Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-05-17
INDUSTRY HERE
IMFALSEL|GHT
RoeSSler & HasSlacher Chem
icaI Co. Resents Misstate-
mentS on Floor of Senate

Editor Evening News:
During the tariff debate in con
/ gress, this company has been ma
| ligned and misrepresented before tn
senate by persons who seek to pre-
vent the enactment of an import
duty on cyanide. Such a duty is
sought by us to enable us to manu-
facture at our plant in Perth Amboy.
n. j. cyanide of sodium from Amer
lean raw materials in competition
with cyanide of foreign manufacture.
The misstatements made on the
floor of the senate have been given
wide publicity in the newspapers,
and we ask in fairness 10 this COM
pany and its officials that you pub
lish the information contained in an
editorial recently published in Drug
d Chemical Markets, for May 10th.
a leading trade paper of New York
City. Copy of this is enclosed.
Yours very truly.
THE ROESSLER & HASSLACHER
CHEMICAL CO,
Franz Roessler, President.
The editorial published in Drug
& Chemical Markets under the head
ing AT Your Expense" is as fol-
lows:
IF any good proof were needed
I'M lHt ldIll Silpulu pt N Oul VI
politics it was furnished in the sem
ate last week during the debate ove
the cyanide rates. Misstatements of
known facts, eloquentlX laid before
congress for partisan purposes and
published broadcast over the land by
the daily press. may be playing the
political game in the most approved
manner, but 1t raises havoc with ac-
curate public information. Misin-
formation about so basic an industry
as the production Of Chemicals is q
serious public matter, and when such
misinformation makes a lying appeal
to patriotism, and rouses class an
tagonism then political partisanship
becomes plain and dangerous libel.
Sch displays disgust honest-think-
ing Americans of whatever political
faith and inspire the wish that when
the legal immunity of members of
congress speaking from the floor is
abused, there might be some legal
redress. The chemical industry could
then present a pretty bill for dam
ages.
1--WE hold no brief for the Roessler
e. Hasslacher Chemical Company
and any defence of it by us would
be wholly .~uncalled for; but we do
have a very special commission to
puDllSn tHt ldClS pOu IA
industry, and we consider it plainly
a part of our public obligation to
correct widely spread misstatements
that concern this industry.
"It was stated publicly from the
senate floor and printed in news
papers all over the country that the
Alien Property Custodian took over
and administered the affairs of
Roessler e Hasslacheri that the
company sold cyanine at exhorbitant
prices during the war; that 1t paid
800 per cent dividend.
ION January Z, 1922. Thomas w.
Miller, the present Alien Property
Custodian wrote a letter to this COM
pany, which was filed before the fl
nance committee during the tariff
hearings and which is a part of the
public, published records of the sem
ate, that shows all these misstate-
ments in their true light. The Gus
todian did take over some German
| owned stock, but it was not a ma
| jority and he never controlled or adj
| ministered the company. During the
past six years dividends, have ov-
eraged 371a per cent on the capitah-
zation, or 12h per cent on the actual
cash and property investment. The
price of cyanide did soar to over 81,
but it was the price of the second
hand Spectator and importer. not
of the manufacturer. whose highest
price was SIC.
The chemical industry remembers
and understands these facts. The
public is attracted by senatorial
charges of monopoly. and does not
! concern itself with their truth. The
| result is that a supposed leader OF
| public thought, may with impunlty
whip his political opponents over the
shoulders of American business. He
can damage a firm and give a whole
industry a bad name all in a cheap
play to the political gallery gods.
Unfortunately in congress what Is
good politics weighs more than what
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