The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-07-23
w1cKERsHAM ATTACKED.

There is lively fight upon Attorney
General Wickersham, for his removal,
The immediate melting canse for thls
fight undoubtedly is his harsh and IN
consistent attitude toward DR.. Wiley,
the head of the Bureau OF Chemistry
in the Department of Agriculture; but
there arc not lacking other points OF
attack.
Because DR. Wiley had agreed to pay
Or. Rusby, noted expert, at the rate
of something more than $4,000 a year,
which is the limit of pay for experts
under the law. Attorney General Wick
ersham declared that "condign pun
ishmentn should be visited upon DR..
Wiley. And yet Dr. Rusby has not, at
any time, been paid as much as S35oo
year. although during periods of actlv-
ity he has been paid at rate that
would amount to more than that If he
had been active in the service OF the
bureau for the whole year. The con
seusus of public opinion is decidedly
with Dr. Wiley and against wicker
sham on this point.
The action of the Attorney General
in the matter of DR.. Wiley's accounts
is brought into sharp contrast with the
enormous fees that he himself has ar
ranged to pay, and has paid, to special
counsel in the prosecution OF trust
cases, He has paid out altogether on
that account some $so0,00o, paying as
high as $4,000 to one firm, and from
$50, 900 to 100000 year for other spe-
cial counsel. In view of this fact, his
harsh Judgment that DR.. Wiley should
receive "condign punishment for pay
ing great expert for a short time at
the rate of more than $4,000 year
seems the height Of ridiculous incon-
sistency To be sure, he has the law to
rest upon, but why should there be
such q tremendous difference between
great expert in foods and chemistry
and between special experts in the ex-
pounding of the law7
Besides, the fact is that Attorney
General Wickersham himself deserved
Hcondign punishment" when he mis-"
QaCcu DuDIlC III WV AA'AA"
ger case, and gave the investigating
committee a totally false idea of the Sc
ouence of events. The war upon the
Attorney General, therefore, Is made
both specific and general, and the fierce.
ness of it is thus referred to in Wash
ington letter to the Brooklyn Eagle:
The charges against DR., Harvey w.
Wiley. the governments pure food eX-
pert, are at present almost obscured by
n cloud OF attacks and charges against
President Tafts attorney general. George
w Wlckersham. understands approIal
of the findings In the Wiley case, and the
recommendation that the doctor be per
mitted to resign" have preclpitated one
OF the most determined attacks on cab
net officer that have been. made during
the Taft administration The Presidents S
friends are worried about the effects OF
It, Many of them have for n long time
regarded Wickersham as one of the un-
fortunate assets Of the administration.
add to the Presidents popularity, but
rather the reverse.
Those who thought they saw signs of
political sagacity developing. within the
Taft camp, with view to the 1912 cleo
ton. are almost In despair. They say
that the Wiley Wickersham episode is
one OF the most unfortunate things that
could have happened. and that If Wiley
should be dismissed at this stage OF af-
fairs II would be a damaElng blow TO
the President with the people,
Tafts friends. who have been pray
ing that the administration would pur-
sue careful and popular political course
from now on. cannot understand how
the President ever let the Wiley case
reach the attorney general,
But the worst feature of the Wiley
case. from a political standpoint, Is that
1t has reopened the food gates so far
as Wickersham is concerned 1t has
brought upon his head attacks from every
source and has revived those which were
| forgotten. Three committees OF the
House of Representatives are now on
| the attorney generals trail. bending
every effort to dig up good campaign
material for the Democrats