The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-07-21
WILEY CHARGES TO
ACT As BOOMERANG
Will Recoil Upon the Doped
Food Interests Who Led
the Attack.
palladium Specially

Washington, July 21.-It is freely
predicted that the charges against DR..
Harvey w. Wiley, chief of the bureau
of chemistry in connection with the
salary OF DR.. II. II. Rusby will prove
a boomerang and recoil upon the dop-
ed food interests which have handi-
capped his administration of the pure
food laws and have sought to Gust
him. 1t seems more probable that the
Remson board will be abolished and
many members of congress believe
that "Uncle Jere Wilson," the aged
head Of the department of agriculture,
will find 1t convenient to resign. The
house committee on expenditures in
the department of agriculture, of
which Representative Moss, of India
ma, is chairman, will go to the bottom
OF the efforts to get Wiley's scalp
and many interesting developments
are scheduled. A genuine sensation
Ia promised when the Remson board
is smoked out. Some years ago the
attacks in Congress on the legal sta
tus OF the board became SO violent
that 1t was thought we'll to have an
opinion from Attorney General Wisk-
ersham on the subject. One was
made public in which Mr.. Wicker
sham held the board was legally ap-
pointed. II now develops tiat he re.
ferred the question to an assistant
attorney general, yet in the depart
ment, who prepared an opinion that
the board was illegal and had been
appointed without authority of law.
1t was quickly recognized that such
an opinion would place Secretary Will
son, and ex-President Roosevelt, I'M
der whose administration the Remson
board was created, in very bad hole
especially as the board had expended
q hundred thousand dollars in investi.
eating benzoate of soda. Consequent
ly the opinion of the assistant attor-
ney general was suppressed and the
question was referred to Solicitor
George p. McCabe. of the department
of agriculture, who has no connec-
ton with the department Of justice,
who wrote an opinion sustaining his
chief, Secretary Wilson. The McCabe
opinion was sent to the department Of
justice and there promulgated as the
opinion of the attorney general. A
copy OF the original opinion declaring
the board illegal and which was sup
pressed in favor of the McCabe opin-
ion, Is still in existence and will be
produced before the committee If call
ed for, as II doubtless will be.
1t is not improbable that former
President Roosevelt will be summon
ed by the committee to tell of the cir
cumstances leading to the appoint
meth OF the Remsen board.
Roosevelt Innocent
It is reported on good authority that
he indicated to a prominent member
OF the American Medical association
that he had been misled in creating
the board and in selecting its person
ington that the creation of the board
and It's membership was quietly sug-
gested to him from a source which he
did not then connect with the ben
zoate of soda and saccharin interests,
an dother manufacturers opposed to
the enforcement of the law as outlin-
ed by DR.. Wiley.
While so much fus has been raised
over the salar yof $500 set aside for
Dr. II. II. Rusby, it is interesting to
note some of the sums paid the men,
bers of the Remsen board. which, in
the three and one-half years Of it's
existence has cost the government
several hundred thousand dollars and
which has rendered two decisions,
one reversing Wiley on benzoate Of
soda and the other sustaining him on
saccharin. From March /, 1908, to
Dec. 81, 1909. this board drew $50, 739,
which was divided among its men,
bers AZ follows: DR.. Ira Remsen, of
John Hopkins, president of the board.