OLEOMARGARINE. 643 



Now, that of course anybody can call you or me a blackmailer, or can 

 say " Charles Y. Knight is the editor of a paper without subscribers." 



Another firm, Brauii & Fitts, almost as large a firm as Moxley (I 

 believe they claim to be larger), about the same time sent out another 

 letter, in which they used tbe following language: 



Every licensed butterine dealer in Chicago has received circular letters from the 

 secretary and attorney for the Illinois Dairy Union, promising all sorts of trouble 

 to dealers in bntterine (that honest and pure article of food). 



I submit to you, gentlemen, that if you can find anything in our cir- 

 culars that we sent out threatening to prosecute anybody for selling 

 oleomargarine or butterine we will surrender our whole case before 

 Congress. We did nothing of the kind, because we knew that that 

 anticolor law was hopelessly tied up in the courts. 



Mr. NEVILLE. The State laws provided against- the selling of but- 

 terine for butter, and you can not prosecute them under the other law? 



Mr. KNIGHT. No, sir. This letter goes on to say : 



premising all sorts of trouble to dealers in butterine (that honest and pure article 

 of food). Well, now, don't you believe a word of it; there is a law against black- 

 mailing, and we want now and here to go on record to the assertion, as an affidavit, 

 that we shall civilly and criminally prosecute any man or party of men interfering 

 unlawfully with the butterine business in this or any other State. 



You, gentlemen, are intelligent enough to see how he was conveying 

 here the idea that he wanted to convey, and at the same time not lay- 

 ing himself liable to the charge of protecting some one that was vio- 

 lating the law. 



We know exactly where we stand; we are properly advised on the subject, and 

 now we make you a "fair offer" handle our goods as you always have. 



That is, "sell our goods for butter as you always have," and that is 

 what they always have done in Chicago. 



We, in turn, promise and guarantee full protection against the State law 



They thought they were very cute, now, in saying u declared uncon- 

 stitutional," thereby leading the dealers to suppose that these laws had 

 been declared unconstitutional. 



(which has been declared unconstitutional) to the extent of paying cost of prosecu- 

 tion, fines, and paying all costs pertaining thereto. In declaring the law unconsti- 

 tutional one of the judges stated to the effect '-'that the butter ring were, in his 

 opinion, liable to prosecution to recover damages done an honest industry." Fair 

 enough, isn't it? lienew your efforts, and be assured that we will be prepared to 

 fight any number of rounds in any kind of a legal fight to the finish. Handle our 

 butterine and be safe. 



Now, there was no call for those letters unless they were protecting 

 the dealers from prosecution for selling oleomargarine for butter. If 

 we could have prevented that we would have cut down the sales of 

 the article 25 per cent in Chicago. We went ahead and did prosecute, 

 and I will show you what we went up against when we prosecuted 

 those people. We prosecuted these same people named right here. 

 We brought, I think, seventeen cases in all that cost us $120; that is, 

 for chemists' analyses and witness fees. We did not stop at those 

 seventeen cases, but we had cases against about 200 people, which cost 

 us for witnesses, for collecting evidence, and appearing in court $312.10. 

 Our attorneys we paid $570; stenographers for reporting trial, $57.80; 

 court costs, warrants, etc., $59.90; printing briefs, stationery, copies of 

 laws, circulars, etc., $414.43; traveling expenses to supreme court, for 

 going out there, $54.90; and for postage $71, which makes a total cost 

 of $1,670.13. 



(*61) 



