The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-07-27
WILL BE NEXT
Tie Nations Chief Farmer is Getting Tao
O:d For His Duties.
YOUNGER MAN NEEDED

YOUNGER MAN NEEDED
Recent Developments in the Depart
nlent Of agriculture Indicate that
the Secretary is Lacking in Execu-
tive Strength, Due Probably to the
Encroachments of Age.
Because of repeated developments
in the Agricultural Department at
Washington indicating that the exec
utive grip upon it is weak, the i'm
preston is growing that it's venera-
BILE head, Secretary Wilson, is feel
| ing the encroachments of age to
such an extent that he is incapable
o. handling the complicated machin-
cry of his great department. with eff
ciency.
The Washington correspondent of
; The News and Courier says it is being
said with a good deal of freedom in
semi-official circles that some of the
1aost embarrassing troubles that have
afflicted the administration might
have been avoided If Secretary Will
son had supervised with the proper
alertness and positivencss the various
bureaus in which trouble has oc-
Cured.
In several important instances it
looks as the venerable Secretary has
been unaware Of what has been going
on under his very nose, and only
when a veritable explosion occurs
does he arise to the necessity Of do
ing something ITO show his authority
and accept his responsibility.
First, there was the Pirlchot affair.
The bureau of forestry Is subsid-
iary of the department Of agricul-
ture. 1t was built up into one of the
leading branches Of the Government
under the direction of the former
chief forester, Clifford Pinchot, and
no one regarded the development
with greater satisfaction than the
Hon. jeremiah Wilson.
When the Taft administration
changed the policy of the interior de-
partment and Mr.. Ballinger got to
work to "kill snakes there Is rea-
son to believe that the Secretary OF
Agriculture still sided with Pinch OF
and that the latter had his chiefs ap-
i.proval in a number of acts that at
tracted the ire of the new Secre-
tard of the Interior. But when It
was evident that the President was
aggressively backing the Ballinger
policy, and that If the secretary of
agriculture did not disavow the do
! ings Of Pinchot there would probably
be new man holding the agricultur-
al portfolio, Mr.. Wilson dropped Pin
chot lite hot potato.
Secretary Wilson followed the
same course with regard to DR.. Will
ey, of the bureau of chemistry. When
the policy of safeguarding the pub
jic against iniurlously "doped" food
products and beverages was being de-
ycloped, nobody enjoyed it more than
the Secretary of Agriculture. But
when the fight came to a crisis and
the Interests" looked about them for
some way of stopping the assault on
tenzoate of soda as a preservative,
Secretary Wilson raised no objection.
In the present effort to drive DR..
Wiley out of the government service,
Secretary Wilson, has been revealed
in an attitude of ignorance or Of vac
tllation by no means creditable to
him. He must recommend some
course of action to the Presi-
dent with regard to the technical er-
ror in which DR.. Wiley has been ap-
l:ehended and the task Is depressing
The Secretary unspeakably.
Another possibility of trouble for
the Secretary is found in the charges
preferred against the chief OF the
weather bureau, MIR. Willis l..
Moore, who seems to have done some
thing like that which is ascribed to
DR.. Wiley.
It is said that Mr.. Moore hired
earthquake experts out of the emer-
gency fund, which technically should
not be used for such a purpose. Com
inI at this time, the Moore charge
tends to- embarass the Secretary If he
is disposed to agree iwth the Attor-
ney General that DR.. Wiley should
leave the service. If DR.. Wiley, why
not also Dr. Moore.
But the most conclusive evidence of
the Secretary's lack to grasp upon
the situation is the fact that an es-
timate of the size of the Forthcoming
crop of cotton was published by his
department and given to the press
without his knowledge or approval
Senator Smith, of South Carolina,
who is one of the leaders of the
Southern Cotton Growers Association
went to see Mr.. Wilson the other day
to protest against the policy of the
department permitting such guesses
| to be given out with its authority,
causing great demoriliZation in the
cotton market and giving great i'm
/