Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1911-08-22
SECRETARY WILSON
SAYS WILEY WAS
SENSITIVE
VETERAN SECRETARY OF
AGRICULTURE A WITNESS
Tells Congressman That He
Would Prefer to Resign
Rather Than Go Through
Another Pure Food Row,

fhlNAllNi I wv WV NANNf
TBy Morning journal Special Leased wire.l
Washington, Aug. 2l-The congress
sional investigation into the attempt
to oust Or. ii. w. Wiley from his
position as head of the bureau OF
chemistry in the department of agri-
culture. was closed today with the
testimony of Secretary Wilson. The
committee will hold an executive ses-
sion tomorrow to consider its report.
Many times in his testimony. Sec
retary Wilson today condemned DIR,
Wiley's demeanor, charging that he
was over sensitive because his findings
on pure food and drugs were not ac-
cepted as final. but were sometimes
referred to the referee board, of which
DR. Ira Remsen Is chairman.
As he was leaving the stand, Sec
retary Wilson declared that he would
prefer to resign his job to going
through another bureau row" The
witness was not cross-examined by the
counsel for DR.. Wiley.
Secretary Wilson said he became
suspicious OF the employment Of DR..
II. II. Rusby. the New York drug
expert and storm center of tho In
vestigation. when he was shown
letter purporting to have been writ
ten by DR.. Kebler of the bureau of
chemistry. telling DR.. Rusby that II
would be all the same whether he
worked one day or many. The en-
ployment had been approved by the
secretary. but he said that he did not
examine the details of the contract,
leaving that to Dr. Wiley.
The secretary said he was now in
vestigating report that DR.. Rusby
had accepted fees from drug import
ers for opinions regarding samples OF
drugs they were considering import
ing and then passed on the drugs lat
er az the representative of the gov
ernment. He said an inspector had re-
ported that he had discovered one
such instance.
In testlfyng about the employment
/ of experts he said that in the Coco
| Cola case DR. Wiley had agreed to
give an expert $1,000 for appearing
| in the matter. and later, the expert
wanted 800 for expenses.
II paid the expenses because we
had agreed to do so. and | issued an
order that thereafter, that DIR. wiley
might select the experts but Solicitor
MeCabe was to fix the rate of COM
pensation,' said the secretary.
Secretary Wilson submitted CORES
pondence between himself and special
Attorney General Miller, in which Mr..
Miller said Dr. Wiley had admitted his
inability to qualify as an expert in the
Coco Cola case. Mr.. Miller, the Sec
retary, declared, wrote him that the
chief of the bureau of chemistry was
all right on the argumentative side ol
the case, but was of no use In the gov
ernments contention as he admitted
to him (Miller) that he could not
qualify as an expert chemist. Texicol-
ogist, physiological chemists or doctor
of medicine.
The witness said DR. Wiley "seem-
ingly wants to put me in q hole about
the corn syrup case.
1t was in this case that DR.. Wiley
told the committee that three cabinet
officers, charged with supervisory du-
ties over pure food and drug questions
changed decision of the pure food
and drugs board relative to a sub
stance being glucose" or corn syr-
up after the decision had gone to
print.
''Dr. Wiley has forgotten confer
L..
rold Secretary Wilson. He attended 1t
and so did |. 1t was held at the
White house during the administration
of President Roosevelt There was
an exceedingly interesting discussion
Very yes very. The president had an
opinion about person who thought
| that the substance was not syrup"
He told how the three secretaries
had decided that the substance could
be named Corn Syrup" where upon
Representative Flood suggested thai
| they did It out of regard to the presi-
! dents views.
at is well for those under a man tc
listen to him or leave the service re-
piled the secretary.
The secretary denounced as "radi'
cal' the recommendation OF DR.. Wiley
that food containing alumni be pro
hiDited until the referee board had
passed on the subject In support o
his refusal to do so, Secretary Wilson
referred to Presidents Tafts "settlint
the question that manufacturers o.
bleached flour should be permitted to
continue their manufacture until the
courts had passed on an appeal
"If we took such action AZ DIR. Wilel
recommended on articles where there
was no question of deleterious effec'
on health, we would ruin the persons
engaged in the business before th'
Ramsca board passed Oh the question
said the secretary
| Referring to the attempt to get Dr
| Wiley to testify about the effect o
benZoate of soda In tho famous In
diana case, when the Remsen boar'
was requested by the secretary to tes
tify, the witness said It seemed ~
him ridiculous.
"Dr. Wiley knows ! never oppose
his going anywhere said the witness
I"Why get me to order him to TESTIFY
| when he could go himself
"But haven't you Just said yor
would regard such an act as insubor
dinatlon?" the secretary was asked.
"of any one below chief OF
bureau. net q chief