The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-29
Measure to Protect Crop Reports
 Comes Up In House
SOME PLAIN FACTS SHOWN
Mir. Hefln Tries To Get Discussion of His Pet Measure But Is Shut Off by the Majority Leader,
 Congressman Payne.

Washington. May 2s-(Special. )-Rep- resentative Hefiin is still after the re- rublicans and pleading with them to pass his bill to prevent clerks and other offi- oials in the agricultural department from selling crop information to the specu- iators and others.
 Republicans were surprised again to- day when Minority Leader Williams arose and said "I yield five minutes to the gentleman from Alabama, MT. Hefn'
 Immediately the Alabama representa- tive took to task the republicans in the House for consuming 40 minutes in con- sdering a fish hatchery bill for Illinois end 40 minutes to grant franchise for a railroad between Baltimore and Wash ington that would probably never be built MT Payne made the point of or der that Mir. Heflin's speech was not go- ing to the subject.
 MT Hefin said: q am giving my req sons for not favoring this bill reasons forced by the tyranny of your repub- lIcan rules" Mir Payne was on his feet In a minute, demanding that the gentle man from Alabama confine his remarks to the bill. MT. Heiin responded warmly: MT Speaker, the gentleman from New ' York cannot put words in my mouth. My bill is meritorious one and 1t ought 10 be passed.
 In a letter to Representative Payne of New York, the republican floor leader,
 Representative Hefin asks that he per init the bill to punish employees of the
 government service for selling advance
 information on crop statistics to be called 1 up and considered in the House. 1 Mir. Hefin said: This Is a meritorious measure and ought to be enacted into law at this session of Congress. You ob- 1ected to it's consideration when l re- quested unanimous consent for its pas sage. There IS no law now to punish any government official for giving away or sell ing statistical information regarding agrl- culture. You will remember that Holmes. ! statistician, in the department Of agrl- culture for long time, sold this statistt- cal information to spectators in staple commodities. He was finally indicted for having sold to Theodore Price, a cotton gambler in New York, information regard ing the amount of cotton produced by a certain time, and according to one of the witnesses for this information Holmes was paid by Price s40.o0o. The evidence l shows that Holmes made the crop re- ] rcrt conform to the suggestion of Price. 1 A well-known American by the name Of i Hyde, who speculated on the false in- l formation that Holmes gave to Price, ac- cumuated a fortune to the injury of i the producers of cotton, and Is now living i :i luxury in Europe.
 I AS the matter now stands. the grain growers and the cotton producers are at the mercy of the speculators In the ex- l changes. If a clerk or other official can 1 be found who will sell this crop informa- ton, there is absolutely no law to punish him. From what I have seen, and heard. 1 believe that you can get the Speaker of the House to recognize me. or someone else, to call up and permit the passage of my bill. I am sure that you can secure the passage of the bill. In the name of all the farmers of this country, and in the name of justice and right, l appeal to you to see the Speaker and induce him to permit the consideration and passage of this bill. Yours very truly,
 '.J THOMAS TIEF LIN"