1900 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER: 
3o9 
Events of the Week. 
DOMESTIC.—At Columbus, Tex., April 12, high water 
on the Colorado River totally destroyed a railroad bridge 
that cost $100,000. The floods are now generally sub¬ 
siding.At Currituck, Va., April 12, during a 
thunderstorm, lightning struck the public school, killing 
one pupil instantly, and injuring another so badly that 
he is not likely to live.A four-story brick 
building at Pittsburg, Pa., collapsed without warning 
April 12, killing three persons and badly injuring six 
others.A flouring mill at Columbia City, Ind., 
was wrecked by an explosion of natural gas April 10, 
killing two men, and painfully injuring several others. 
.Spreading rails wrecked a shifting engine at 
Snowshoe, Pa., April 12, killing three men and injuring 
one other.The Gulf coast was visited by a 
terrific storm April 12. Several schooners were wrecked 
in the Gulf, and much damage was done in Mississippi 
by the accompanying cloudburst and tornado. 
April 13, nearly 100 deputies of the Sheriff of Westchester, 
N. Y., were held at bay by striking Italian laborers em¬ 
ployed on the Cornell dam at Croton-on-Hudson, N. Y. 
April 14, rioting continued, and troops were called for. 
April 16, two companies of infantry and one of cavalry 
were sent to the place, hoping that this display of force 
would prevent further violence. April 16, an infantry 
sergeant, Robert Douglass, of Mt. Vernon, N. Y., was 
shot from ambush and killed. More troops were sent. 
Work was continued April 17, without further trouble. 
.A disastrous fire in Brooklyn, N. Y., April 14, 
destroyed business property to the value of $200,000. Three 
men were trapped on the roof of a coal elevator, and 
were obliged to jump; one was killed, and the others 
seriously injured.A tornado occurred near 
Winfield, Kan., April 15, causing several deaths, and de¬ 
vastating a wide stretch of country.A heavy 
explosion of natural gas at Logansport, Ind., April 15, 
caused the death of one man and injuries to five others. 
.April 16, the United States Supreme Court de¬ 
cided two stamp-tax cases in favor of express com¬ 
panies, holding that the shippers must pay for the 
stamps.A heavy snowstorm blocked traffic in 
Colorado April 16.At Newcastle, Pa., a large 
tenement house, occupied by Italians and negroes, was 
burned April 16; four lives last.April 17, a 
disastrous cyclone swept over the southern part of Ne¬ 
braska. A path 200 feet wide was swept clean for many 
miles, many buildings were destroyed, and much live 
stock killed. 
CONGRESS.—The President signed the Puerto Rico 
Tariff and Government bill April 12. Assistant Secre¬ 
tary of the Navy Chas. H. Allen will probably be the 
first Civil Governor of the Island.A bill has 
been introduced in the House by Mr. Tawney repealing 
some of the war stamp taxes.April 13, the 
House passed a resolution providing that the Constitu¬ 
tion be so amended that Senators be elected by popular 
vote. . . . . The Alaskan Code bill has been so 
amended that the Nome Beach, below mean high tide, 
may be mined by Americans or those intending citizen¬ 
ship.April 17, Senator Hoar delivered an im¬ 
passioned address against the retention of the Philip¬ 
pines.The Treasury Department has decided 
that Puerto Rico is not a foreign country, within the 
meaning of the drawback clause of the Tariff law; there¬ 
fore, no refund of duty can be allowed on any of the 
drawback on goods exported there. 
PHILIPPINES.—The number of American soldiers in 
the Islands April 1 was 63,585. April 14, the insurgents 
were again active, making several attacks. 
The War Department objects to permitting the ladies of 
officers’ families to go to Manila, as adequate protection 
cannot be offered them.April 16, cavalry sur¬ 
prised a village in Benguet Province, which was appar¬ 
ently a recruiting center for the insurgents; the enemy 
lost 53 men killed and 44 captured, and the village was 
burned. 
