The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1898-11-03
OHIO 0AIRYMEN.
Action of the Executive Com
mittee of Union
AGAINST ]. E. BLACKBURN.
Reasons Why Pure Food Commissioner
Should Be Defeated.
VOTERS ASKED TO REBUKE HIM.

John Baker, the Democratic Nominee
Has Made "a Record Which Has Been
In the Interest OF Farmers and Dairy
| men - Condemnation OF the Existing
\ Abuses of Dairy and. Food Departments
BY Committee Composed of Four
Republicans and One Democrat.
The executive committee of the Ohio
Dairy union has issued the following
manifesto to the members of the union
in Ohio:
The committee, whose testimony Is
here given, is composed of four Repub-
licans and one Democrat. Their con-
demnation Of existing abuses Of official
power in the dairy and food depart
ment and their recommendation to vot
ers to rebuke these abuses at the polls
by defeating Mr.. Blackburn, are strict
ly from nonpartisan motives and for
the highest good of the dairy interest
of the state.
For further testimony on the COM
parative records Of Mr.. Blackburn and
Mr.. Baker refer to the Ohio Farmer
(nonparitsan) of Oct. 6-13-20, which
will be sent free upon application to
the executive committee, Ohio Dairy
union, room 436, Arcade, Cleveland o.
The dairy and food commission Of
Ohio was created at the request Of the
dairymen and farmers of the state, es-
pecially to protect the great dairy in
dustry from dishonest and ruinous
competition of imitation compounds
sold as the genuine products Of the
dairy. m
In May, 1894, law was enacted by
our general assembly forbidding the
manufacture or sale in Ohio of oleo-
margarine containing coloring matter
to give 1t the appearance of butter.
The object was to prevent fraud in its
sale, as when colored to look like; but
ter it is generally sold as butter, at
J near the price of butter, and at to 10
cents per pound more than II would
bring IL sold as oleo, in its natural
color. The purchaser is deceived, be-
lieving that he is getting pure butter,
and is defrauded in the price he pays.
1t was to prevent this fraudulent sale
that the color law was enacted.
This law should be enforced. Then
both butter and oleomargerine would
! stand upon their merits and have a
fair, chance in the markets. peH
Ohio's Dairy Interests.
The dairy industry in Ohio en-
ployes probably $75,O00,OOO of capital
, 1t is an industry of the farmers, and
every farm home Is affected byrits pros
perity or depression. Two oleomar-
, gerine factories in the state, one at
Columbus and one at Cleveland, in de-
fiance of law, have been flooding the
markets with their spurious product,
colored to initiate the best butter, sold
as butter, and placed on the hotel, res
, taurant boarding house and family ta-
, bles as butter. Conservative estimates
| place the loss to the farmers of the
state in one year. caused by this fraud
ulent competition, at not less lnan
, $1,000,000. No wonder that the dairy
. |
J facturers Of oleo reap large profits. The
business is bonanza. 1t furnishes
, frauds to prostitute courts of Justice, to
capture political conventions, influence
officers of the law and to demorallze
public sentiment. Its influence is bale
full in every respect. ,-
/ ''It is the duty of the dairy and food
commissioner to enforce the law. Large
2 appropriations. are annually made for
: this purpose, but thus far nothing prac-
tical has been accomplished The law
: can be enforced. Similar laws are
strictly enforced in other states. 1,
We beg to call your attention es-
pecially to the, fact that at many con-
ferences of the Ohio Dairy union and
( its executive committee with Mr..
. Blackburn the former have urged upon
I him at every meeting the necessity of
striking at the root of the difficulty
the factory-and insisted that the law
! expressly prohibited the manufacture.
Us well as sale, and that this was the
effective place to prosecute. The prom
ise to prosecute the factories SO reluct-
antly made he repeatedly neglected to
!, fulfill until finally. under the direc-
! tion Of the Ohio Dairy union, through
! the special dairy deputy and the spe-
q cial attorney which the union had se-
0 cured, a case was commenced against
: the Columbus factory, and was won by
4 the state. hrrther p:uapcItions were
. blocked, however, by 4 etnsal of the
q factory to { i've samp, -. l;shedy was
= sought In an application for a. man
q datory Injunction to compel the giving
o OF such Samples, which was finally de-
: cided in favor of the state. The way
d was now clear for further prosecutions,
Q but at this juncture Mr.. Blackburn
y discharged the special deputy and rep
y resentative Of the union, and thus
headed of the effective prosecution