Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-04-20
AN UNLAWFUL CONVERSATION.

The makers of and the dealers in
butter. who do business in this city,
| are dissatisfied with the condition Of
the butter market, and acting upon a
| perfectly natural Instinct they have set
themselves to work to secure the relief
they think they need. But before en-
tering upon the program they are seek
Ing to carry out they should have con-
suited a lawyer.
Some leading spirit among them.
whose Identity has not been disclosed
to the News" has drawn UP u docu-
ment which recites that for some time
past the state OF the butter market has
| been unsatisfactory TO the makers and
| sellers OF that product. Then follows
an agreement by which all dairymen
and dealers who sign 1t bind them
selves to charge 20 cents per pound as
the Wholesale and % cents as the retail
price OF creamery butter. These rates
were TO go into effect today, April 90
| The copy of this document which was
seen by News" representative yes
terday bore dozen or more sigma
lures.
Now each maker of and dealer in
butter who has signed this paper, be-
yond doubt regards himself as a wor-
thy citizen engaged in a worthy and
Legitimate business. who Is making a
very proper effort to protect that bust
ness from the consequences of de-
morallzed market; and 1t will probably
astonish him very much to be told that
he Is a wretched criminal and vile
conspirator: but such he is--ln the eS-
timatlon of the law. Perhaps and
probably nc is a very honest and well
meaning individual, and most worthy
church member. but he is also n
heinous mnlefactor who is liable to
fine and imprisonment should his
guilt be sufficiently uncovered in
court OF competent Jurisdiction.
1t is a crime to sign such a paper
as the one above described, in the
state of Utah. Such an act is made
a crime by section 1862, page i2J, Re-
vised Statutes 1898, which is as fol-
lows;
ANY combination by persons having
for its object or effect the controlling
of the prices of any professional SER
vices, any products of the soil, any ar
ticle of manufacture or commerce, Oh
the cost of exchange OF transporta-
tion. is prohibited and declared un.
lawful"
The punishments for violating this
section, or other sections of the same
title are pretty stlff. If the culprit is
corporation, company. firm or asso-
citation. the penalty is fine of not less
than 500 nor more than $1,000 for the
first offense: for the second offense the
fine is not less than $500 nor more than
$4,000; for the third offense the mini
mum fine is $1,000 and the maximum
10000; for each subsequent offense the
fine may be $4,000. If the offender is
an individual he may be punished by
fine of not less than one hundred
dollars nor more than one thousand
dollars, or by confinement in the coun-
ty jail not more than one year, or by
both" Any corporation violating this
provision shall thereby forfeit its
corporate rights and franchises, and it's
corporate existence shall thereupon
cease ana determine.
1t would take the profits OFF, OF
quite n lot of butter to pay the fines
provided by law for signing such pa
pers as the butter people of this city
have been afllxing their signatures to
within the last few days; and should
the county attorney and sheriff take I,
into their heads to follow the matter
up, the decentralization of the butter
market will likely be perceptibly aug
mented. The best thing the butter men
can do is to destroy that paper in
stantly, and then assume an innocent,
unconcerned look while they wait for
the law of supply and demand to reg
ulate the market. Their cause may
be just but the law does not say so.