GENERAL FOREIGN NEWS.—An outbreak of bubonic 
plague has occurred in Persia, near the Turkish border. 
Within three weeks 195 deaths have occurred. 
The French fishing boat Hoche foundered off the Irish 
coast April 17; 24 men drowned.The revolu¬ 
tion in Colombia is nearly at an end, the rebels losing 
two big battles.Diplomatic relations between 
the United States Government and Turkey are extremely 
strained, owing to the Sultan’s broken promises regard¬ 
ing the payment of $90,000 indemnity, for damage to mis¬ 
sionary property during the Armenian massacres. 
.Conditions in South Africa are unchanged. 
The Boers offered Portugal $5,000,000 loan to settle the 
Delagoa Bay award, but the offer was declined. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—The Germans are trying to ar¬ 
range a compromise on the Meat bill, which may be re¬ 
ceived without serious objections by the United States. 
The San Diego (Cal.) Chamber of Commerce is study¬ 
ing the possibilities of silk-worm culture in that locality, 
and will distribute quantities of mulberry trees for im¬ 
mediate setting, to feed the insects. 
Horses in Manila have been suffering severely from 
glanders. The army veterinaries were working hard to 
combat the disease, but at the end of February it was 
estimated that 30 per cent of the horses in the city were 
infected. From the city car stables 50 glandered horses 
were removed. 
Reports received April 17 from Louisiana, Mississippi 
and Alabama told of heavy losses from floods, which in¬ 
jured crops severely. 
Dairy and Food Agent Ambrose Little, of the Pennsyl¬ 
vania State Agricultural Department, was recently sus¬ 
pended by Governor Stone, pending investigation of 
charges that the oleo laws were violated by his collusion. 
Secretary Wilson has arranged to have weather fore¬ 
casts distributed to farmers on the rural free delivery 
routes. 
The great Glenn ranch of 75,000 acres, in the heart of 
the Sacramento Valley, Cal., is to be subdivided into 
small farms and sold. Before the recent developments 
of bonanza wheat farms in the Dakotas this Glenn ranch 
was the largest wheat-producing establishment in the 
country. 
The Short-horn breeders of Boone County, Mo., held a 
meeting at Columbia April 14, to organize a movement 
that will include similar breeders throughout the State. 
They wish to put a premium on Short-horn stock that 
will bring out larger demand for the breed. 
The special course of instruction in poultry culture at 
the Rhode Island College, Kingston, R. I., has become 
very popular with New York poultrymen. Of the class 
of this year, which numbered 23, five were from the Em¬ 
pire State. Of the five applicants who have already en¬ 
rolled for the class of 1901, four are from New York. 
The Agricultural Department is to establish an experi¬ 
ment station in Puerto Rico, with the view of improving 
farm methods on the Island. 
The beet sugar manufacturers of Michigan are taking 
steps to enforce their claim against the State for bounty 
during the past season. Approximately 35,000,000 
pounds of sugar were manufactured, thus making the 
total bounty for the year about $850,000. 
At Duluth, Minn., April 16, the Chicago, St. Paul, 
Minneapolis & Omaha Railroad opened a 1,500,000-bushel 
grain elevator. The company expects to handle coarse 
grain chiefly, and will handle millions of bushels of corn. 
An annex to hold 2,000,000 bushels will be built later. Work 
began recently at Duluth on what will be the largest 
grain elevator in the world—3,750,000 bushels under one 
roof—for the Peavey Grain Company. It is the first in 
America to be made of concrete, and Is of honey-comb 
construction, with sealed bins 90 feet deep. It will give 
the Peavey Company 11,000,000 bushels of room here. 
About 500 western range stock growers, in convention 
at Denver, Col., adopted resolutions in opposition to the 
proposition to lease public lands to cattle companies, and 
also opposing the cession of arid lands to the States. A 
committee arranged the preliminaries for a permanent 
association, to take in the territory west of the Miss¬ 
issippi River. It is said to be a movement in opposition 
to the National Live Stock Association. 
