OCR Text |
Show f(TAFTF0R 1 '- J President Bints at If Great Shakeup in Department Beverly, Mass., Sept 15. The resignation resig-nation of Dr. Harvey W. Wiley, chief of the bureau of chemistry in the department de-partment of agriculture, and pYobably the best known pure food expert in the government service, will not bo asked for by President Taft, despite recommondatlons that It be requested, made by the personnel board of the department and endorsed by Attorney General Wickersham. The "condign punishment" for Dr. Wiley, which Mr. Wickersham held to be necessary, will not bo raoted out 'by the chief executive. The President's Presi-dent's opinion, carrving no word of criticism for Dr. Wiley, but many a word of praise, was made public here ,- today There is no indication in it 'f that the President feels that he "turn-'t "turn-'t ed down" Mr. Wickersham by not I accepting his recommendations. He t explains that the attorney general's I findings in the case were" made with - I less complete data than, was before him when he took It up. II In the opinion, the President admits jg what has been known to many per- j sons close to the administration that p there is trouble in the department of j agriculture Speaking of the con- gresslonal Inquiry into that depart- ment, unfinished at the last session, ?;' but to be taken up again next winter, Mr Taft Bays. "The broader issues raised by the investigation, which have a much i weightier relation than this one to S the general efficiency of the depart-l depart-l ment, may require much more radical '' action than the question I havocre- ated and decided." ! Serious Shakeup Coming. 1-1 That this statement Indicates a. eer-jL eer-jL ioup sbakoup In tlte department ne$ I winter was freely predicted hero to- 3 day. There have never been any ji-i intimations that Secreetary Wijson If r was disposed to retire and it Is not !1 believed hero that the president would request him to do so. A gener-5 gener-5 al clean up of affairs in the depart-, depart-, J ment, howover, , could easily bo re-l re-l S quested by tho President and carried f through when ho returns to Washing-: Washing-: J ton lit November. M The "Wiley case' arose over tho g employment by the iburea.u of chem- , istry of Dr. H. H". Rusby, of New m York, pharmacognocist of the bureau. Jjfe In effect. Dr. Wiley, Dr L. F. Kebler, tf chief of tho drug laboratory, and Dr. 3 I W. D. Blgelow, assistant chief of the Ji '. bureau, were charged with having ; r conspired to pay Dr. Rusby a salary j S of .51,500 a year, with the tacit un. ! , ! derstanding that ho was to do onlv : i , enough work to secure this amount j ; ; at the rato of $20 a day. This was ,i t held to violate tho acts of congress i ; ; aproved March 15, 1898, which de- ; clared that no classified scientific in. vestigator should receive more than 3 $9 a day. in addition to the recom- 0 mendation that Wiley be allowed to j resign, the personnel" board held that Dr. Rusby should be dismissed, that j- Dr. Keblor bo reduced and that Dr. Blgelow 'bo allowed to quit the ser-' ser-' vice. None of these recommendations I is upheld in tho president's opinion. Dr. Kebler Is reprimanded for "dis-7 "dis-7 IngonouB conduct" in his letter wrlt-i wrlt-i ing to Dr. RuBby and the President ' says that the letters suggest a 'will- ingness to resort to evasion" that . calls for official reprimand. Dr. Bige--Jj low Is held to have 'heen "over zeal- 1 i oub' and a reprimand by Secretarv of ij Agriculture Wilson, to whom tho c"pln-j1 c"pln-j1 fl on- which is in letter form, Is dl. J rected. Is ordered by the President I f, Dr. Rusby is held to be as guiltless fl J; as Dft Wiley in this particular matter. '1 .' A charge against him, howover, of IJ & securing the appointment on tho I a "common labor" roll of a physician J 5 and expert "whom ho could uee to I u do his work at a small stipend when fl he himself was called away," tho Presl-'M Presl-'M dent holds to bo "not especially cred U itable." The case, the President says, l has mado apparent tho "double legls-M legls-M j Jatlvo policy of placing limitations up-M up-M $, on bureau chiefs to exact per diem 9 compensation for experts." 