The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-03-23
Tho Oleomargarine Report.

According to the report OF the Senate COM
mittee which has been investigating tho
subject OF oleomargarlne, the bogus butter
Is unsuspectingly consumed by q great part
Of tho people Of the State. As conse-
quence. tho dairy business ls suffering great
injury. The imitation article Is driving tho
natural product to the wall.
It IL obvious, therefore. that when people
do not know 1t for what 1t Is they like oloo-
margarine, and possibly II the bogus butter
and genuine butter Of the average quality
were put before them they would prefer tho
oleomargarine, In thoir Ignorance OF It's truo
character. So skiliul Is the imitation that
ordinary buyers cannot deteot the spurious
from the real article, and even experts may
have to analyze 1t to find out tho difference. In
appearance and taste 1t satisfies even those
who count themselves good judges Of butter.
Yet thoro is no doubt that II people knew
what they were getting, very little oleomar-
garine could be lsold In New York. Those
who are now eating 1t daily with entire sat-
isfaction would turn from 1t with lOathinR.
Already, wo are told, tho published facts
regarding tho enormous consumption OF
the bogus butter have had tho effect OF
preventing many families from eating
any butter ut oil. Oleomargarine suited
them we'll enough before they suspected
what It was they were eating, but now the
thought that thcy have been consuming 1t
with relish greatly disturbs Thorn.
This deception Is tho most serious evil ex-
posed by the investigation. Tho imposition
is an outrage on the public, and tho dairy
farmers OF the State reasonably demand that
I, hall hav tnl pyt n
80 fraudulent, and which would not exist
except for fraud.
Tho committee also assail olcomargarine
as unwholesome, but In 30 doing they go
counter to tho preponderancc OF chemical
and sanitary testimony. The spurious butter
seems to DO harmless enough. and must
be pnlatable or 1t could not have got 80 rap
idly into general consumption.
1t seems that 1t has been ablo to hold Its
own even at o prlco nearly equal to the dairy
product, and since It's Introduction and ex-
tenslve ,iso the public have been congratu-
lating themselves on the Improvement In the
average quality OF tho butter set before
them. Nor have We heard Of any well-au-
thenticated cases where oleomargarine was
injurious to health. 1t seems that the max
ers OF 1t ont it themselves from preference,
doing with knowledge what the rest OF the
consumers do through ignorance.
1t is not improbable that go far as health
goes the public might as we'll eat oleonar-
garlno rs real dairy butter; and the imitation
may 10 better in every way than a large
part Of the dairy product offered in the mar
ket. 1t Is ut least clean and we'll made, such
as it Is, while of real buttor much comes from
diaries so i'll conducted that 1t Is offensive to
tho taste and unfit for food.
The trouble is that oleomargarinei Is not sold
as a substitute for buttor, course which
would be entirely legitimate but as genuine
butter itself Accordingly, tho committee
would prohibit Its manufacture and sale alto
gethcr. They thus confess their inability to
devise legislation to compel It's honest sale
Tho remedy Is harsh ono. and 1t is not
easy to justify 1t on tho grounds OF equity.
unless it con DO proved. as 1t has not yet
been proved, that the substitute is hurtful to
honlth.
There would. of course be no harm In
making and selling it il oleomargarino was
put on tho market and on bills OF fare for
what it actually ID, though probably any
legislation which secured such result
would go far tn ruin tho business OF tho
manufacturers Of tho bogus butter. II 1t
was always offered "a n substitute for butter,
and only as that, oleomargarine would doubt
less find fcw consumcrs for long time to
como.