New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-10
Charges Opposition to Whit
mans Food Bill Aids
Gamblers
Defends Harvester Co
Says Publicity VS.. Duplicity''
Characterizes Albany
Battle

George W. Perkins. whose appoint
ment as State Food Controller was
blocked by the opposing forces at Al
bany, wrote an open letter to Senator
Flon r. Brown yesterday. charging that
his antagonism has not been in the
open" and that he had deliberately
played directly into the hands OF the
food gamblers" Mr.. Perkins accuses
the Senator of being opposed not only
TO the law itself. but any one who will
enforce it.
His letter follows:
"Elon r. Brown, Waterfowl, n. Y.
Dear Sir: Since the opening Of the
Legislature last January you have re
sisted every suggestion made by Gov
crnor Whitman for remedying food
conditions in this state, so intolerable
for producer and consumer alike, and
you have used every known method to
postpone and delay any constructive
legislation. You have fought against
every effort to bring this state into CO.
operative and harmonious relations
with the food plans of the national
government and OF our important
neighbor, New Jersey.
Hints at Deceit
your antagonism has not beer in
The open. 1t has been of the charac-
ter so we'll exemplifed by your course
last Friday, when you deliberately held
up the prompt execution OF the law
by failing TO confirm both President
Schurman and Mr.. Wieting, against
whom even you made no objection.
you well knew that every days de-
lay at this time counted heavily
against securing results for the people
out Of this years food supplies. Your
real fight was not against confirmation,
but against giving Governor Whitman
a chance TO put the law in force. You
have succeeded in forcing another de-
lay by holding up all the Governors
appointees during a three weeks re-
cess of the Senate. Thus, you have
again deliberately played directly into
the hands of the food gamblers, the
hoarders and the spectators who in
fest this state.
Motive Is Plain"
Those who are as familiar as | am
with the moves you have made ever
since food control and distribution
has been before the Legislature real
lie your controlling motive. You are
opposed TO the law and opposed 10 any
man who will enforce the law. Having
failed in your strenuous efforts to de
feat the law, you now aim TO defeat
its purpose by delaying its operation
There might be some respect for
your attitude if you were frankly to
state to the people that you were OPP
posed TO any food control law at all,
but there can be no respect for your
stand when you cloak your antagonism
TO this very worthy and necessary law
with the pretence that you are pro-
tecting the farmers interest, which in
reality you are not.
concerning your attack on me, out
of all your malevolcnt utterances just
two facts can be CLEANED. One is that
| spend money freely in newspaper ad-
vertising TO influence the people on
/ public measures.
"When | have felt that attention
should be directed against iniquitous
measures, such as the Constitutional
revision of 1915, and such as your eff
forts during the last nine months to
defeat constructive food legislation,
have gathered the facts and have pub
lished them frankly at my own ex-
pense in many newspapers in the
state. OF all the money you have seen
{ expended on public matters, do YOU
( know of any more openly or more
: properly spent?
Money Openly Spent
as there any fairer way 10 reach
the people than to present the facts
/ publicly TO them and ask their iudg-
ment? | concede that IL is a method
{ with which you are not familiar, but
for that very reason it appeals all the
| more strongly to me. You prefer do
ing things in the dark. | prefer do
ing them in the light. You favor du-
plicity. I favor publicity.
Your objection to such appeals as
have made TO the people is not to the
manner Of doing it, but to the unan-
swcrable facts I have presented All
that | have done has been to lay the
facts before the people. The thing that
affects you is that the people have read
and believed-and have acted accord
ingly.
Defends Harvester Company
"Your second charge is that I or.
gained the International Harvester
Company and am still a director in il.
] was associated in organizing il.
an a director Of it, | am proud Of
both facts.
"By innuendo you say that the Har-
vester Company is such a disreputable
concern that the government is trying
TO dissolve 1t. Such an inference is
false. The government is seeking TO
dissolve the Harvester Company be-
cause il was composed of several COM
panics and on account of its size. The
lower court, in passing upon the matter.
specifically and emphatically declared
that there was nothing to complain Of
in the Harvester Company's methods Of
doing business, either with its COM
petitors or with the farmers who buy
many Of its goods. In other words, the
company was given by the court a per
fcctly clean bill of health as to its
business practices.
you intimate that because Of my
connection with the Harvester Com
pany the very idea Of the Governor Sc
lectirg me as an administrator Of a
food bill is preposterous, and you ap-
peal 70 your associates on this account
to reject me. And yet, of course. YOU
are aware that ninety days ago Presi-
dent Wilson selected as one OF the
commissioners from the United States
to preach democracy TO the Russian
people Mr.. Cyrus II. Mccormick. tho
president of the International Har-
vester Company.