The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-07-12
Leakage in the Cotton Report
Is Officially Confirmed.
HOW IT WAS WORKED
The Secret Service Men Show How Goy-
ernment Employee and New York
Brokers We're Ia CoIlusion.
Holmes, the RsscalIy En-.
ployes, Dismissed.

A dispatch from Washington says
as the result Of the Investigation by
secret service agents into the charges
made by Richard Cheatham, secretary
Of the Southsrn Cotton association,
that information had been given to
cotton brokers in New York by some
person or perscrs in the bureau OF
statistics OF tie department OF sgricul.
ture, Secretary Wilson Saturday made
public an ctficial report in which be
states that EdWins, Holmes, the asso
ciate statistician, has been guilty OF
''juyglirg'' the cMcial report. TIE re-
port says it has been found that Nj.
Holmes communicated advance lntor-
nation to L G. Van Riper, New
York broker, and N. Haas OF New
York, who Mr.. Van Riper said, acted
asa go between in converting infcrna-
tion from Holmes to other New York
brokers, including Theodore Price.
STEPS have been taken By Secretary
Wilson to prevent any further leakage
Of the department figures and an entire
reorganiza alton OF the bureau Of stats.
tics and manner Of preparing monthly
crop reports has been outlined oy
him.
The papers in correction with the
Investigation were referred to the
United States attorney for the Dis
trict OF Colun bia and he has reported
that in his opinion a criminal 2roSecu-
tion will not lie against Holmes.
Holmes has been dismissed from the
serTice Of the department.
According to the report, Wilson
Judd OF New York, formerly in the
employ CT L. C. Van Riper, induced
the latter to tell of his connections
with Holmes and then communicates
the Information to Mr.. Cheatbam.
Van Ripper became the principal wit
ness in the Investigation conducted by
the secret service a1i said be was in
duce6 to ccmn unicate the fact that
advance information was being given
out by Holmes because be had heard
that Holmes and his associates had
intended to try to manipulate the June
cotton report. Using this information
as foundation the secret service
agents interviewed numerous persons
who bad been mentioned by Judd and
Van Riper, as well as gathering mass
of correspondence including many let.
tiers witten by Holmes to Van Ripper
and others.
The report made to Secretary vii
son and the seeretary's comments to-
gether with the details OF the new plan
OF conducting the buresu OF statistics
makes more than ( 900 words. It re-
views the entire Investigation begin
ming with Il q charg S III t we're laio
before Secretary Wilson by Nj. Cheat
ham several weeks ago.
CHARGES BY CaEATHAM.
The charges OF Mr. Cheatham were
backed up with evidence that certain
information had been given to cotton
brokers in New York by some person
or persons employed in the bureau OF
statistics, relative to the acreage and
condition OF the c)ttcn crop OF the
United States prior to the ofd;ial pub
ic2tion Of the information, and that
the crop figures had been tampsFed
with in the department., in the inter-
ests OF certain cotton SPECTATORS. SEC
retary Wilson determined at once upon
a thorough investigation and furnished
the cfcers Of the United States Sc
cret service all OF the evidence which
had been given to the department..
The agents then were put in touch
with Mr.. Cheatham and directed to
use every possible effort to ascertain
whether there had been leak in the
department. and II so to furnish the
secretary with the name It the per-
son OF persons responsible. Holmes is
the only enploye OF the government
who has been found to have had any
connection with supplying information
to brokers prior to the publication OF
the Official report.
After reviewing the charges S;c-e-
tary Wilson gives a summary Of the
testimony ad6uced before secret SER
vice agents. Mr.. Van Ripper, the New
York broker, under examination, said
be became acQ tainted with Holmes in
New York in August, 1904, through
mutual friend" According to this
testimony Holmes told Van Ripper he
could get information concerning the
government crop report, principally
through the report OF the general
agent and the reports OF the State
agents. Van Rlper said Holmes fur
nished him with information from
time to time, Tor several months, in
advance OF the publication OF the otf
cial figures, and that the information
furnished by Holmes corresponded ex-
actly With the figures afterwards pub
lished as the official crop reports Van
Ripper stated that Mr.. Haas OF New
York acted as go between Tor
Holmss and himself and he was given
to understand tnsg Haas was securing
information for Theodore Price, a cot
ton broker Of New York. The wit
ness said be met Haas at the Hotel
Waldorf and was tod by him that the
report for June 1905 would be IS per
cent. on condition, and l23 or l3 per
cent. on acreage, which was as bear
ish as they could make it: and that be
was going to see Price, with whom be
would have an interview and wanted
to see Van Ripper after he saw Price;
that in about an hour Haas called on
him and said that as the request Of
Price he vas going to Washington to
see il they could not get the percent
age little higher and the acreage a
little smaller 70 make the report more
bearish. Van Ripper testified that
the otfcial report waS more beaflSh
than the figures previously given him
and that he took this to mean that
the effort TO influence the report had
succeeded.
WRITTEN By HOLMES.
1o-