Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-02
CASES
Men Charged With Violating the Law In
dioted Today.
Bogus Butter Said to Have Been Sold
Without a Proper Label-The
Delay I'm Prosecutions.

Walter P and Joseph Wilkins were today
indicted for an alleged violation of the act
of August 2, 1886. defining butter, and regu-
lating the manufacture, sale, importation
and expectation of oleomargarine.
The indicted parties are said to be dealers
here iii butterine and similar products, and
the indictment charges that they, the 18th
of last October, knowingly and willfully
sold and delivered to George A. Shallen-
berger, superintendent of the District re-
form school, a tub containing sixty pounds
of oleomargarine as and for butter, the
package or tub not being stenciled or
branded "oleomargarine," as required by
the said act Of Congress. And other letters
and figures, indie ating the nature of the
contents of the tub or package. and other
required data were also missing, SO the in
dictment alleges
Upon the filing of the indictment today
District Attorney Birney asked that a
bench warrant he issued for the arrest of
the accused, and Judge Cole directed that
it be issued al once
Walter p. Wilkins was arrested this after
noon and taken into Criminal Court No. ],
where he gave bail in the sum of 500. mis-
mother, Mrs. Annie NJ. Wilkins, becoming
surety. to answer the Indictment Mr.. Will
kins stated that his brother Joseph. indicted
with him. is in Boston. but expects to re-
turn on the Sth of the month, when he will
give bonds.
What the Butter Men Say.
These indictments result from the efforts
begun some months ago, at the instance Of
dealers in pure butter, to have the oleo-
margarine law enforced in the District The
butter men have become somewhat i'm
patient because Of the delay in indicting and
prosecuting those against whom testimony
has been presented.
One of them said today to a Star reporter
that the course of the authorities up to this
time had been such as evidently to please
the oleomargarine dealers. THE oleomar-
garine dealers declare and reiterate the
declarat tion,' said the butter man, that
they have no fear whatever of the authori-
ties whose duty 1t is to compel proper
observance of the laws governing the sale
of oleomargarine in the District of Column
bia. They declare also that even when in
dictments are found the cases will never be
brought to trial, because several ways will
be found to delay such A thing. They assert
that it was in view of securing delay that
they employed some of the leading equity
lawyers of the District to defend any vio-
latorS of the oleomargarine law that might
be brought to trial, giving q reason for
this the fact that these lawyers would have
SO much business in the equity side of the
court in cases where large interests were
at stake. and especially in contests over
wills which would be Of long duration, that
they could not attend to minor cases ia the
criminal docket, and could procure post
ponement after postponement by reason of
their standing at the bar and the profess
sional courtesy that exists between them
and the district attorneys office.
Commissioner Miller knc cws just as Chief
Agent Col4uitt knows, just as the district
attorney knows, and as everybody else who
has taken the trouble to investigate the
matter at all knows, that the oleomarga-
rne laws are more fagrantly violated in
the District of Columbia, and that their
violation Is accompanied by greater
amount of inDOSitiOn 9ilinP find nrfa I
loss on the public of the District of Co
lumbia. than the disregard of all the other
statutes in force here combined
The winter and the early spring is the
harvest time it is said, of the oleomar-
Garine dealers, who persistently violate
butter prices. In summer the genuine ar
ticle Is too cheap to make the risk of vio-
.ating the law profitable enough to be
worth the running. With these acts in
view. it is the intention of the officials Of
the National Dairy Union to call upon At
tOrney General Harmon and impress upon
him the necessity of directing that the
district attorney should pursue course
here independent of the Treasury Depart
ment, and to prosecute oleomargarine
Gases without unnecessary delay. If no
satisfaction can be gotten from the Depart
ment of Justice ii is the intention, as stat
cd in The Star some time ago, to have 4
resolution passed by the Senate directing
the Senate all Information regarding the
Known violation OF the oleOmargarine laws
in the District which are OH record in the
office of the commissioner of interanl reve-
nue., the number of cases that have been
compromised, the amounts of money paid
In such cases, the names of the parties
charged with the violation of the law and
the names of the parties who paid the
penalties into the Treasury Department in
order TO secure immunity from prosecution
tor them.