Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1911-07-13
ENEMIES HopE TO SECURE re.
MovAL OF covERNMENT's
Fooo ExpERT
PERMIT HIN TO RESIGN"
THIS RECOMMENDATION MADE
BY PERSONNEL COMMITTEE
TO PRESIDENT
MADE TECHNICAL MISTAKE
CHARGED he PERMITTED EN-.
PLoYE TO RECEIVE MORE
PAY THAN LAW ALLOWED

Washington. July i3.-Dr. Harvey
w. Wiley. pure food expert. chief Of
the bureau OF chemistry Of the de
partment OF agriculture and one Of
the most widely known officials In the
government service. has been con.
demned by the COMMITTEES un person
mel OF the department OF agriculture,
with a recommendation 70 President
Taft that he be permitted 10 resign"
Attorney General wickerIham. in
an opinion on the case suh1litted TO
the president. recommends the ap
proval OF the committees action.
It is charged against pr. Wiley
that he permitted an arranFomcnt to
be made with DIT. II. II. Rushy. re
ccgnized pharmacognosist Of Colum'
bia University. New York. for com
pensation in excess OF that allowed by
law. II Is claimed that the arrange
ment was TO put DIR. Rusby on the pay
roll Of the department az 81. 800 a year
as an employe OF the bureau OF chem
istry, an agreement being made with
him that he should be called upon to
perform only such service as this sal
ary would compensate for At the rate
OF $50 day for laboratory investiga.
tions and $50 per day for attendance
in court. Attorney General Wicker
sham held that the law Permitted the
payment OF only si1 a day.
The committee and the attorney
general also recommended that Dr.
Rusby be permitted 10 resign. that
DR.. L. F. Kebler. chief of the division
in drugs in the department OF agri-
culture. be reduced and that DR.. w.
D. Bigelow, assistant chief of the bu.
reau of chemistry, also be given an
to resign.
President Taft, It was learned to
Gay, has forwarded all OF the papers
in the case to DIR. Wiley and VIII take
no action until he receives personal
statement from him.
It is known that the president has
the highest regard for the pure food
expert and for his administration Of
the bureau of chemistry. DR.. Wiley
has been attacked almost constantly
since the pure food law went into ef.
feet. 1t has been claimed by the In
terests affected that DR.. Wiley's rul-
ings have been unduly harsh and un-
Just. DIR. Wiley has regarded DR.. Rus
by as one of his most valuable as
sistants in the task OF enforcing the
pure food and drug act.
DIR. Rusby received all the papers
in the case several days ago and made
his reply public in New York last
night, but it had not reached Wash.
ington early today. In this reply.
however, he is quoted as saying he did
not seek nor desire the work In the
department of agriculture. He
charges that there was a one-sided
presentation Of the case TO the attor
ney general to constitute the basis
of opinion.
DR.. Rusby said that he had no means
of knowing that the arrangement
made with him was irregular IN any
way. He said he seemed to be re.
garded by the department as a con-
script and resented the idea that he
could be dismissed in disgrace for re-
luctantly doing work which interfered
with his regular employment.
DR.. Wiley has not resigned and so
far there has been no request for his
resignation. It is believed that with
the publication of the technical charg.
es against him there will be a great
wave of protest against his proposed
dismissal.
President Taft before acting on the
case, it is said. viii grant a hearing