160 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



that to do than it would seem probable existed in as old a dairy 

 state as Illinois. Nevertheless, we have found much work to do, 

 and I believe we have the foundation for further work so thor- 

 oughly well laid as to have reduced the whole question to one of 

 simply applying the forces, the matter of collecting evidence and 

 bringing about a correction of the errors we have found. The 

 oleomargarine law which prohibits the sale of oleomargarine col- 

 ored in the state of Illinois, was at one time considered practi- 

 cally null and void. At the last session I was able to tell you we 

 felt we had done sufficient work so as to probably have estab- 

 lished in the minds of the violators or sellers of oleomargarine 

 the fact that the law was good law. There still seems to be some 

 doubt about it as we were at that time still being threatened of 

 carrying cases to the Supreme Court and fight every inch of the 

 way. I am justified in saying that that stage has all passed. 

 We have collected something like 125 fines under the law. We 

 have invited our enemies to fight the law and carry the cases to 

 the Supreme Court. In spite of all their threats we have had no 

 cases carried up. They have all been very glad to pay their fines. 

 With that as a precedent we feel satisfied we can go before any 

 court in the state and have the law upheld. That was the largest 

 question and deals with the largest amount of detriment to the 

 dairy interests. From my standpoint it is gratifying to know 

 we have established that fact and there is no question in our 

 minds as to its being called law, and good law. Fortunately 

 there is a jail sentence attached to the penalty — the courts may 

 send a violator to jail. In that connection I am glad to say we 

 find the municipal courts in the city of Chicago rather inclined to 

 enforce the law as they find it; that is to say, while any court 

 is very slow to take away a man's liberty, the general trend of 

 feeling in Chicago courts is if a man comes up numerous times 

 charged with the same offense, and there is a jail sentence at- 

 tached, they are just as likely to inflict it as not. In our last 

 cases the court made this remark: "Has this man been up be- 

 fore?" "Let's make it the maximum fine." While the court 

 was finally argued out of that position, it shows the tendency of 



