The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-09-04
BY HARVEY w. WILEY
Former Chief Chemist of the u. S.
Depart of Agriculture.

!
Depart of Agriculture
My appeal is chiefly to those who,
like myself, have been lifelong re-
publicans. | believe that no kind of an
administration is going to ruin the
country, have a high personal re-
gard for each one of the candidates
for president and vice-president on
all the tickets. All the political plat
forms are mainly sound and all prom
Use effort in behalf of the whole peo-
pie. My choice is not based on a
platform. 1t was determined by my
impressions of the real attitude of the
candidates respecting the public well
fare. We are creatures of heredity
and environment. In our attitude to-
wards great public questions we are
almost altogether creatures of envir-
onment.
What two men are by environment
least likely to be swayed by special
interests and most likely to be guided
by devotion to public welfare? Two
of the candidates have already been
tried in the presidential chair and we
know by experience what may be ex-
former seat on March 4, 1918. Mr..
Roosevelt by reason of his attitude to-
wards the Food and Drug act aban-
doned the consumers of the country
to the rapacity of a few mercenary
manufacturers. Under authority of
congress | had carried on extensive
experiments with my so-called poison
squad and found that certain sub
stances, viz, bencoic compounds, sui
furous compounds and su1phate OF
copper (blue stone), were injurious to
health.
The law conferred upon me, as chief
of the burea uof chemistry, the duty
of acting as a grand jury and deter
mining whether foods and drugs were
adulterated or misbranded. Instead
of appealing from my decisions to the
courts as the law requires, the users
of these poisons appealed TO Presi-
dent Roosevelt He not only listened
to them, but he abrogated the plain
provisions of the law, appointed a
board not contemplated by the law,
and directed that these predatory in
terests might continue their attacks on
the health of the people until this
board, unknown to the law, should de-
eide otherwise
Can we safely trust the campaign
for public health to Mr. Roosevelt?
] cannot believe that to be the proper
course. Mr.. Taft inherited this ex-
ceedingly bad condition of affairs from
his predecessor and has not only con-
tinued this Illegal board under whose
patronage adulterators are still poison
: ing the people, but he did worse. In
: the matter of the adulteration of dis
. titled beverages, in which Roosevelt
upheld the legally constituted author
tiles. Mr.. Taft reversed that policy and
threw the mighty weight of the execu.
= tive office to the support of the worst
lot of adulterators that ever disgraced
a country.
Mr.. Wilson and Mr., Marshall by
their strenuous efforts in behalf Of the
food laws of their respective states
a have given a positive promise to end
such a threatening state of affairs
: They will support to the utmost the
e officials under the law who are trying
o to protect the public health and viii
l. make short shrift of those who have
: brought about these present unbear
. able conditions.
: Wilson and Marshall by their edu
cation en- environment are free from
e bias in favor of predatory interests
?, and are inspired by true patriotic yea
e in behalf of public welfare.
e | support the democratic nominee
e in the full knowledge that many o
e the prominent democrats in congress
have been in full sympathy with th
e paralysis of the Food Law in behal
y of the unholy dollar But when tn
'r democratic president and vice pres
e dent lend the aid of their powerful syn
pathy in behalf of the public healt
L those of their own party not in syn
pathy with them will be robbed G
= their power for evil. If Roosevelt Q
% Taft be chosen the soldiers Of frau
10 and adulteration will be impregnabl
n entrenched for another four years an
m benzoates, sulfites and adulterated a
it cholic beverages will have a new leas
~ &c Isfa