The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-08-01
Intends to StTaighten Out lls;
 psTtment MuddI,s : 2
HAS AN ENTIRELY NEW PLAN
Four Men of Character, Standing and Education Will Be Selected and Put in Charge of the Statistics
 Bureau.

Oyster Bay, L. l., July 31.-secretary Wilson will reorganize thoroughly the crop statistics bureau of the department of agriculture according to information here tonight. Already 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 a standard of excellence never here tofore achieved. One man has been 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 southern men and both will be experts in cotton and tobacco statis- tics. This in brief is one of the ideas which Secretary Wilson elucidated to President Roosevelt today.
 At the conclusion of his conference Sec retary Wilson talked fiuently about some phases of the work in his department He was alxed whether there was any likeli- hood of his early relnquishment of his portfolio as secretary of agriculture.
 Does Not Intend to Resign.
 'I have not been asked to go. and I'm not intending to resign" said the secre- tary. 'When I went there I found prac- tically nothing but few roll-top desks and half a dozen half-starved scientists. The agricultural department today IS a great department, and we are trying every day to make it better Since took charge of it 2s7 people have been let out of its service for various reasons, many of them on charges of one kind or another We make it d point to keep only flrst-ciass men and women. The purpose of the investigations now in progress is to purge tine department of all selhshness and corfaiption and that end will be ac- complished. It is my purpose and it Is the purpose of the President"
 No. I have not the slightest idea of resigning," continued the secretary. q see MT. Jordan, president of the South ern Cotton association Is demanding my resignation in an interview published to- day. Now l have not a thing to say about MT. Jordan. He may say what he pleases about me. That his own people don't agree with him, however. Is evi- denced by telegram which l have just received. In fact you saw me open it. Here it is:
 Peters Stands By Him.
 Washington, July 31, 1905 " To Hon. James Wilson, Oyster Bay.
 Dear sir:-In reference to an inter- view of President Jordan published in this mornings Washington Post. l will say that cannot endorse it. The farmers and cotton growers of the south have implicit confidence in your honesty and ability to purge the department of all grafters, and they hope the President will not interfere with the great work you
 
 "'E S. PETERS. " President Southern Cotton Growers Association. q have no intention of becoming in- volved in a newspaper controversy with Mir Jordan or anybody eluse: l have my work to do and Pm going to do it.
 What have you to say MT. Secretary, about MT. Jordans statement that you did not collect new figures on the cotton acreagc?"
 'Only this" replied Secretary Wilson, ''The reports which were received by the governments reporters in the field were placed in the hands of the board appointed to make the estimates from them. That boards estimate differed from the esti- mate made by Hyde and Holmse by 3h per cent, that is correct I believe, but if it Is not. it is the report of the field re- porters and not of the department. Hith- erto. it is true, the figures probably have been juggled and changed, but we have eliminated practically any future jugglery of that sort. The situation you understand was peculiar. We probably would never have discovered it, had 1t not been for the fact that two spectators got into a quarrel about woman"
 Concerning the inquiries now being made into the scandals by the department of justice. Secretary Wilson did not care to talk.
 Would Not Be Proper.
 'Manifestly." he said "it would scarce ly be proper for me to discuss the work of another department, particularly in the present circumstances. Only two cases are now before the Attorney Gen eral from my department-that of Holmes and that of Dr. Moore. What may be the result of the inquiries, have no idea Dr. Moore had accomplished some fine results. and if he had only made clear to the department his entire connec- tion with the Nitro Culture company, l think we could have kept him on a straight course
 Then Secretary Wilson outlined his new plans for the bureau of statistics
 Has Entirely New Plan.
 This is entirely new.'' said he. "and never has been published. It is my inten- tion to create a board with Assistant Sec retary Hays at It's head. which shall han dle all crop statistics. I appoj board a little while ago. the members vf which handle the statistics individually and turn in their results to me MT. Hays. The present board is sort of make-shift affair. It was the best we could organize in a hurry from people in the department. It Is my intention to organize a board of four men. two of which will be from the south. The other two will be from other parts of the coun- try. 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 confidence. All re- ports will be sent to me from the field and I will place them at the proper time in the hands of these scientists. Each will be regular employe of the depart ment and they will spend some of their time in travelling in search of any in- formation that may bear upon their work Through the work of this board. think we shall have perfectly reliable estimates made of all crop conditions. This plan