Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-12-22
OLEOMARGARINE PRODUCTS.

Under this hcading tie New York
Tf|bHte devotes a leading article To
show that the entire butter making
industry Of the United States Is be
coming tainted with the syste'a of
adu!torat!on. and that spurious bat
terS are everywhere sold rs @enuinc
produce. The article reads as f9l
lows: We do not raise the question
as 70 the effect on health of oleonar
garlne. That would depend on tho
material used and the method Of
manufacture; and to Il great extent
on the mental and physical organiza-
ton. or the ignorance OF faith Of the
consumer. On present purpose is
to emphasize the fact that the article,
whether named oicomargarino or
whether not, and whether built I'D
on basis Of hog cholera lard. or re
fined soap grease or decent suct Is
everywhere under false pretrnse.
Tho trade is disguised and hidden:
It covers mp It's tracks; it moves in
the night time; it breaks the law
every day. For example: There is
point i'll certain populous city at
winch one might stand, and without
stirring step. throw stones into the
windows of not less than five small
shops where the stuff is sold for but
ter. Go into these places. search for
any sign, peer about on tub OF pack
age for some plain brand such as a
State statute requires, and you will
not find it; and should you venture
to intimate suspicion, you stand
good chance of being summarily
elected. And this is a sample case
of thousands.
So oleomargarine worms its way.
And it is polluting even the dairy
fountains. A conscientious CORE
spondent, who has looked into the
matter very carefully. told our
readers awhile ago that the stuff
is slyly shipped to creameries and
worked in with the Legitimate product
of the faithful COW. There are in
different honest farmers making but
ter on their own promises who are
not above buying this bogus article
at 25 cents pound for the purpose
of " extending" their goods to be sold
at 30 cents. Ii not, why the adver-
tisements in papers tnat penetrate
the rural districts Offering "oleomar-
garine in small quantities?' 1t is
this temptation to deceit, it is the
treachery of the whole manufacture
and trade, that we object to, and not
the compound itself If it will take
its proper place in the open market,
and stand or fall on its merits, no
body would deny it q fair field. If
in straightforward way it can com
pete, however sharply with cow but
ter, nobody could reasonably object.
But since it comes as rat that gnaws
in the dark, as a sneak thief. as
law breaker, as piratical craft, that
with fair surface showing sails the
commercial seas, it ought to have
quietus in the shape Of a killing tax,
such as is now proposed in Congress,
since no other means have been
found effective.
In answer to the precious pretext
that it only completes with second or
third-rate butter, and does not really
affect prices of first-quality goods,an
therefore must have the beneficent
effect of lifting the general dairy to
higher level, we note that about the
time Professor Arnold was speaking
for his clients before the Ways and
Means Committee in Washington.
leading commission merchant of this
city was sending cheque to one of
his consignees OF choice butter, with
the explanation that the sharp do
clinc-sixpence per pound within Il
week-was Ion account OF the ar
rival of "a large quantity Of lard butter
from the West" This coincidence,
suggestive and curious. initiates
against the snowy argument referred
to, which has been from the first the
leading stock-in-trade of advocates
and other selfishly interested in oleo
margarine. And their number is
legion, and increasing day by day.
The statistics are too much under
ground for even census experts, but
one writer estimates manufacture
and sale in this city alone that
"threatens to extinguish the dairy
industry of the Empire State"
However that may be, it is certain
that the encroachment is aggressive,
and it seems to be powerful enough
to haye beguiled lately to its defence
one hitherto in high favor as an
apostle OF honest dairying.