Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 September 1912 — WHY DR. WILEY IS FOR WILSON [ARTICLE]

WHY DR. WILEY IS FOR WILSON

He Says Taft and T. R, Are Soldiers of Fraud. ENEMIES OF PURE FOOD LAW. Famous Chemist Believes the Health of the Nation Demands Election of tho Democratic Ticket—He Appeals to Those Who, Like Himself, Have Been Republicans.

By HARVEY W. WILEY.

(Former Chief Chemist of the U. 8- * Department of Agriculture.) My appeal is chiefly to those who, like myself, have been lifelong Republicans. I believe that no kind of an administration is going to ruin the country. 1 have a high personal regard for each one of the candidates for president and vice president on all the tickets. AH the political platforms are mainly sound, and all promise effort In behalf of the whole-people. My Choice is not based on a platform. It was determined by my impressions of the real attitude of the candidates rO specting the public welfare. We are creatures of heredity and environ ment. In our attitude toward great public questions we are almost alto gether creatures of environment. What two men are by environment least likely to be swayed by special interests and most likely tolie 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 expected If either of them resumes his former seat on March 4, 1913. Mr. Roosevelt by reason of his attitude toward the food and drug act abandoned the consumers of the country to the rapacity of a few mercenary manufacturers. Under authority of congress I had carried on extensive experiments with my so called poison squad and found that certain substances—viz, benzoic compounds, sulphurous compounds and sulphate of copper (bluestone)—were Injurious to health.

The law conferred upon me as chief of the bureau of chemistry the duty of acting as h grand jury and determining whether foods and drugs were adul tptated or misbranded. Instead of appealing from my decisions to the courts, as the law requires, the users of these poisons appealed to President Roosevelt. lie not only listened to them, but he abrogated the plain provisions of the law, appointed a board not contemplated by the law and directed that these predatory interests might con tiuue tbeiV attacks on the health of the people uiftil this board, unknown to the law, should decide otherwise.

Can we safely trust the campaign for public health to Mr. Roosevelt? 1 cannot believe that to be the proper course. Mr. Taft inherited this exceedingly bad condition of affairs from his predecessor and has not only continued this illegal board under whose patron age adulterators are still poisoning the people, but he did worse. In the matter of the adulteration of distilled beverages in which Roosevelt upheld the legally constituted authorities Mr. Taft reversed that policy and threw the mighty weight of the executive ofliee to the support of the worst lot of adulterators 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 unbear able conditions.

Wilson and Marshall by their education and environment are free from bias in favor of predatory interests and are inspired by true patriotic zeal in behalf of public welfare. I suppoTt the Democratic nominees in full knowledge that many of the prominent _ Democrats in congress have been in full sympathy with tl\e paral ysis of the food law in behalf of the unholy dollar. But when the Democratic 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 sympathy with them will be robbed of their for evil. If Roosevelt or Taft l>o chosen the soldiers of fraud and adulteration will be impregnably intrenched for another four years and benzoates, sulphates and adulterated alcoholic beverages will have a new lease of life

I believe also that President Wilson will renovate the department of agri culture, reeking, as it has been for the past twelve years, with scandals and favoritism. He will see tc it that the bureau of animal industry will protect the public health instead of the efforts of the 1 packers to sell diseased meats under the deceptive phrase “U. S. Inspected and Passed.” Under President Wilson no more Pin chots will be kicked out of the service, no more unspeakable McCabes will ex ercise dictatorial powers There wi’4 be no more cotton leaks and jungle atrocities, no more Everglade swin dies. Buccaneering, boasting and bun combe will give place to sane efforts for the promotion of real agriculture and the public health V „ Under Wilson the department of agriculture will be restored to Speak

ing terms with the state agricultural colleges and experiment stations, and the state officials will no longer be regarded as inferior beings, living only on the largess of a Washington cabal. I ask all who want honesty and faithful service in the department of agriculture. the promotion of public health and executives who have grown to manhood and lived in an environment favorable to that which makes for the public welfare to vote for Wilson and Marshall.