The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-06-11
Secretary of Agriculture Nit- k ness in Holmes Trial
BALANCE COULD BE FORGED
Says Some Seem to Have Had Access to Statistics In Advance of Pub ication of the
 Same.

Washington, June 10.-Secretary Wilson of the department of agriculture was the principal witness before the supreme court of the District of Columbia today in the trial of former Assistant Statistic ian Holmes on the charge of prematurely divulging cotton condition reports. Holmes attorney made an effort to snow that the secretary was preiudiced in his statements and tried unsuceess- fully to make him admit that he tthe seeretary) had been guilty of giving out crop information in advance of its legiti- mate promulgation, and of suppressing information indicating fraud He also questioned the secretary about charges against himself.
 Secretary Wilson was then recalled. He maintained that the rule of secrecy had been enforced, and answered in the mega tive when MT. Worthington asked him if he had not himself given out in speeches, advance information concerning the crop reports. He said that since the discovery had been made concerning Holes methods, he had had all the re- ports from the field sent to him. He also said that he had never sent his son, Jas pci WI u lile Duitdu O1 StdLlStlcS to represent him during the preparation of the report. MT. Wilson stated that he had never tried in any way to n- fiuence the conclusions of the statlstician He would not admit that the statisticlans report had been more influenced by the newspaper crops estimates than the of- ficial reports. Asked about statements made by himself to the newspapers in 1905, the secretary said he could not re- Uh ha fyht I, I
 T have some recollections about that time, but l don't think they would be to your edification," he said
 In one of those purported interviews the secretary was reported to have said that neither MT. Hyde HOT any one else could know what the report would be in ad- vance of it's formulation. He repeated that if the work had been honestly done there would have been ns opportunity of knowing what the Tepertw would be.
 Did any one have su5f eppSrtunit, z, z Mir Worthington insisted upon knowing Unfortunately he replied, some seem to have had"
 Could it have been possible for any one to have it?'
 Not unless the statistician had made up his mind as to what the report should say"
 'In other words, he could have forced balance" suggested MT. Worthington, and the secretary replied, He could" Here MT. Warrington took up the question of charges against the secretary himself, saying he did so for the purpose of indi- eating a possible bias by the witness against Holmes.
 q would be surprised" said the secre- tary, in reply to the question, If there were charges against me at the time the matter became public, but there had been such charges before and there have been since."
 He was then asked whether 1t was not true that he had entered into an agree ment with Broker Van Riper of New York to keep from the public the names of certain persons given him by the latter and after a controversy between the at- torneys as to the admissibility of the question and it's admission, he said that he had no recollection of any such under standing. During the controversy MT. Worthington said that the secretary had suppressed information about charges of fraud. The secretary had not concluded his testimony when the court adjourned for the day