The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1886-08-06
A Few Words on the 0leOmarga.
rine Bill.

truly a terrible poison as 10
claimed to be by the originator
and supporters OF the bill, jus
passed the Senate aud House,
should be Iegislated out of exist
ence by prohibiting, under tn
severest penalties, its manufactur
and sale. The imposition of th'
petty tax of two cents a pound is
at once, ridiculous and criminal, To-
the tax is nothing but a license Il
manufacture and sell poison. IL
permit the manufacture and sale o.
poison, is to legalize a crime; buI
those who favor the bill do legalizt
the manufacture and sale of poison
they are, therefore, morally, at
least, cri ninal. reference is here
had to poison as applied to articles
OF food, the manufacture aud sale
of poison for scientific purposes
being strictly legitimate and in,
yOlyingno Wroug-mOral nor legal.
Men of science, whose capacity
and integrity cannot be questioned,
have declared on oath that chemical
analysis proves artificial butter,
when properly made, to be not only
not injurious to health, but, to use
their own words, "a good and
wholesome article of food.' Now,
to tax il good and wholesome article
OF food, simply because it may be
impnrely manufactured, involves a
palpable absCrdity, revolving and
rep1guant to common sense.
No one, outside of a lunatIc
asylum, will maintain that this
petty tax will put the slightest
check on the manufacture of oleo.
margarine, or lessen its use iu the
ldulteratlon OF butter, which, tho
mixed with the poisonous com.
may leave the creamery
lntaxed, stamped and branded
pure Jersey butter" 1t may not
,e generally known that tue inves
igatiOns Uf Committee on Agricul-
ure established the queer fact that
he best customers of the oleO-
actOries are the c~eamarieS, which
re supposed to manufacture and
nothing but squire Jersey but.
err These philauthrOpic butter
laEeTs, in theirdis Interested efforts
promote the general welfare of
he human stomach (and their own
Ocketsl intended. no doubt, TO
)%unteract the baneful effects of
.eOmargarine by mixing with it a
quantity of the simon pure
This bill, it il claimed, will pro.
ct and benefit the former. Let
examine this claim. The good
Il days are fast passing away
hen the farmers wife and dauglI- ,
rs, with their own strong and
Hing hands, teGded the dairy.
,ntralizatlOn, tile tendency of the i
e, has erected the creamery, ,
lich, wherever established, mon. :
the manufacture OF butter. .
takes five gallons of good milk {
make two pounds of butter, e,
lich, by the tax imposed on the
9Omargarlne, should Increase two
ntS y pound III value. Dividing
is additional value equally be-
cen the farmer who furnishes TIE
Il m,and the creamery that makes
Q butter, each would earn, re-.
ectlvely a profit OF two fifths of '
G cent on a gallon of milk, and
e cent on a pound of butter.
res any one imagine that this
'ymOHS profit of two-fifths of a cent
go to the poor farmeri Not f
'it of it. The creamery, which,
m the very fact that it monopo- e
IS the manufacture of butter. A
regulate the price of milk, will d
p Whatever benefit there is to be S
ped from this tax. {
10 build up one industry at the Il
lense OF another, this bill pro. a
yes to cripple and, eventually, r
troy a manufacturing interest, Il
in these troublOus times /
work is scarce and the under r.
d laOorer is drifting to anarch-
!, affords remunefative employ r,
MT to thousands. 1t is class =
islation and undemocratic. {,
t creates ~ army of spies, who u
ear their fees, will find viola. n
us of the law whether they exist a,
not-an army of spies ever ready Il,
receive hush-mOney from those 50
o seek to evade the law. 1t Is, m
%retOre, an incentive to bribe and q,
be bribed.
t assumes the right of the gen a..
! government to meddle with y
| supervise local police matters, "
r which the State alone has =.
.sdiction; aud we had better eat n,
margarine for the rest of our -
than submit to any such ',
ernal interference flor our good, ~,
,%ourse) OH the part of the Fed V
government.
-mOng the alleged "high crimes "a,
misdemeanors," which we're to ="
gate Mr.. Van Eaton to OBSCURE "a
his record on the Blair and sis
margarine bills constitutes the vi,
7 head and front of his offend. No
That his enemies have failed
iake out their case on these two no
It's, no fair minded person wOuhl tb0
the prosecution should, If
publicly enter a ROlIe me
eqNi. a.
here is another charge which NC
anti-Van Eatonians neglected the