The Great Spokane Butter Heist
Dairy inspectors crack down on a ring of restaurants and hotels serving illegal, colored oleomargarine.
Five oleomargarine dealers in Spokane have paid penalties for violating state dairy laws. The bogus butter was seized by Dr. Bullivant, deputy dairy commissioner, after warrants were sworn out in Justice Bisber's court. The establishments cited were Alladio's Cafe, Chicago Cafe, White's Restaurant, Hotel Pedicord, and the Norden Hotel. The oleomargarine was supplied by an agent of wholesale grocers Sloane, Paine & Richmond, who attempted to evade the law by shipping the product directly from Armour & Co. in Kansas City to the restaurants. Bribery was attempted to keep the matter quiet, but Dairy Commissioner McDonald refused to cover up the violations. In a separate incident, Deputy Bullivant attempted to seize a ton of colored oleo at the Northern Pacific depot consigned to W. R. Stubbs, a boarding house proprietor, but was physically blocked by freight clerks. The state law remains weak, as it provides no clear mechanism for disposing of seized contraband.
“They knew they were violating law when they bought and they must suffer the consequences.”
This story highlights the early 20th-century 'butter wars,' where the dairy industry used the power of the state to suppress cheaper alternatives like oleomargarine. Today, the debate has shifted from margarine to plant-based dairy alternatives, but the tension between established agricultural lobbies and new market disruptors remains a constant in Washington's food politics.
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