St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-04-04
THE BUTTERINE FRAUD.
Letter From the Commissioner Conn
mending the Globe.

To the Editor of the Globe:
ZUMBRorA, Mimi, March 81 thank you
for the words on 1.-The Butterine Controversy
in yesterdays GLOBE. The greatest difficulty
that the commissioners find in enforcing the
law is the indifference of the people with re-
gard to it. This comes chiefly, 1 think, from
assent to the idea that the law cannot be en-
forced. If the press Of the state will lend its
influence am sure the present law can be
enforced, or a law can be framed that will
meet every requirement OF the courts. 1t is
worse than folly to say that the manufacture
and sale OF an article so manifestly unwhole-
some and so unblushingly fraudulent cannot
be opped. To assume that the people are
not competent TO defend themselves by legal
enactment from q business which is a con-
slant violation of every principal of honesty
and every rule OF commercial and wholesome
decenoy, is to yield the doctrine of self-gov-
eminent. These are the plain but not over
drawn facts in relation to this matter.
And just here comes in the point in your
excellent article that / want to call attention
TO, not as criticism, but as correction.
That is the suggestion that the way to cor
rect this evil is for the dairyman ito improve
his practices and put better butter upon the
market" The whole mistake in fighting this
fraud lies in instituting comparisons between
the true and the false, the genuine and the
bogus. A product which is but one-fourth
at the best butter, and rhree-fourths raw lard
or tallow, deodorized by the use of nitric or
benZolc acids, is in no sense q substitute for
butter.
The only ground upon which the relative
merits of the two can be reasonably made
would be 10 leave the small per cent. of butter
out OF the neutral oil,' as the deodorized
substances are appropriately called which
form the basis of the butterlne, and then COM
pare them. How long would any person adj
vocate butterine in that caseY or how long
would any one question the right of protec-
ton against ii? Rather, there would be no
need of protection. 1t is a fact that people
eat little butter and a great deal of that
which Is made neutral" or nameless, and in
the act defraud their paldtes, their stomachs
and their pockets. If the deterioration of
the animal fat destroyed the bacteria which
so often infests them, it would only be a de-
ception, but that it does not has been proven
by every chemist who has analysed the stuff
Whether dairy butter can be made better
or will be made worse is important, and this
agitation Is worth all it costs in that direction
but that butterine is better as a substitute
than poor dairy butter is Il worse sophism
than it would be to S ay that counterfeit
greenback is worth more than an so cent sill
yer dollar.
Poor dairy butter should be compared with
good that its standard may be raised, but to
compare the poorest genuine butter that finds
its way to the market with stockyard fat is TO
. add insult to the injury which the honest in
dustry has suffered at the hands of this mo-
nopoly of fraud which has ''stolen the livery
OF heaven TO serve the devil ill.," There never
was butter made so fine that the uninitiated
could possibly tell it in the market from
good sample of butterine any more than the
uninitlated can tell counterfeit greenback
from the genuine as he takes It from
the money changer. Yet the man who passes
counterfeit greenback is called swindIer,
while the dealer in counterfeit butter is by
some called b9nefactor, because he sells
raw lard for butter, and so saves the inno-
cent from eating poor dairy butter.
President Morrison whom you quote, must
revise his standards before the dairymen can
in justice to themselves or the public, who
look to them for wholesome food, accept
them.
The dairy commissioners believe the law of
our state to be constitutional. and act upon
that faith. 1t is not for them to assume that
the law they are set to enforce is unconstitu-
tional. If any who are interested believe
otherwise, 1t is for them to bring the matter
to the test. That further legislationis neces-
sary to perfect the law, they concede: but
that IL is along the right line is shown by the
confession OF both parties in this contro-
versy. w. c. RICE. Dairy Commissioner.