The Washington times., 1911-08-10
BOOT ON THE
OTHER LEG.

WIS DenI on aTrogaIlnS 10 himself dl
the authority of the Department o.
Agriculture; that he was an extremist
an egotist, a man of one idea, a pig
headed, self-centered person who mus
rule or ruin, determined to have hi:
own way at all hazards.
Some of us, confident as we were ot
the integrity and good intentions Of
DR.. Wiley, were even led to suspect, al
times, that he must be a pretty un'
tanned sort of person, hard to gel
along with, and likely enough extreme
in his opinions.
But how have times and estimates
changed!
Today we know DR.. Wiley as a man
who kept his own counsel and sawed
wood; fought his fight single-handed
and alone, against all odds. He went
up against the whole power of the de-
partment, and time and again grimly
took defeat, only to advance for an
other trial of strength.
Far from carrying his case to the
public, appealing for sympathy, playing
politics, Logging around looking for in
dorsements and certificates, Wiley just
kept his mouth shut and behaved as
well-disciplined subordinate ought to
behave.
Meanwhile the authorities that had
been set, or that had arrogantly set
themselves, over him, were taking
away from him every shred of power,
every semblance of real authority,
every self-respecting privilege even O.
standing on his repute as scientist.
Mr.. Solicitor McCabe begins to ap-
pear as the veritable evil genius of the
pure food administration, and indeed
of the Department of Agriculture. He
appears to have had the confidence of
Secretary Wilson to about as full an
extent as he had the sympathy of the
lawbreakers.
McCabe was just the man for the
job. If he had set about deliberately
to make the pure food law a nullity,
or even to reverse its scope and in
tent, and make it a means to protect
rather than oppose the food -poisoners,
he could hardly have adopted a more
effective procedure.
He got the Federal food law con-
strued in favor of the benzoate- users,
and then proceeded with all the power
of his department to drive the State
food authorities into conformity to the
Federal rulings.
That procedure was, literally, using
bad Federal law to club the good
State laws to death. And that is Just
what this man McCabe was doing, day
in and day out, to the fullest extent
of his skill and his seemingly un-
limited powers.
The climax of the whole sordid dis
closure comes in this story that Nc
Cabe edited the report of court de-
cree, so that it should not be per-
mitted, as published by the depart
ment, to show that benzoate of soda
had sustained a defeat in court. He
substituted, deliberately and purpose
ly, the name of caffeine for benzoate
of soda, so as to save benzoate from
the reflection!
Whether that sort of manipulation
is criminal or not it is of a sort that
cannot be condoned. Only one course
can be taken with a public officer who
deliberately falsities in this manner; |
who makes over records of court |
processes in. order to bolster a special
interest or special view.
In view of Mr.. McCabe's confessions
in this matter of the Missouri court |
decision, there is just one thing to do
to him.
He must be fired, and fired without
delay.
Otherwise the whole attitude of the
will be under suspicion.
Every day he remains in his present
position he is an indictment of the
the common honesty, not
only of the department, not only of
the food-law administration, but of the
National Administration.
And if he stays very long, the in
1ictment. will become conviction.