Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-06-12
TROUBLE FOR WILSON.
Congressman EIIerbe Is Cock Sure of
Fraud In Agricultural Department.

Congressman EIlerbe Is Cock Sure Of
Fraud In Agricultural Department.
The trouble that Richard Cheatham,
Harvie Jordan, and other Southern
Cotton Growers made for Secretary
Wilson. of the department of agricul-
ture and his force last summer would
appear now to be a mere passing in
contrast to the storm that is about to
break in consequence Of that res
olution introduced in the house few
days ago by Representative Ellerbe,
says a Washington dispatch:
The South Carolina man by his res
olution has come out fiat-footed and
above board and charged that through
the manipulations Of shrewd, scheming
officials in Secretary Wilson's force
this official has allowed a bad blum
der to be made in the cotton crop es-
innate for this year. and he says fur
ther that 1t Is time for this sort of
thing to stop.
When Mr.. Ellerbe was seen last Sat
urday concerning the matter, he said
Il have nothing further to say regard
ing this question other than what has
already appeared in the columns of the
press, unless it be that do not believe
the statement coming from the de-
partment of agricultural department
today to the effect that the estimate OF
the cotton acreage made by the de-
partment is absolutely beyond dispute.
OF course, that is just what any one
would expect to hear. No one would
think for a moment that Officials of
the department would admit that such
an error, if it is an error, could be
made. 1t is past comprehension how
such things occur.
Il said in my statement to the pres
ident that the department is unable to
show returns from it's correspondents
justifying the absurd increase which
they report in the cotton crop in OK
lahoma and the Indian Territory, and
the increase there Is just double what
the figures will warrant Judging by
my own state and North Carolina, the
estimate is incorrect. AS a represent
ative of the south and in justice to
her greatest industry, l am going to
push this matter through to the very
last and find the real reason for these
erroneous cotton estimates.
This resolution that | have intro
duced Is now before the committee on
agriculture. Before the estimate was
made by the department a few days
ago, | requested of Secretary Wilson
the privilege of having two or three
members of congress present at the
taDluatlon OF the ngureS; tnlS pTopoSl-
ton was absolutely refused, the sec
retary giving as his reason that he did
not care to have any more scandal
connected with the department; that
the figures were correct, and that he
would do his own counting"
1t has been learned from other
southern congressman that many OF
them applied for permission to witness
the tabuating of the returns and were
similarly treated.
This has caused some hard talk to
be INDUCED in by southern members
from the cotton growing states, and
some of them do not hesitate to say
that If the work of the department is
found to be wrong as Representative
Ellerbe says it undoubtedly Is. the
secretary's official head must drop off;
that they will not longer stand for
such work Whilst most of them say
that in Secretary Wilson, personally,
they place the highest confidence, that
he has shown himself totally unfit for
the office he holds: that the cotton crop
Is too valuable an asset to be thus
played and toyed with, and that they
will demand of the president that some
one be placed at the head of the agri-
cultural department that everybody
can't fool at the expense of the cotton
growers.