Smyrna times., 1911-09-20
WILEY CLEARED
BY PRESIDENT
Pure Food Expert Completely
EXOnerdted.
REPRIMANDED

Taft Praises Expert Whose Removal
Was Advised by Attorney General
and Finds Both Him and DR.. Rusby
GuiItIess.
The efforts to have DR.. Harvey w.
Wiley, the United States best known
pure food expert, ousted from his place
as chief of the bureau of chemistry Of
the department of agriculture have
failed utterly.
The resignation of DR.. Wiley will
not be asked for by President Taft.
despite recommendations that it be
requested, made by the personnel
board of the department and endorsed
by Attorney General Wickersham. The
condign punishment for DR.. Wiley,
which Mr.. Wickersham held to be ne
cessary, will not be meted out by the
chief executive.
The presidents opinion, carrying no
word of criticism for DR.. Wiley, but
many word of praise, was made pub
lie.
In the opinion the president admits
what has been well known to many
persons close to the administration
that there is trouble in the department
of agriculture. Speaking of the con-
gressional inquiry into that depart
ment, unfinished at last session, and
to be taken up again next winter, Mr..
Taft says:
''The broader issues raised by the
investigation which have a much
weightier relation than this one to the
general efficiency of the department,
may require more radical action than
the question have considered and de-
cided"
That this statement indicates curl
GUS shake-up in the department next
winter was freely predicted. There
have never been any intimations that
Secretary Wilson was disposed to re-
tire, and it is not believed that the
president would request him to do so.
A general shake-up of affairs in the de-
partment, however, could easily be re-
quested by the president and carried
through when he returns to Washing
ton in November.
The wiley case" arose over the
employment by the bureau of chemis-
try of DR.. H. H. Rusby, of New York,
| pharmacognosist of the bureau. In ef-
feet, DR.. Wiley, DIR. L. F. Kebler, chief
of the drug laboratory, and DR.. w. d.
Bigelow, assistant chief of the bureau,
were charged with having conspired to
pay DR.. Rusby a salary of $1,000 a
i
that he was to do only enough work
to obtain this amount at the rate Of
500 day.
This was declared to violate the act
of congress of March Is, 1898, which
declared that no classified scientific
Investigator should receive more than
SO day.
In addition to the recommendation
that DR.. Wiley be allowed to resign,
the personnel board held that DR..
Rusby should be dismissed, that DR..
Kebler be reduced, and that Dr. Bige-
low be allowed to quit the service.
None of these recommendations is up
held in the presidents opinion.
DR.. Kebler is reprimanded for "dls-
ingenious conduct" in his letter writ.
ing to DR.. Rusby, and the president
says that the letters suggest a "wil.
lingness to resort to evasion" that
calls for official reproof.
DR.. Bigelow Is held to have been
''overzealous," and a reprinand by
Secretary Of Agriculture Wilson, tc
whom the opinion, which is in letter
form, is directed, is ordered by the
president.
DR.. Rusby is held to be as gulltles:
as DR.. Wiley in this particular matter
A charge against him, however, of OBJ
tanning the appointment on the com
mon "laborers' role" of a physician
and expert whom he could use to d.
his work at a very small stipend whei
he himself was called away" the pres
ident holds to be mot especially cred
table"
The case, the president says, ha
made apparent the doubtful legisla
tive policy Of placing limitations upol
bureau chiefs to exact per diem com
pensation for experts"
The government, he says, cough
not to be at a disadvantage in thi
+ regard, and one cannot withhold one
sympathy with an earnest effort b
2 DR.. Wiley to pay proper compensatio
and secure expert assistance in tn
> enforcement of so important statut
as the pure food law certainly in tn
beginning when the questions arisin
under it are of capital Importance I
the public"
The presidents conclusions, he say
were ready weeks ago, but he did nc
a put them on paper because he hope
d for time for the report of the con
g mittee of the house Of representative
s that was investigating the departmer
e OF agriculture.