The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1900-11-02
ANYTHING TO WIN!
Hon. John Robson Opposed by Contempt
IDLE Methods on the Part of Dem
ocrat Managers.

ocrat Managers.
The democrats are attempting to bolster
up the chances of their candidate for state
senator by publishing the statement that the
republican candidate, Mr. John Robson,
!, was arrested and fined for violating the
pure food law. Mr.. Robson does not deny
the charge and In fact is perfectly willing
that the facts in the case should be known
He is friend of the pure food law and de-
sires its enforcement although he believes
that little more discretion should be used
In the enforcement than was used at the
time when he was arrested, plead guilty
and was fined, at about the same time that
Phipps, Penoyer & Co., and other equally
we'll known and respected grocery firms in
the state were made victims by the same
the law.
The facts were that the firm of Robson
Brothers sold a case of cream of tartar
which 1t had purchased of the California
Cream Tartar Company. The artic was
guaranteed to the firm as it had been to
other firms as being absolutely pure and
was sold by the firm under that guarantee
as pure cream of tartar. After the entire
case had been sold and Robson Brothers
still supposed that the article was as 1t had
been guaranteed to them, the first intima-
ton that they had that anything was wrong
was when Mr.. John Robson was arrested
| on warrant sworn out In the Office of the
food commission and brought up for trial
for selling adulterated cream of tartar. The
charge was not that of sellingit, knowing 1t
to be such, and therefore when the cream
| of tartar was shown to be adulterated,
nothing but conviction could result. The
manner Of the working Of the law was
therefore unavoidable although the Prose-
cutting Attorney, Mr.. Tuttle, assured Mr..
Robson and his friends that 1t was nothing
short of an outrage to prosecute him under
such circumstances. Such are the facts In
the case. Mr.. Robson, like any other
wholesale grocery man, or any grocer, had
no choice but to take the guarantee of the
company selling him the goods, and the
prosecution of man under such crcum-
stances cannot be considered anything else
than an outrage. No law could presume
that every package of goods purchased by q
grocer from wholesalers could be opened
and tested by the seller.
Such Is the true story of the case, the
Importance Of which has been entirely over
drawn. Mr.. Robson, though technically
| Uuilfv opd NON nj cto d md 6,ad ,x,as m rdant
a supporter of pure food law which will
safeguard the people Of the state against
adulterated food as any man, but from his
own experience it might be imagined that
he would like to have the grocers as well
get a small slice of protection from prosecu-
ton when it would seem that they had taken
> every reasonable precaution and had never
r received the first intimation that the article
they were selling was not as 1t was
guannteed until the warrant for their arrest
was shown them. The fact that the demo
Q Gratis feel compelled to bolster up theli
chances for success by such attacks as thai
however Is of itself decidedly complimentary
to Mr.. Robson. In Lansing where he has
hved all OF bis life, the facts In the case are
4 we'll known and cannot be distorted even
q so as to harm him in the least. Public
. sympathy has been, In fact, with him from
!, the moment of his arrest, as 1t was evident
y to all that there was NO intention OF violating
@ either the letter or the spirit of the law
q while 1t was felt that he had done every
= thing that he could be reasonably expected
to do TO observe the r. quirements of II.
u Ii the food commissioner had notified
!. Robson Brothers that the article In question
v was impure they would not have sold al
!, ounce Of 1t. Or, II they had any othe
reason whatever for doubling the guarantee
9 OF the firm which guaranteed 1t to them, tn