Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 June 1918 — ED OLIVER GETS IN VERY BAD [ARTICLE]

ED OLIVER GETS IN VERY BAD

With Federal Food Administration, and End Is Not Yet. ■ • SECURED 500 POUNDS SUGAR For His “Preserving Factory” at Newland, Through Most Questionable Means. Few people ini Jasper county are aware that there is a big fruit preserving factory at Newland, employing sixty to seventy people, and owned and operated by Ed. Oliver, the noted onion grower and real estate promoter. In fact, the people of Newland have probably never heard of this “established industry’* and will be surprised to learn that it has been operating in their midst for year after year without their ever having become cognizant of its presence. Some two weeks ago County Food Administrator John Eger was notified that 500 pounds of sugar bad been unloaded at Newland for Ed. Olivet, and was asked how Oliver could get this vast quantity of sweetness when ordinary people had to be content with five pounds at a time, and were required to sign up an iron-clad purchasing ticket to get even that much. Mr. Eger at' once started an investigation, and the result of such investigation was made public at the meeting of the county council of defense Thursday afternoon, and every member -of the council feiv very indignant over the matter and believed that Oliver should be severely punished if the food regulations were to be respected, rather than treated as a joke. Mr. Eger was commended for his action in the miatter and was especially instructed to turn over all the correspondence and evidence he had collected to the state federal food administrator, that the latter might bring Oliver to justice. The facts in the matter as disclosed to tihe council by Mr. Eger are substantially as follows: He found that Oliver had ordered the sugar through the G. E. Murray Co. of Rensselaer, on a certificate received from the federal food administrator in Chicago, where he had filed an affidavit, and that pending the arrival of the sugar he had borrowed 150 pounds of the Murray Co., who had ordered the 500 pounds for him. Mr. Eger ordered the sugar bought in and turned over to him after a long distance phone talk with Food Administrator Barnard at Indianapolis, and this was done. He then secured the certificate Oliver had received in Chicago and took the matter up with the federal food administrator there and asked that the latter make a written statement of the facts regarding the issuing of the certificate to Oliver, who told the administrator that he was the owner and proprietor ot the Saratoga hotel of that city. He also secured a copy of the affidavit made by Oliver to the federal food adminlstrtor at Chicago, but this was not read before the council. The statement of the federal foo-» administrator at Chicago follows: UNITED STATES FOOD ADMINISTRATION Harry A. Wheeler Federal Food Administrator for Illinois 111 W T est Washington Street Chicago, June 18, 1918. Mr. fJohn Eger, Rensselaer, Indiana. Dear Sir:—Referring to our conzversation of today, the writer has

gone over to the Saratoga hotel and tried to trace Mr. Ed. Oliver, who claimed to be one of the proprietors and owners, but without success. We wish to give you a detailed statement of this matter. This gentleman came into our office on the 4th day of June and wished a certificate, saying that for years he had been buying this amount of sugar in Chicago and shipping it to Rensselaer, Indiana, where he manufactured preserves. fie claimed that he had large quantities of strawberries which would go to waste unless he secured the sugar. He had always bought it through his hotel along with his other goods, and shipped it for this purpose. I asked him distinctly if it was for family use and he distinctly said ' that he was perfectly willing to pick up what sugar he wanted for his family use from his local grocer; that thi» particular lot was for his preserving business, which was an established institution. I asked him particularly how large a business he did and he said that he had sixty or seventy people working for him.

I referred him to Dr. Barnard at Indianapolis, who I told him 1 thought was the proper person from wihoui to secure his certificates, but upon his plea that the time that it would take would work a hardship and loss of food, and in view of the fact that upon his representations he was a Chicago mam we decided to take his affidavit, a copy of whicli we enclose. We considered that this was somewhat stronger than having him fill out our regular statement B, to which we attached this affidavit. VVe feel that we have been imposed upon in our endeavor to take care of what we considered an emergency situation. We must congratulate you gentlemen on your good work, and we are free to confess that we were “asleep at the switch” on this matter. We regret that it has occasioned you as much trouble as it has, but it has been a lesson to us which will be very helpful in the future. If there is anything further that we can add to this, kindly let U 3 know and oblige, Very respectfully, U. S. FOOD ADMINISTRATION. By Charles Stevenson, Dept, of Sugar for use In Mfg. Mr. Oliver came to Jasper county eighteen years ago with little or no capital and later engaged in promoting the sale of onion lands about Newland. He purebred considerable of this muck' land and made some very extravagant claims in disposing of it to would-be truck farmers and Investors, issuing a booklet which contained so many questionable statements that It was reported to the post office department, who interferred with its further circulation, so it Was said. He built a large cement block house on one of his tracts of land and made many other improvements, mostly on nerve,' it is alleged. His business transactions have occupied considerable attention in the courts during the pasv few years. He has staid in Chicago most of the time of late years, and after the death here of his second Wife some two years ago he was married to Mrs. Warren Springer of Chicago, whose first husband at one time was considered in the millionaire class and controlled a great deal of real estate there and several hundred acres of land In Walker township, this county. He is known to be very' careless in his statement® and no one is surprised at the story he Is alleged to have told the federal food administrator in Chicago in lorder to secure this sugar. Unless an exmple is made of this case the federal food regulations might as well be annulled so far as Jasper County is concerned, is the feeling here, where Oliver and his methods are well known.