0.fl The government, he says, "ought :, not to be at a disadvantage in this fjj regard and ono cannot withhold one's jd (, sympathy with an earnest effort by ,T Dr Wiley to pay proper compensation l and secure expert aBBlstanco in tho B f enforcement of so Important a statute H as the pure food law, cortiinly In tho beginning when the questions" arising !Zm under it are of capital importance to the public." ) 0 (Continued on Pago Eight.) TAPT FOR DR. WILEY (Continued from Page One.) Tho President's conclusions, he says, wore ready weeks ago, but he did not put them on paper because he hoped for a time for the report of tho committee of the house of representatives repre-sentatives that was investigating the department of agriculture. His letter follows: The President's conclusions and final decision follow: "If this wore a knowing, wilful, deliberate de-liberate effort to evade the statues1, as construed by the attorney general, accompanied by a scheme to conceal tho evasion and voiat.'on, I should think the punishment recommended by tho personnel board, and concurred concur-red in by the attorney general, was nono too great; but an examination of the whole case satisfies me that a different construction ought to be put on what was done; that the evidenqe does not show that Dr Wiley wns a party to the corrospondonco or the loiters upon which the chief charge is founded, and that his action in the matter waH only in accord with previous prev-ious precedents in. the department which Justified him In doing what he did. "With respect to the other persons charged,, I find an oyer-zeal In Dr Keblcr, and Dr. Bigelow which prompted a disingenuous method of squaring Dr. Rusby's desire for what ho thought was adequate compensation compensa-tion with tho contract which you and Dr. Wiley were willing to make with him, that for this Dr. Kebler and Dr. Bigelow should bo reprimanded by by you So far as Dr. Rusby is concerned, con-cerned, with respect to this particular contract, I do not flrid him at fault. For purposes of punishment or dismissal, dismis-sal, I cannot charge him with knowledge know-ledge of tho legal difficulties involved in his employment, "I examined the record in this case a number of weeks -ago and reached tho conclusion, which I have stated here, but, meantime, a committee of tho house of representatives, deemed It proper to instituto an Investigation into the dopartment of agriculture and especially into the bureau ' of chomlstry and Its relation to the department de-partment generally. "It seemer to mo, undor these conditions, con-ditions, that perhapa it was wise for me to dolay until the Investigation was corppjeted and the report of the committee com-mittee made. Tho "committee lias not made aj report, although I believe be-lieve tho evidence has been substantially substan-tially closed, and will not do so until the noxt session of congress. Further Fur-ther consideration satisfies me that thero are very much broader questions ques-tions involved n the investigation and the evidence there brought out than in the present .charge, which is narrow nar-row and definite and can now be properly prop-erly disposed of. "The broader Isbuos raised by the investigation, which have a much weightier relation than this one to tho general efficiency of the department, depart-ment, may require much moro radical action than tho qqestlon I have here considered and decided. , "There (s another charge against Dr. Rusby for-securing the appointment appoint-ment on tho common laborer's roll of a physician and expert whom he could use to do his work at a very small stlpond when be himself was called away' in other employment I regret to say that the arrangement "which Dr Rusby thus made Id? not especially creditable to him and shakes In some degree one's confidence in his avowed wish to make personal pecuniary sacrifice sac-rifice in tho public intcjest for the enforcement en-forcement of tho pure food law. But Dr Rusby's position as an expert of high standing is such that I do not think that any moro than this expres-slon expres-slon pf opinion should be Imposed as penalty My Information Is that the government needs his services and that he- haH already rendered valuable aid and that tho' error referred to committed by him does not call for further action or remark. "You will communicate tho result to the personnel board and also to ithe person? charged. Sincerely yours, (SJgnod) . WILLIAM H. TAFT.".. |