Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1912-10-02
ENEMIES OF PURE FOOD LAW
Famous Chemist Believes tho Health
Of. the Nation Demands Election
Of tho Democratic
Ticket.
BY HARVEY W.. WILEY.
ltF'ormer Chief Chemist Of the U. 8.
Department Of A%griculture)

AiSAhb. 1 DSileRe lual no hlhQ " I'LL
administration Is going to ruin h
country. l have a high personal re-
gard for each one Of the candidates for
president and vice-presideent on oil
the tickets. All the political platforms
are mainly sound and all promise Of
fort in behalf Of the whole people. NY
choice Is not based on q platform. 1t
was determined by my Impressions OF
the Q q attitude Of the candidates re-
specting the public welfare. We are
creatures OF heredity and environ
1nent. In our attitude towards great
ypdblio questions we are almost alto
N|ther creatures OF environment.
What two men are by environment
iSNst likely to DO swayed by special
interests N NEST 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 On
pected II either Of them resume hi1
FORMER seat On March 4. 1913. Mr..
Roosevelt by reason OF his attitude to-
wards the food and drug act shanr
doned the consumers Of the country
to tho rapacity Of a few mercenary
manufacturers. Under authority OF
congress I had carried on extensive
axpefiments with my ~co-called poison
squad nj found that certain sub
%stsnces. vls. benzoic compounds, sui
phurous compounds and sulphate Of
: copper (blue stone). were injurious to
health.
The Law conferred upon me. al chie4
OF tho bureau Of 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
tou1ta aa tho law requires. the Uhcra
NJ th&ae poip0ns appeulcd To President
t~booseyelt. He not only NsGoncd w.
al0Di, out lle r~brogated the plain pro
Visions OF the law, appoiAtsd - board
not contemplated by the law, and d.
rected that these predatory interests
might continue their attacks on the
health OF the people until this board,
unknown to the law, should decide
otherwise.
Can we safely trust tho campaign
for public health to Mr.. Roosevelt? I
cannot believe that to be the proper
course. Mr.. Taft inherited this ex-
ceedingly bad condition Of affairs
only continued this illegal board un-
der whose patronage adulterators are
still poisoning the people, but he did
worse. In the matter OF the adultera-
ton Of distilled beverages In which
Roosevelt upheld tho legally constt
tuted authorities. Mr.. Taft reversed
That policy and threw the mighty
weight Of the executive office to the
support Of the worst lot Of adultera-
tors that ever disgraced a country.
Mr.. Wilson and Mr.. Marshall by
their strenuous efforts In behalf Of the
food laws Of their respective states,
have given a positive promise to end
such a threatening state OF affairs.
They will support to the utmost the
officials under the law who are trying
to protect the public health and will
make short shrift Of those who have
brought about these present unbeara-
bic conditions.
Wilson and Marshall by their educa-
ton and environment are free from
bias In favor Of predatory interests
and are inspired by true patriotic zeal
In behalf of pubic welfare.
support the Democratic nominees
in full knowledge that many OF the
prominent Democrats in congress have
been in full sympathy with the paraly-
sis Of the food law In behalf of the
unholy dollar. But when the Demo-
cratic president and vice-president
lend the aid Of their powerful sympa.
thy in behalf Of the public health
those OF their own party not in SYM
pathy with them will be robbed of
their power for evil. II Roosevelt or
Taft be chose the soldiers Of fraud
and adulteration will be ~impregnably
e%ntrenched for another four years and
benZoates, SUPPLIES and ad%ulterated
alcoholic beveridges will have a new
lease OF life.
believe also that President Wilson
will renovate he department OF agri-
culture, reeki' ;, as 1t has been for
tho past twelve years, with scandals
and favoritism. He will see to It that
the bureau OF animal industry will
protect the public health instead OF
the efforts OF the packers 70 sell dis.
eased meats under the deceptive
phrase "U. s. Inspected and Passed"
Under President Wilson no more PIN
chots will be kicked out OF the seryioe
no more u~nspeakable McCabes will az.
eroise dictatorial covers. There will
be no more cotton leaks and Jungle
atrocities, no moro Everglade swin.
dies. B~uccaneering, boasting and
buncombe will give place to sane e9-
forts for the promotion Of real agri.
culture and the public health.