Ohio has been trying to pass a law for the protection 
of skunks, but it was defeated, through the efforts of 
dealers in skins. 
BIG OLEO FRAUDS UNCOVERED. 
The Philadelphia North American's Experiment. 
A DECOY STORE.—The North American, a Phila¬ 
delphia daily paper, has taken a practical method of 
showing up the oleomargarine frauds in that city. 
The facts, as given me by their representative having 
this matter in charge, are as follows: There have been 
numerous rumors that the pure food laws of Penn¬ 
sylvania were being violated, and that there was col- 
THE SLAUGHTER OF THE GUILTY. Fia. 93. 
This little picture is reengraved from the cover of Bulletin 65 of 
the Utah Station (Logan). It is a good hit and a bit of pleasantry 
that will be enjoyed by all who have tried to kill insects. 
lusion between some officials of the Dairy and Food 
commission and the oleo dealers. To get at the 
facts, the Norm American detailed two reporters to 
start an oleo store, of course under fictitious names. 
A large oleo wholesaler was consulted, and the Ken¬ 
sington district, a factory section, selected, as being 
a favorable place. Before arrangements were made, 
Ambrose Little, Chief Inspector of the Dairy and 
Food Commission for the Philadelphia district, was 
seen. Following is a portion of the conversation be¬ 
tween the oleo man and the Inspector in the presence 
of Mr. Slocum, one of the North American reporters. 
Little, on being asked whether it would be safe to in¬ 
vest any money in the oleo business at present, said: 
“Well, you know what the law is. It is pretty hard to 
do business under the present law.’’ 
“Yes, but is the law going to be enforced?” 
“Well, you know the law is supposed to be en¬ 
forced.” 
“Are you going to enforce the color clause of the 
law?” 
“There is a test case in the courts now.” 
“Yes, and if we succeed in keeping the test case in 
the courts for two or three years, will you make us 
any trouble in the meantime?” 
“The chemist is busy just now, and the department 
overworked. If there were only a few cases, we 
might stop them until the test case had been decided, 
but where there are so many it can’t be done.” 
“Would you advise a man to start in business now?” 
“I shouldn’t hesitate to start into business now if I 
wanted to.” 
In this interview Little said that there were nu¬ 
merous dealers now selling without properly-stamped 
wrappers, but that the chemist was so busy that he 
could not take care of them all; also that the Govern¬ 
ment and the State were receiving such large revenues 
from the sale of oleo that they will never stop it, and 
that he personally was in favor of the sale of oleo¬ 
margarine. 
HOW BUSINESS WAS DONE.—For two months 
this store was in operation, and large quantities of 
oleo were sold as pure butter, at nearly 100 per cent 
profit. Protection from prosecution was paid for at 
the rate of one cent per pound. A license was bor¬ 
rowed, in direct violation of the law, and transferred 
without proper inquiry by the State officials. In¬ 
spector Little called at the store several times, and 
oleo was sold to customers as pure butter in his pres¬ 
ence. He saw the way in which the law was being 
violated, and yet pronounced the business as satisfac¬ 
tory to him. On one of his early visits to the store 
he suggested that “it would be wise” to buy goods 
from Callahan & Sons, well-known wholesale dealers 
in oleo. The hint was taken. Callahan quoted two 
prices, viz., 14 cents with protection, or 13 cents with¬ 
out. He stated that he was in close touch with the 
State authorities, and able to furnish protection to 
his customers at the rate of one cent per pound; also, 
that none of his customers had ever been disturbed 
by the State officials for the illegal sale of oleo. The 
young man in charge of the store pretended to be 
very uneasy, and only a day or two before the busi¬ 
ness stopped and the disclosure was made, had a 
talk with Inspector Little, who assured him that 
Whatever rrrangements he had made with Callahan 
were all right, and that he would be thoroughly pro¬ 
tected. About 6,000 customers were sold to, many of 
the purchases being in quantities of a pound or less. 
