Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-11
For GrOcers of Little Wash
ington Fined for Selling
Bogus Butter.
THEY WERE IMPOSED ON
BY Dealers in Pittsburg, Who Sold
the Stuff as Dairy Products.
PENNSYLVANIA TO MAKE A SHOW
That Will Be Second to None Among State
Exhibits at Chicago.
NEWSY NOTES FROM NEARBY TOWNS
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE D1sPATcH.l

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATcH.1
HARRISBURG, Dec. 10.-Governor Pat
tison received an application to-day from
Judge McIlvain, asking him to remit the
fine of 500 imposed bv the Judge in the
case of each of the 81 butchers and grocers
of Washington county who violated the
law prohibiting the sale Of oleomargarine.
Judge McIlvain, in letter to the Governor,
SAYS:
At our last term OF court q of our mer-
chants were returned under the act of May
q, 1855 for unlawfully selling olcomargarine,
and to the indictment of the grand jury
pleaded nolle contendere and were SEN
tenced to pay the costs of prosecution and
fine of 500 in each case. After plea and mo-
tion for Judgment by the District Attorney
the counsel for defendants asked the Court
TO enter a 'stet" on pleas, anu TO allow the
defendants to go without day upon the
payment of the costs.
This application was supported by state
ments to which 1 was inclined to give
willing ear, but on reflection concluded
there was no authority in law Justlfy1ng
such action on the part of the court, ca nd
that TO do SO would be n usurpation of the
authority vested in the Executive. there
fore commend them to your clemency, be-
lieving thaJ you will give them all the relief
which they may show themselves entitled
to and which could not give in opposition
to the motion of the District Attorney for
Judgment upon the defendants pleas:
In petition of the merchandise to the Gov
ernor, they say: That in the prosecution of
their business they have been engaged in
the sale of butter, and the supply from the
surrounding country not being sufficient to
meet the demands of their customers, they
were compelled to purchase from the whole
sale dealers in Pittsburg and elsewhere
Some of the cousignments from these dealers
contained packages of the product known as
oleomargarne, or butterine. In a majority
of cases this product was sold to them as
dairy butter, and a large number of them
were not aware that they were engaged in
the sale of an article other than butter.
The prices paid for the produce were the
same as would have been charged at that
time for dairy or country butter, and in
most cases it was represented to them as
being dairy butter by the parties from
whom il was purchased.
The first knowledge they had that it was
not as represented, was when they were
called upon bv officers of the internal rev.
enue to take out licenses under the statutes
of the United States. which they did rather
than go into suits with these officers. The
petitioners say that of those who have been
fined, large number are not able to pay
their fines, and that if the sentence should
be enforced against them they will be COM
PEELED to go out of business, and a few, at
least, would have to be imprisoned.
The Governor will probably take action
on the application and publish next week.