The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-08-10
BEMzOATE or SODA
may Be DISCUSSED
What Will State Dairy and
Food Commissioners Do
at Their Meeting?
palladium Specially

palladium Specially
WASHINGTON. Aug. 10.-whether
the Association Of National and State
DAIRY and Food Commissioners at it's
next annual convention, which will be
held In Duluth this month, will again
Make up the question of benZoate of
Ieoda, remains to be seen. The State
lofhcials are almost entirely in SYM
Ipathy with n genuine enforcement OF
tthe pure food laws including the pro-
Ihibition of benZoate Of soda, but at
tpresent. for the most part are afraid
no take action against it because of
doubt as to whether the courts will
lsustain such action while the federal
government adheres to its present at
'titude.
In any event it is not expected that
solicitor McCabe of the Department
of Agriculture will undertake to as
sumo the same Gomineering attitude
or pursue the offensive tactics and
ward political methods that character
3 .ized his attitude as the personal rep
resentative of Secretary Wilson in the
last two conventions. II is presumed
he will be somewhat subdud in view
of the clamor caused by the recent
attempt of McCabe and Secretary Will
son to GUST DIR. Wiley.
.. 10 Called Twaddie.
As the Moss investigating Commit
Nee pursues it's way the facts which
have long been known to the insiders
ARE being revealed to the public. 1t
has become patent that the talk Of
Wiley's attempted usurpation of pow
er Ia the veriest twaddle; his "insub-
ordination" consisted merely of refus.
ing to stultify himself at the behest Of
his superior officers. When Secretary
Wilson went over to the benzoate u.s.
ers he expected to carry with him the
Department OF Agriculture forces
"horse. foot and Dragons" but he
rcckoned without the hard-headed WI
ley. The latter had decided against
Fbenzoate of soda and while Secretary
Wilson was able to effectually muzzle
him and to deprive him of practically
all tho power which Congress intend
ed to invest in his Bureau, he was not
able to make Wiley reverse himself
Wiley stood pat, with the American
Medical Association. the Association
of Dairy and Food Commissioners, the
American Institute of Homeopathy,
and other organizations behind him.
He was therefore marked for slaugh-
ter and as frst step Solicitor Nc
Cabe and Associate Chemist Dunlap
Joined hands and controlled the Board
OF Food and Drug Inspection. Then
came the Denver convention and for
weeks Solicitor McCabe toured the
country arranging for delegates favor.
able to the preservative. Secretary
Wilson was on hand and the cheap
political methods employed by the rep
'resentatives of the Department of Ag-
'Ttculture In behalf of benzoate of So
.da were extensively featured in the
Denver newspapers and scandalized
the convention to such an extent that
some Of the delegates refused to vote.
A resolution endorsing the Remsen
Boards report was finally forced
through by the votes from the Depart
ment of Agriculture and the District
OF Columbia, all of which were con.
trolled by Secretary Wilson and Sole.
itor McCabe. The States divided equ-
ally on the question. DIR. Wiley was
present but the Secretary forbad him
to speak in his own behalf; on the
other hand, the expenses of McCabe,
Secretary Wilson and all the members
of the Remsen Board who were pres.
ent at the direction of the Secretary
to defend benzoate OF soda, were paid
by the Department of Agriculture. In
this connection 1t is interesting to
note that DR.. Remsen informed the
Moss committee that the expenses of
the members of the Remsen Board
who appeared in the Indiana courts to
testify in behalf of Curtice Brothers
and Williams Brothers, who are test.
ing the constitutionality of the Indi.
ana anti-benzoate of soda law, were
paid not by the manufacturers inter.
csted, but by the Department of Agri
culture. Secretary Wilson refused to
allow DR.. Wiley to testify in this case