In only one or two instances were questions asked by 
customers as to whether they were getting pure but¬ 
ter or not, and these questions were evaded without 
any flat denial, in some such manner as this, showing 
how easily people are deceived: 
“Is this pure butter?” 
“That, Madam, is the purest article manufactured. 
We are the representatives of a large western con¬ 
cern seeking to build up a trade in the East. Taste 
it Isn’t mat unusually fine? We keep it free from 
contact wrch all foreign substances in order to pre¬ 
serve the perfect flavor.” It will be noticed that the 
word butter is not mentioned in this whole answer. 
LAWS DISREGARDED.—Instead of having the oleo 
in tubs and cases plainly marked, as provided by law, 
it was displayed on counters separate from the orig¬ 
inal packages, and the marks on these packages were 
so obliterated that no one would recognize them. The 
words butterine and oleomargarine were stamped one 
over the other on the bottoms of the bags used for 
holding the goods sold, in such a manner as to be en¬ 
tirely illegible. The signs stating that oleo was sold 
were put in out-of-the-way places where customers 
could not see them, and all the time coats were kept 
hanging on nails over the licenses, while such signs 
as “Best Creamery Solids,” “Choice Creamery Rolls,” 
and “Finest Creamery Prints” were put in conspicu¬ 
ous places. 
OLEO EVERYWHERE.—Meanwhile, evidence of 
another sort was being collected. Two persons were 
sent to various dairy stores. Pure butter was asked 
for in every instance. On leaving the store the pack¬ 
age was marked so that it could be identified, a blank 
filled out giving all particulars in regard to appear¬ 
ance of the store and employees. The stuff was deliv¬ 
ered to a chemist for analysis, and afterward put into 
a tin box and locked up in a chest with others. They 
claim to have thus secured 150 cases of direct viola¬ 
tion, with evidence so sure that there is no possible 
loophole of escape. 
SOMETHING DROPPED.—On April 16 business 
was stopped, and the morning paper had a full ac¬ 
count of the matter. The young men staid at the 
store to make explanations to all customers who 
called. Oi course they were greatly surprised, but 
seemed glad to know that they had been deceived in 
such a good cause. When the first report of this mat¬ 
ter was printed April 16, Governor Scone at once or¬ 
dered State Secretary of Agriculture Hamilton to sus¬ 
pend Inspector Ambrose Little, make a thorough in¬ 
vestigation of all the charges and prosecute all vio¬ 
lators of the law. Several arrests have already been 
made. Some of these people, when examined by a 
magistrate, admitted their guilt. One man says he 
was assured of protection, and declares that he will 
disclose the whole thing when brought up for trial. 
BRING THEM TO JUSTICE.—It is to be hoped that 
instead of making scapegoats of Little, Callahan, and 
some few others, a thorough work will be done, and 
those most guilty punished, no matter what their 
official positions. The oleo men are willing to put up 
almost any amount of money to carry on their fraud¬ 
ulent business, and none but men who are absolutely 
above being bought are fit for positions in the Agri¬ 
cultural Department or Dairy and Food Commission. 
The North American stands ready to turn over the 
150 cases mentioned to the State authorities, just as 
soon as it is clear that they will be acted upon in 
good faith, and not juggled with and quashed, as has 
sometimes oeen the case, 'mere are in Philadelphia 
130 licensed wholesale and retail oleo dealers, and 
probably 800 stores and peddlers which sell without 
license, and defy the State and National laws; 600,000 
pounds of this stuff are sold per month. If the one- 
cent-a-pound protection were paid on 400,000 pounds, 
tnis would make $4,000 per month, or $50,000 per year 
tribute to corrupt officials. w. w. h. 
