Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-08-04
OLEOMARaARINH.


The President signs the BIN and Gives
His Reasons TAsrsSer.
WASHINGTON, August 2.-The President
has signed the Oleomarsarine bill and sent
the following message to the House Of
Representatives stating his reasons for ap-
proving it:
To the House of Representatives:
have this day approved q bill originat-
ing in the House OF Representatives, en-
titled IAN act defining butter" also i'm
posing Q tax upon and regulating the man
iacture, sale, importation and expectation
OF oleomarRarine. This l~egisletion has
awakened much interest AIMING the people
OF the country, and Al earnest argument
has been addresset to the Executive for
the purpose OF influencing his action there
upon. Many in opposition have urged its
dangerous character as having q tendency
to break down the boundaries between q
proper exercise Of the legislative powers by
the Federal and State authorities. Many
who favor the enactment have represented
that it promises great advantages to q
need RELIEF, ahd those on both sides Of the
question whose advocacy Or opposition is
based upon no broader foundation than
local or personal interest, have out.
numbered all the others. This upon its
face and in it's main features il q revenue
bill and was first introduced in the House
of Representatives wherein the constitu-
ton declares that all bills for raising rev.
enue shall originate. The constitution has
invested Congress with q very wide legisla-
tive discretion both to the necessition of
action and the selection of objects. II its
burden and the question was presented to
mi a. an original proposition I might
doubt the present need Of increased taxa
ton. I deem it my duty in this instance
to defer to the judgment Of the legislative
branch Of the Government, which has been
90 emphatically announced in both
Houses OF ~fCongresses upon the passage OF
this bill. 1t has been urged a. an
objection to the measure that while pur-
porting to be legislation for revenue, it's
real purpose ID to destroy, by the use of
tho taxing power, n industry OF our
people for the protection and benefit OF an
other. II entitled to indulge in such sus-
picion as the basis of official action in this
case, and if entirely satisfied that the con.
sequences indicated would ensue. I would
doubtless feel constrained to intsrpose ex-
ecutive dissent, but I do not feel called
upon to interpret the motives of Congress
otherwise than by the apparent character
vi VA0 OAIA WulCu AA0 OVCu HGSoSuVSU " IQ0,
and I am convinced that the tax which it
creates cannot possibly destroy the open
and legitimate manufacture of the article
upon which it is levied. II this article has
merit which it's friends claim for
it, and if the people of the land,
with . full knowlege OF its real character,
desire to purchase and use it. The taxes en-
acted by this bill will permit u fair profit
to both manufacturer and dealer. II the
existence of the commodity taxed and the
profits on it's manufacture and sale depend
upon disposing OF it to to the people for
something else which it deceitfully initiates,
the enterprise 10 fraud and not an indus
try and if it cannot endure the exhibition
Of its real character which will be effected
by an inspection, supervision and stamp
ing which this bill directs. the o it is
destroyed the better. Such q result would
not furnish the first instance in the history
of legislation in which q revenue bill pro-
duced q benefit which was nearly inciden.
tai to its main purpose. There 10 certainly
no industry better entitled to the inciden-
tai advantages which may follow this legis-
lation than u farming and dairy interests;
and tonone Of our peopleshould they b. less
begrudgsd than our farmers and dairymen.
II this occupation and its methods are
forced into the light and all these manu-
factories must either stand upontheir merits
or fall, the good and bad must soon part
company, and the fttest only will survive.
Not the least important incident related
to this legislation is the defense afforded to
the against the fraudulent SUBJ
stitution and sale OF AN imitation for a
genuine article for food of very general
household use. Notwithstanding the i'm
mense quantities d the article described in
th;a hill -hioh 20 oA11 fo ronnIo for thoir
consumption as food, and n~otwithstand-
ing the claim made that its manufacture
supplies a cheap substitute for butter, l
venture to say that hardly a pound
ever entered a poor mans house
under its real name and it's true
character. It is certainly not q cause
of regret il by legislation of this character
a citizen is afforded a means by which he
may better protect himself against imposi-
ton in meeting the wants of his daily life.
Having entered upon this legislation it is
the manifest duty Of Congress to render it
as effective as possible in the accomplish
ment OF all the good which should le9iti-
mately follow. This leads to the sugges-
ton that the article proposed to be taxed,
and the circumstances which subject it
thereto, should be clearly and with great
distinctness, defined in the statute. 1t
seems to me that this object has not been
completely attained in the p~hraseology Of
the second section OF the bill and
that q question may well arise az
to the precise condition OF the article. The
fourteenth and fifteenth sections OF the bill
in my opinion are in danger OF being con
strued as an interference with the police
powers of the statues. Not being entirely
satisfied Of the unconstitutionality Of it,
provisions and regarding them as not being
so connected and interviewer with thu
other sections as if found invalid would
vitiate the entire measure, I have deter
mined to commend them to the attention
of the House with the view to an i'm
medi,te amendment Of the bill it it shoulc
be deemed necessary and il practicable al
this time. The considerations which hav'
been referred to will, I hope, justify THU
communication and the suggestions which
it contains. GROVER CLEVELAND,
Executive Mansion, August 2, 1886.
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