Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-23
How tta Wilkins Butler Decision is
Regarded.
TREASURY DEPARTMENTS POLICY
The Responsibility Resting Upon
Secretary Gage.
INVESTIGATION PRORART,F

Nils eLu 1AoWdiu DollSi, no" serving
sentences in Moyamensing prison for
fagrantly violating the oieomargarine
laws, has met with universal commen-
dation from the agricultural and dairy
| interests the country over, as well as the
applause of those who believe the laws of
Congress were intended to be enforced and
| carried out. The opinion of Attorney Gen.
e1al Griggs, recommending the action
| taken, Is also receiving general approval
and is probably being commented on more
| widely than any similar document ever is
sued from his department.
Several years ago The Evening Star be-
| came aware of the open and impudent man.
ner in which the United States laws and
| in oleomargarine were being violated. The
Investigation it inaugurated developed even
worse state of affairs than was expected.
From time to time articles descriptive of
the outrageous imposition upon the public
by those engaged in the illegal pursuit of
the oleomargarine trade were published.
explaining the various criminal means by
which the stuff was palmed off on the pub
lie as genuine butter at prices obtained for
the latter article and showing how those
thus engaged were protected in their nefa-
riouS practices by the custom established
by the Treasury Department, through the
internal revenue bureau, of accepting money
from those caught violating the laws and
regulations and thus compromising with
them instead of bringing them to trial in
court of law.
Examined the Records.
When the application for the pardon of
Wilkins and Butler was made The Evening
Star voiced the protest of the great agricul-
tural interests of the country against any
extension of clemency, and stated that if
Attorney General Griggs would send for the
records of the INTERNAL revenue bureau he
would see how persistently and fagrantly
Wilkins had broken the law and how, with
equal persistency, the Treasury Depart
ment had condoned his soffenses through the
medium Of hush money, conventionally
called compromise"
The Attorney General did so and in his
opinion to the President published in The
Star last Friday, he cited from those
ords, accentuating the. truth OF everything
this paper had said regarding the case.
If the Attorney General had gone into the
treasury records of compromising with
other offenders such as Wilkins he would
have found that, like him. all the others
were given the same Opportunity to secure
immunity from justice by this hush money
system He would have found that within
the past few months sum of over 5000
had been paid by parties caught In Phila-
delphia, where wilkins and Butler were
caught in the same violation Of the law.
He would have also found that over 1000
had been accepted from parties guilty Of
the same offense at Cumberland, Md.
Eject of the Decision.
There is a very decided impression pre-
vaiing that the Attorney Generals succinct
and detailed recital of the course pursued
by the treasury officials regarding Wilkins
is about strong an Indictment Of one
executive department of the government
by the responsible head of another ever
was framed. 1t can be stated upon unim-
peachable authority that one Of the Attor-
ney Generals colleagues in the cabinet
Gently declared while discussing in pri-
waite conversation the policy of the inter-
nal revenue bureau In compromising with
oleomargarine law violators that II he had
such bureau in his department he would
clean it out from top to bottom"
OF course, this was rather too emphatic,
as it would. 1t is believed. be very easy for
the head of a department to reform any
bureau under his direction by less rigorous
means.
Within Secretary Cages Power.
Those familiar with the power of execu-
tive officials in charge Of departments Of
the government are convinced that Secre-
tary Gage could IL he desired change in a
day the system described as being in force
in the internal revenue bureau, and so thor
oughly pictured in Attorney General
Griggs opinion, and put an immediate end
to the custom of compromising with the
violators of the laws of the United States
and the regulations issued under their au-
thorty and declared by the United States
Supreme Court to be as binding as the
statutes themselves.
In the conviction Of wilkins and Butler
and in the legal battle following it was
shown beyond all question aG doubt that
the law governing traffic in oleomargarine
was all sufficient. It was also as thorough
~ exemplifed in the decision of the United
states Supreme Court declaring that regu-
lations issued under authority of Congress
by the commissioner Of internal revenue
and approved by the Secretary of the
treasury were as valid as law. Conse-
quently. II additional regulations are need
ed to make more effective the protection of
the public from the imposition practiced by
the oleo men, 1t Is believed to be fully with
IN the power of Commissioner Wilson and
Secretary Gage to issue them.
FatteninE the Fraud Fund.
The grave condition exists, however, that
the treasury officials do not utilize those
laws and regulations In the spirit which a
proper recognition of them demands. They
are merely used as agencies by which the
fraud fund" as 1t is commonly known,
can be fattened and increased These laws
II may be stated. are not revenue laws.
The latter. which provide that certain
stamps and marks shall be placed upon
packages pack containing oleomaEgarine, are al
most invariably complied with by the par
tles engaged in the traffic, but after they
are affixed they are scraped, off and other
wise removed, and the stun is sold as
the packages which Wilkins and But tut
Ter We're caught stripping in the ware
house at Philadelphia had been stamped
this condition from this city, and fol-
lowed by the two men, and while the latter
were engaged in removing the stamps and
marks they were unprecedented by the special
agents. The same course is pursued almost |
always by the other violators of the law
and the treasury regulations.
Ten Per Cent to Informers
Familiar with this practice, and equally
familiar by reason of continued "compro-
mise" negotiations with those who indulge |
In it. the treasury officials utilize this |
knowledge, not to carry: out the intent of
the law. but to increase the fraud fund
mentioned. AS soon as an agent of the in
ternal revenue bureau makes a case against |
violator and shows tendency to bring
the violator to answer in court of law the
chances are that in every instance the DO
tent influences behind the illegal traffic in
oleo secure his removal. STILL if such a
man. out of the regular service informs the |
internal revenue bureau its agents that
he can catch party violating the oleo-
margarine law by the scyaping process he il |
given 10 per cent of the money received
from such violator andspaid by the latter
to compromise the case against him.
An InvestiEatiQn Probable.
TIE result Of the decision in the Wilkins |