Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-09-19
Or. Wiley IS
INDICATED.
PRECEDENT TAFT APPROVES Hl0
CONDUCT IN EVERY
DETAIL.
TROUBLE IN THE DEPARTMENT
But the President Doesn't Think the
Famous Pure Food Specials
10 to Blame For lt-Rusby's
Employment Justified.

Beverly. Sept. 16-The resignation
of DR.. Harvey w. Wiley, chief Of the
bureau of chemistry in the department
of agriculture and probably the best
known pure food expert in the govern
ment service, will not be asked for by
President Taft, despite recommends
lions that it be requested made by
the personnel board of the department
and Endorsed by Attorney General
Wickersham.
The "condign punishment" for Dr..
Wiley which Mr.. Wickersham held to
be necessary, will not be melted out
by the chief executive. The presi.
dents opinion, carrying no word Of
criticism for DR.. Wiley but many .
word of praise, was made public here.
There il no indication in It that the
president feels that he turned down
Mr.. Wickersham by not accepting his
recommendations. He explains that
the attorney generals finding in the
case were made with less complete
data than was before him when he
took 1t up.
Admits Friction In Department.
In the opinion the president admits
what has been well known to many
persons close to the administration
that there is trouble in tho department
Of agriculture Speaking Of the con.
gressional inquiry into that depart
ment, unfinished at the last session
but to be taken up again next winter,
Mr.. Taft says:
''The broader Issues raised by the
investigation which have Q much
weighter relation than this one to the
general efficiency Of the department,
may require much more radical action
than the question l have considered
and decided"
That this statement indicates seri.
GUS shake-up in the department next
winter was freely predicted here to-
day. There have never been any init
nations that Secretary Wilson was dis.
posed to retire and it Is not believed
here that the president would request
him to do so. general cleanup Of
affairs in the department, however,
could easily be required by the presi.
dent and carried through when he re.
turns to Washington in November.
The Wiley case arose over the EN-.
ployment by the bureau Of chemistry
of DIR. H. H. Rusby of New York,
pharmacognosist of the bureau. In
effect DR.. Wiley, DR.. L. F. Kebler. chief
of the drug laboratory. and DR.. w. d.
Bigelow, assistant chief of the bureau,
were charged with having conspired to
pay DR.. Rusby a salary Of 81 800 a year
with the tacit understanding that he
was to do only enough work to secure
this amount at the rate Of $40 day.
This was held to violate the acts OF
congress approved March Is, 1898,
which declared that no classified scien.
tifc Investigator should receive more
than 50 a day. In addition to the rec.
ommendation that DIR. Wiley be al.
lowed to resign, the personnel board
held that DIR. Rusby should be dis
missed, that Keller be reduced and
that DR.. Bigelow be allowed to quit
the service. None of these recon.
is upheld In the presidents
opinion.
DR.. Keller is reprimanded for dis
ingenious conduct" in his letter writ.
ing to DR.. Rusby and the president
says that the letters suggest "a will.
ingness to resort to evasion" that
calls for official reproof. DR.. Bigelow
is held to have been lover Jealous"
and reprimand by the secretary OF
agriculture to whom the opinion, which
is in letter form, is directed, is ordered
by the president.
Rusty Held to Be GuiItless.
DR.. Rusby is held to be as guiltless
as DR.. Wiley in this particular mat.
ter A charge against him, however,
of securing the appointment on the
'laborer's rolf of physician
and expert whom he could use to do