Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-21
TO PROTECT CONSUMERS
The Warfare Against the 0leomargarine
Dealers
How the Cases Will Be FOllowed-A
Home Test for Pure
Butter.

The oleomargarine prosecutions which
have been instituted because Of the efforts
Of the dealers In genuine butter to protect
purchasers from the imitation when they
are paying for the genuine article promise
to be interesting. While the fight against
these alleged fraudulent sales was started
by the dealers in butter, 1t does not affect
those who sell the Imitation for what 1t
really is, but only those who 1t is alleged
have falsely represented the article to lie
pure creamery butter.
In the cases recently submitted to Dis
trict Attorney Birney for prosecution the
prosecuting officer has decided to have
them inquired into by the grand jury, and
not by the Police Court in the first in
stance.
be the fairest way to deal with the cases.
for then there will be no undue publicity
given the cases. and should there be mis-
take In any one of them this mistake can
in public court. The witnesses In the
cases have been summoned to appear be-
fore the grand jury tomorrow. and a num-
Der of indictments are expected In few
days.
One Of the dealers In genuine butter,
speaking to a Star reporter, said that they
had no objection whatever to the sale of
butter limitations, but they would insist that
the genuine article. He realized that thou
sands of persons were unable to distinguish
between the pure butter and the imitation,
and he thought the law should protect
them against alleged interruptions dealers.
The limitations are worth from 10 to 20
cents a pound, while the genuine article is
worth mere than twice the money, and
there Is no reason why the consumers
should pay such outrageous prices for the
imitation.
1t is a fact that many persons buy oleo-
margarine because it is cheap. and then,
too. there are persons who probably are as
well satisfied with one article as with the
other On the other hand, there are per-
sons who are not so well satisfied, and
these are the ones who have been made to
pay such eXtravagant prices.
A Test.
Persons dealing in butter might do their
testing at home. as the spoon test is general
ly regarded as a good one. This is done by
placing a piece of the butter in a spoon and
heating it. If the article is the genuine one
it will get light and frothy white; on the
other hand, limitations, as a rule, will heat
ing purposes.
One of the oleomargarine factories, 1t Is
said.is using kerosene oil in the manufacture
of the imitation Of butter.
The dealers in pure butter will endeavor
this winter to get bill through Congress
which will have for its object the protection
of people In boarding houses and hotels from
the imitation. This bill, If enacted. will re-
quire hotels and boarding house keepers who
use the limitations to put up in their dining
rooms signs to that effect.
The witnesses in the cases reported, as al
ready stated, will appear before the grand
jury tomorrow and give evidence against the
twenty-siX dealers.
While these cases are under investigation,
the agents of the internal revenue bureau
are still making the rounds of the stores and
other dealers to apprehend the alleged vio-
lators of the law, if there are any.
The starting Of these prosecutions has
frightened some of the dealers in the bogus
butter, and 1t is said that there has been a
change in the class of stock in some of. the
stores, while others are selling the imitation
as such In addition to selling the genuine
butter,