Price.

Secretary. of Agriculture Wilson has no
intention of apologizing to Mr.. Theodore
| H. Price. the New York cotton Spectator.
| for having mentioned the latter In the
| official statement made public Saturday
| as being one of the benehciaries of the
| cotton crop leaks in the bureau of sta
| tistics
This Is a quarrel among gamblers. the
Secretary remarked to a Star man this
morning. brought about by the dissatis-
| faction of some of them in not getting
what they thought was their due
Il have nothing to take back As the
head of an executive department OF the
government. 1t was my duty and my right
to give to the public the result OF the in
vestigation by the secret service agents
into the charges which had been filed. the
investigation of which led up to the dis
| missal of Assistant Statistician Holmes.
Secretary Wilson said he had reached
his decision not to make any retraction of
the statements in the official document in
regard to Price only after serious con-
sideration had been given to Prices re-
quest. presented through his attorney.
William NJ. WINS of New York ito with
draw the unjust, offensive and unsustaned
charges and implications" In question
The Secretary added that he would not
communicate with Mr.. Price or his attor-
ney In any way.
Would Welcome judicial Inquiry.
1t is apparent that the Secretary is not
particularly well satisfied with the result
of the cotton crop leak inquiry and that
he would be glad to the matter gone
into at greater length. The Secretary
stated very plainly this morning that he
would welcome some such action as is
threatened by Price he believed 1t might
be the means of developing some facts
not already uncovered which 1t was ex-
tremely desirable to know To continue
the investigation along the lines followed
by the secret service officers of the Treas
ury Department in the investigation just
concluded would not, the Secretary be-
lieves, be productive of great amount of
good. But the Secretary is inclined to be-
lieve that II Mr.. Price brings suit for libel
against him the resulting testimony and
court proceedings might reveal things of
vital interest and Importance to everybody
concerned.
Secretary Wilson does not know at first
hand Of any connection Mr.. Price may have
had with the leaks from the bureau of sta
tistics.
Secret Service Investigation.
That is one Of the reasons why he be-
lieves that Mr. Prices grievance. If the lat
ter is sincere In his statement that he has
one. should be against the treasury officials
and not against the head of the Agricultu-
| raj Department. The Secretary considers
| that when the report of the secret service
| officials was handed to him he had but one
| course to pursue. He followed that course
| he says. and made public the entire report,
| holding back nothing. AS a matter of fact.
! the Secretary is inclined to believe that his
action In giving out the entire report is
| what has caused most of the aftermath of
| trouble. But he realizes that he was in
| the position of the culprit who hesitated
| between confession and denial and who was
| told by the philosophical sheriff, 1T don
| difference whether
not. You'll swing if you do and youn
| swing if you don't
Not Concerned Over Libel Suit.
| Consequently. so far as the personal elua-
| ton in libel suit is concerned the Secre-
| tary is not concerned. He merely smiles
| grimly. when the possibility is suggested to
him, and snaps his strong jaws together
There is really nothing more for me to
say he told Star man today. after he
had clicked his teeth together and counted
| ten couple of times. "Mr. Cneatham
| brought number of charges to me; |
! turned them over to the secret service Of
| ficers of the Treasury Department; they in
| vestigated and handed me their report and
| / made the report public. That's all there
| was to 1t, except that l Immediately sent
| the report to District Attorney Beach, who
returned 1t after day, with the statement
| that criminal prosecution would not lie"
The Secretary thought for few moments
| and then added. There is one thing YOU
| may mention II YOU care to. 1t IS Simply
| this: That I dismissed Mr.. Holmes from
| the government service on the strength of
| his own letters and his own admis SION"
! And those who are familiar with the Sec
| retarys views on the aftermath of this cot
ton-leak controversy consider that last
statement OF his as fraught with especial
significance.
The President May Act.
| There is a strong impression in certain
Roosevelt vi
| direct Attorney General Moody to review
! the repore of the secret servic officers on
| the cotton-crop report scandal. with view
| to the criminal prosecution of Holmes and
his associates. Many of those familiar
| with the facts In the case would not be
| surprised to learn at any time that Presi-
dent Roosevelt had taken such action.
In this connection 1t must not be forgot
ten that Secretary Richard Cheatham of
the Southern Cotton Growers Association.
| who first presented the charges against
| Holmes to Secretary Wilson, on Saturday
night stated that District Attorney Beach
had intimated that while there was not
| sufficient evidence against Holmes and his
associates in the report turned over to him
| on which indictment might lie, never
| theless. he thought there was a strong
case for conspiracy charge If the matter
were properly handled. The statement made
| by Mr. Beach last night bears out Cheat
hams views to considerable extent.
The District Attorneys Statement.
In that statement Mr.. Beach said:
ION Friday last a report of an investiga--
| ton conducted for the past month by the
secret service division was laid before me
| by the Secretary of Agriculture with the
request that he be speedily advised wheth-
| er one Holmes. some time acting statisti-
clan of the department. was on the facts
stated in the report. individually liable to
criminal prosecution. On the afternoon OF
| the same day advised the Secretary that
on the case as presented to me no such
proceeding would lie. AS to the manner
and on the broader question of a possible
criminal conspiracy / was not consulted.
and any suggestion from me in the then
juncture as to either subject would have
been an improper intrusion upon the adj
ministrative province of the Secretary
TT is the duty OF the district attorney on
complaint regularly lodged. or without
complaint when the facts are within his
knowledge to fairly warrant such a