The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-01-24
UPH0LDS PURE-FOOD WILEY.
HOUSE COMMITTEE PREPARES
REPORT COMPLETELY EN-
GENERATING CHAMPION
Investigating Body Will Present Find
ing Monday Urging That Doctor be
Given More Authority i'm Enforce
ment of Law,

w. Wiley, chief Of the chemistry bu-
reau of the department of agricul
ture, the storm centre of the food in
Vestigation last summer, is given q
clean bill of health in the report of
the house committee that investigated
the charges and countercharges. The
committee in its report, which will
be presented to the house next Mon
day, sustains DR.. Wiley all along the
line, except on unimportant details.
The evidence taken in the case was
Voluminous, but the report is coa-
fined to the actual conclusion of the
committee. The Republican members
of the committee Joined with the
Democrats in making the report
unanimous.
There is no politics in the report"
said Chairman Moss of the commit
tee. This fact, together with COM
promises on some of the matters
about which the members Of the
| NOi'hiieCO Hdu uuleIeHcSS Oh view,
permitted full agreement"
The report pays much attention to
the Remseh board to the activity of
Solicitor McCabe, who was the prin-
| cipal opponent Of DR.. Wiley in the
department, and its recommendations
in general are that DR.. Wiley be given
a free hand in the enforcement of
the pure food and drug law, thus
limiting very largely the power for
merly vested in Solicitor McCabe. This
limitation already has beel put into
effect under the action taken by Pres
ident Taft shortly after the adjourn
ment of the extra session brought the
active congressional investigation to
a close. The final statement of ap-
proval of the conclusions was affixed
by all the members Of the commit
tee today. The committee impeiiate-,
ly ordered the report printed conf
dentially and declined to announce
the recommendation until the report
is made public next Monday.
| The investiga ton was made by the
house committee on expenditures in
the department of agriculture, and its
hearings during the recent extra ses-
sion awakened wide national interest
Secretary Wilsol, DR.. Wiley, Solicitor
McCabe and a host of other witnesses
contributed to the symposium Of rev.
elations regarding the demoralized
conditions surrounding the admins
tration of pure food law.
In the course of these hearings. DR..
Wiley told how most Of his rulings
We're arbitrarily overruled, how a few
cases of direct law violations disclosed
by many lines of Inquiry were taken
out of his hands and turned over to
the Remsen referee board Of inves-
tigation. He said his hands were thus
absolutely paralyzed." His discus
sions conhicted with the Remsen
hoard and he said the least that could
he done for the public's protection
drugs until the board had decided in
favor Of their use. He added that
this policy had not been carried out.
The big controversy between him and
the Remsen board was over the chem
istry bureaus finding that benzoate
Of soda was harmful.
Virtually the only dissent from the
sweeping verdict for Dr. Wiley is
based uron the irregular employment
Of DR.. Fl. II. Rusby of New York as
$40 day expert, compensation
which was not to aggregate over
$1,000 in any one year, the amount
authorized under law. 1t was for this
employment at that per diem rate, to
get around the official limitation of
pay for such services to $1,000, that
| the personnel board of the depart
ment, first, and then Attorney General
| Wickersham recommended the re-
moval of DR.. Wiley from office. DR..
Wiley's assistant DIR. Dunlap, found
a memorandum Of the agreement on
this subject when DR.. Wiley was alb
sent and reported it to Secretary Will
SON. DIR. Dunlap almost invariably
sided with solicitor McCabe in the
decisions Of the pure food board. of
which DR.. Wiley was the other mem
| ber.
Dr. Wiley told the committee just
five months ago that he found it use
less to appeal to Secretary Wilson and
that he had practically surrendered"
his authority for enforcing the pure