The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1898-11-03
DAIRY AND FOOD COMMISSIONER.
A Farmers Newspaper Urges Farmers TO
Defeat Blackburn.

Defeat Blackburn.
The Ohio Farmer, newspaper pub
lished at Cleveland, makes this criti-
cism upon the administration of the
dairy and food commissioners Office
under Blackburn, who is candidate
for reelection:
"Mr. Blackburn has been In Office
almost two years and his report for
the first year has not been published
yet. Perhaps 1t is policy to hold back
till after the election. From the pub
lished statement of the case of j. Rem
ner versus the auditor of state, by At
torney General Monnett, we present the
following figures, showing the relative
effectiveness of Mr.. Blackburn's and
Mr.. Meals work:
Collected In fines by McNeal, 1898. S10,403
| Collected In fines by McNeal, 1885,. 16,939
| Collected In fines by Blackburn, 1907 3,543
"The year ended Feb. 15 last. During
that year Mr.. Blackburn expended $40,-
| 305, and returned into the treasury,
from fines, $3,543.75. He has $4,000
| to expend this year, and SO far as we
can learn, only two prosecutions have
been made since February last. Mr..
Monnett says that so per cent of the
| appropriations Is expended as attor-
neys' fees.
"Mr. Blackburn's record fulfllls our
prediction. He had to do something.
He was under promise to the grocers
to touch them lightly. The oleo manu-
facturers have operated right along
without cessation. The Columbus fac
tory, we learn, turned out 100000
pounds last month, right under the
shadow of Mr.. Blackburn's office.
There was never a move made against
these oleo factories until the Ohio
Dairy Union forced 1t, and the work
was so crippled and delayed and OBJ
structed that it practically amounts to
nothing SO far. Just as soon as a de-
cision was reached, in the courts, that
gave the Dairy Union a chance to do
something Mr.. Blackburn discharged
the deputies chosen by the Union, and
the work was stopped. We venture
another prediction-that If Mr.. Black
burn is reelected these oleo factories
will do business at the old stands for
the next two years, without any prac-
tical distractions.
| Blackburn's Record.
Mr.. Blackburn refers to his prosecu-
tion of the Dayton Soldiers Home, for
using and selling oleo. We commend
ed that action and still commend it. But
we would like to know whether Mr..
Blackburn would have prosecuted that
institution had the oleo been purchased
of the Columbus or Cleveland factory
| of hrx, O. ~
cago. We think he saw an excellent
opportunity to make show Of Defend
ing the dairy industry, while pleasing
the home factories of oleo.
"The plain statement of the case Is
this: Mr. Blackburn was nominated
through the influence Of the wholesale
grocers, and the understanding was
that he would not molest them or the
retail grocers. We learn that they
raised $1,000 in the Cincinnati district
alone to secure his nomination. He
went into Office Feb. Is, 1896. Up to
July of that year he never to our
knowledge, prosecuted single violater
of the oleo law. The stuff was colored
to initiate butter and sold as butter
openly and without obstruction in all
the markets of the state. 1t became so
outrageous that the dealers and max
ers of pure butter in and around
Cleveland could stand 1t no longer
without protest and the Ohio Dairy
Union was formed, for the sole pur-
pose of having the oleo laws enforced.
This organization worked through Mr..
Blackburn, as there was no other me-
dunn through which 1t could work. 1t
has literally forced him to commence
war upon oleo violaters, but it has
only succeeded in securing the prose-
cution of few retailers. This they
do not mind. The factories stand be-
hind the dealers, and are pledged to
pay all the fines and costs of prosecu-
ton. A. factory that turns out 100000
pounds in one month can afford to pay
fine for a dealer every day and still
make large profit. AS long as the
factories are allowed to run obstruct-
ed the state will be flooded with imi-
tation butter. The law distinctly says
that no colored oleo shall be made In
THIS state We want that law enforced.
but we must elect some other man
than Mr.. Blackburn to enforce it. He
will never do 1t. He is not there for
that purpose. He was placed there
for the very opposite purpose-not to
cIforce the pure food laws. Farmers
are more intensely interested in the
enforcement of the pure food laws
than any other class, for they are both
producers of pure foods and consum-
ers. They are swindled by the out
rageous competition of counterfeit
products and by the high price they
pay for counterfeit goods sold as gen.
uine. The consumers in our towns
and cities ought to be interested
enough to try to secure protection
from fraud, so that they could get
what they want at fair price, but
they are not. The papers they read
are partisan, working for the success
of their respective tickets. regardless
of any other consideration. Republic
an papers never say word against
Mr. Blackburn or his administration
of the laws, but are working for his
reelection ON purely partisan grounds
II Mr.. Blackburn Is defeated the farm
ers must do 1t. There is grand op
portunity now for them to show theil