The Washington times., 1911-08-21
WILEY IS CALLED
APPLE OF DISCORD
Secretary Wilson, Testfying Before Moss Committee,
Accuses Expert of Suppressing Information-Tells
of Roosevelt's Acts

heard from the doctor after that.
Then the Secretary explained some
circumstances of the case. ''Dr Wiley
once kept something from your COM
! mittee," he said with a touch of bit
: terness, but / will lay 1t before you.
: 1t bears on this sulphur dioxide case.
Then he explained that the French
, government had complained of French
wines excluded because they contained
; sulphur dioxide. There was hearing
at the State Department; ambassadors,
consulor agents, Dr.. Wiley and various
, international functionaries participated,
and at the end It was agreed that
French goods with the sulphur dioxide
should not be shut out until the Rem
sen board could decide whether 1t was
harmful.
| Fruit Juices Involved.
Having decided tc let in the French
goods with dIoxide in them." said the
Secretary. I'VE couldn't well forbid
Americans to use 1t. So we suspended
the order against its use. DIR. Wiley
| ought to have explained all that to you;
he was in the conference on the inter-
national phase and knew 1t. DR.. Wiley
| explained to your committee that Amer
| lean fruit Juices were involved. but II
that IS so. why didn't he ever come and
| explain lit o me. l think II could have
been fixed. He SAYS hes didn't get my
letter, and that is possible-no. well
take his word; wen agree that he did
get it-hut he hsould have come to me.
anyhow. Every chief I've got comes
about all such things except him."
to relieve the domestic makers of
fruit juices?" asked Mr.. Moss.
"As soon as you let me get at 1t,
I'll send for DR. Wiley and see about
that" replied the Secretary with a
laugh. You have kept him rather
tied tied up for some time past you
why is the referee board purely
scientific, while the food and drug
board is mixed-two scientists and
lawyer" asked Mr.. Moss.
Rap At Dr.. Wiley.
Because the food and drug board
| deals with seizures, and a seizure
| means a lawsuit. Maybe chemists and
| farmers. like you and l, Mr.. Chairman,
are competent TO handle lawsuits; but
| my experience hasn't convinced me
| of it. You have gone far enough into
| the thing to realize that our family
has not been entirely happy. We gave
the doctor serious offense in getting
I another lawyer than himself, another
chemist than himself. and another
food and drug. board than himself,
and another referee board than him
| head o. the establishment, l was doing
quite the right thing.
When the doctor testlfies before you
gentlemen that he considers himself
he's, should say, talking through his
hat"
Chairman Moss wanted Mr. Wilson to |
agree that the food and drug board de- |
cistons have really been one-man de- |
cisions. because McCabe had entirely |
dominated.it; but the Secretary couldn |
see it.
DIR. Wiley and DR.. Dunlap are both |
big men, let me say to you ne ~ |
terjected. Their preparation has been |
very similar. One Is a Yale, the OTTER !
a Harvard man. OF course they DIS |
agree, and when l get papers showing |
they disagree l conclude there has been |
real discussion and consideration. But |
any paper from that board brings me |
the name of one of these two grea |
chemists on the majority side, and / |
take 1t as safe guide
Accepts Responsibility.
The Secretary said he was entirely |
responsible for directing McCabe in !
drafting the provisions in appropriation |
bills, and also the Executive orders
that concentrated all control of prose-
cutions in the hands Of McCabe to the |
exclusion of the other members Of the
food and drug board This was regard
ed as very important. for the Secretary
made the statement strong that he was
the boss. and willing TO accept all re-
sponsibility for whatever was done
Then Chairman Moss referred to Sec |
retary Wilson's letter to Remsen, in |
which reference was had to DR.. Dun
lap and Nj. MCCabe as our people |
on the food and drug board" as If |
WHEY We're sort of pariah. What
did you mean by that? You, OF course,
need not answer if it's embarrassing.
surely IL answer" replied the Sec
rotary. bit nettled. 1T would have
been an Insult to DR.. Wiley to consult
him about benzoate of soda in any way.
He hated and ,lespised 1t and felt that a
big mistake had been trnade with re-
gard TO it."
Gould DR. Rtmsen infer from tina,
letter than Or. Wiley had not your cor
dial support?''
20, he might infer; 1 don't know
what"
ciates to bureau chiefs?"
Yes. one in statistics and one In for
estry," was the quick reply. Il
Chairman Moss brought out that DR.. II
Ira Remsen, head of the referee board, II
names all the assistants and employees
of that board, and fixes their salaries. Il
II have no recollection of a case in
which l have disagreed with him or re-
jected his advice about an employe or
the employees compensation" admitted
the Secretary.
The Remsen board has spent s175,-
900, Mr.. Wilson said, and he added
that he could count on the fingers
of one hand the matters it has in
vestigated.
Secretary Wilson's tone was dis
tinctly hostile to DR.. Wiley, and it is
expected that when Attorney Davis,
for DR.. Wiley. comes to cross-ex-
animation the testimony will be
highly entertaining.