Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1907-02-01
LAKE MILLS LEADER
ON BUTTER MATTER
AIRS VIEWS ON RECENT AR
/ RESTS MADE IN THIS CITY.
Says it is Refreshing to see an
Awakening in the Enforcement
Of Existing LdWS-FdilS to Cite
UnjuStnGSS Where Many are
Entirely Innocent
I From FridaV'S DailV.)


of yesterday takes hand in the oIeo
controversy started recently through
the arrest Of several Watertown mer-
chants for the sale of butterine for
butter. The Leader says:
1t appears that on Tuesday ofnnlast
week number of men We're arrested
by agents o" the state for selling oleo-
margarine for butter and will be
brought to trial at the February term
Of court for violation of the pure food
law. Their otfense seems to rest on
the fact that the oieomargarine was
colored and sold for butter. The
WatertOwn Daily Leader of last week
gives the r.atter pretty serious
handing. basing its criticisms on the
ground that the article was bought by
a newsbUy running between Watertown
and chicago, as a side line, supposing
it was pU. e butter, and furnished 1T to
several Terchantss in Watertown who
bought it of him and sold it as butter,
believing that it was the genuine
article. Fer the sale of this article
which proved to be oleomargarlne the
boy and the merchant were arrested
and will be tried. The laws of the
state and nation touching the sale of
oleomargarine were enacted for the
purpose of preventing the sale of
this article except in it's natural color
and under its proper name. The. great
packers of the Chicago stock yards
had reached such degree of perfect
ness in the making of this imitation
butter that neither the consumer nor
the retailer could tell it from good
butter and they put millions of pounds
on the market as butter in competi-
tion with the genuine article which
w2s looked upon as fraudulent
business, and A Jnrgess of the
United States passed laws which tor
bid the colcring of oleo, and the sale
of it under false colors. Wisconsin
has similar laws and in the enforce
ment of these laws. the Watertown
men have been arrested and must stand
trial.
The non enforcement of existing laws
has become one of the danger spots in
oul history, and 1t is refreshing to
see an awakening in any direction
along this line. The law enforcement
may seem severe to those who have
inside knowledge of the case. 1t is
not denied that the Watertown men
kept and sold oleomargarine. If they
did, the officers of the law had but one
course to pursue and that course they
seem to have taken. Without raising
the question as to the wholesomeness
of oleomargarine or comparing it with
butter, or weighing the business of
the law, we hold that the enfurce-
ment of law is Uf greatest Importance
to the people, and ITS nom enforcement
a grave danger. If there are unjust
laws they should be repealed or amend
ed but All OathbOund officer should not
be found guilty of neglectlng TO en-
force the laws, the enforcement of
which he is detailed to perform. 1t
is to be hoped that the Watertown
people are innocent and can easily
clear themselves of the charges brought
against them, not only for their own
sake, but for the bearing it will have
on the question, and the benefit it may
be to others who through over con
fGence might stumble into trouble P"
Editor Hubbs, you like others are
laboring under the delusive idea that
the Daily Leader is opposed to the
pure food laws and their enforcement.
Not 50. But this paper is bitterly
opposed to the manner invoked in the
enforcement by the representatives OF
the nisabused law. How many times
we hear of cases where people have
sentence suspended for trivial infringe
uents of the law, for the reason that
the court of justice believed the
offender was innocent of wrong doing
and that it happened to be his first
offense. Mr.. Hubbs, do you ever hear
Of such a case in the enforcement of
the TODD laws? If you do, you will
be doing the Leader a great favor by
citirg the instances. We have watched
the mcdus operandi from various
points IN the state for several years
and have yet to find where any person
has had sentence suspended unless he
fought his case and was lucky enough
to win out after large bill of ex-
pense. We Go not believe in the
Ethics of any law that has d tendency
to force humanity into trouble, when
the noble purpose of trying to keep
them out of trouble would answer the
purpose and be far more agreeable al!
around. We do not believe that a
merchant is worthy of the treatment
of hardened criminal because be has
bean "nabbed" by an over Jealous
renegade Office holder for a little
infringement Of the law-for the first
time.
nunQro1 fh,nO