The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-03-08
What Has Been Contended; the
Points For Jury.
sWIFT's MAN PUT ON STAND
Representatives Of Other Con.
Germs Deny Seeking Inform
alton; Their Story.
From Thursdays Daily.

state finished it's arguments in the
case Of the State against Ole Han
son, charged with selling oleomar-
garine of the faint and color of hut
ter, and the defense, instead of open.
| ing with any arguments, began the
evidence at once. w. G. Potter,
manager of the butterine department
of Swift e Co., Chicago, was the
morning. He will probably be cross
examined this afternoon by the de-
Tense.
Attorney Alexander James for the
state said today that the law pro-
hibits the sale of oleomargarine made
in imitation of butter with the same
shade or. tint. The state has to prove
that oleomargarine sold, was manu-
featured so as to initiate butter of
the shade and faint of yellow. The
state claims that the article sold was
in imitation of butter for the reason
that the manufacturers had a choice
of material from which they could
select, and that they chose such ma
terial as would make the product
yellow.
Considerable evidence was intro.
duced to show that oleomargarine
could be made which was not in
limitation of butter, but the defense
claimed that they could make No
oleomargarine that did not resemble
some butter This the state denied,
1t is expected that the case will
go to the jury either late this aft
ernoon or tomorrow.
1 tk.fa
| While the representative of Swift
& Co. is said to have been not overly
anxious to have the formula used
in the manufacture of oleo by his
company divulged, representatives of
other packing houses who are spec
| tators at the trial, assert positively
that they are not here for the pur-
pose of attempting to find out what
that formula may be. Henry H.
Kansler of Armour e Co. and 0. NJ.
Rexinger of Morris & Co. stated to-
day that their companies were inter-
ested in the outcome of the trial, and
naturally they hope Swift & Co. will
win, as they believe the law under
which Mr.. Hanson is being prose-
cuted is unconstitutional and mimi
cal to the peoples interest and their
welfare. Messrs. Kansler and Rex
/ niger declared that their concerns
have been manufacturing oleomar-
garine and butterine for years and
dispose of large quantities in the
northwest. Both gentlemen talked
Interestingly of the manufacture OF
cleo and butterine Naturally both
men hope that Mr.. Hanson will be
acquitted and that the ban placed by
the state on oleo and butterine will
be removed.
Something About oIeo.
| In a recent issue of The Morris
Standard, the following article on
"The Oleomargarine Industry" by
o. NJ. Rexinger, gives an idea of
how oleo is made:
"Oleomargarine," "butterine" and
margarine" are synonymous and are
expressive of the product known as
a substitute for butter. i shall use
the word oleomargarine, by which
the product is known in this coun-
try, and / believe this butter sub
stitute can be termed one of the
greatest scientific discoveries of the
nineteenth century.
1t Is a product that will continue
in existence so long as the human
family demands a food akin to but
ter, and l believe we will all agree
that there is very little likelihood
of our dispensing with such yalu-
able and needed food.
The consumption OF oleomargarine
is greater each year, due to the
worlds growing population and a
production of butter insufficient to
meet the demand for food of that
nature.
The oleomargarine industry in the
United States is still in its infancy.
The product was manufactured and
sold in this country several years
before 1886, but the business as an
industry dates from that year, when
the United States government first |
passed laws regulating it's manufac- |
ture and sale, imposing tax OF
two cents per pound on the product,
requiring manufacturers and dealers
to take out government license to
manufacture and sell, and a record
to be furnished the government each
month by the manufacturers and
wholesale dealers, reporting each and
every sale, names and addresses oil
customers, packages and POUNDS sold,
besides other minor regulations per-
tanning to packing, wrapping and
branding of the product. Notwith-
standing this handicap, the industry
gew to such proportions that the
butter producing interests and butter
jobbers became alarmed at its growth
and succeeded in having the. laws
amended in 1902, further harassing
the industry by having tax of ten
cents per pound levied on oleomar-
garine artiicially colored (class leg
islation of the worst form. True,
they had some cause for alarm for
the product was being sold by deal
ers for butter ian honest acknowl-
edgment of the merits of oleomar-
garine). In spite of this Infamous
national law and various state laws
even more severe to suppress the
sale of oleomargarine, the business
continues to thrive and, as previous
ly stated, is on the increase each
succeeding year.
To what must we attribute this
growth of business that has been
SO maligned by certain interests and
SO hampered by legislation? Simply '