Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-08-03

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needed in the position of Surveyor General
of Utah, and he would therefore oppose
his nomination. Nobody defended Dement,.
and be was rejected without division.
Mess sc from the President on the O1eo-
margarine BIZ.
WAsHfNGTON, August 2d-The President
has signed the oleomargarine bill, and sent
! the following message 10 the House of
+! Representatives, stating his reasons for ap-
+, proving it.
/ To the House Of R-Drese atatires: have this
/ day approved the bill originating in the House
| of Representatives entitled an act defining
| butter, also imposing tax upon and regIl-
! lating the manufacture. sale. importation and
expectation of OieOmargsriue. This legislation
I has awakened much interest among the people
! of the country, and earnest argument mas been
addressed to the Executive for she purpose of
| influencing his action thereupon MANY in on
! position have urged its dangerous character, as
| tending 10 break down the boundaries between
/ the proper exercise OF legislative power by Fed
! eral aud State authorities. Many in favor of
! the enactment have reareSented that it prom
| ised great advantages to q large portion Of our
! population, who sadly necd.rcief and IN Sc ON
! both sides of the question:. hose advocacy
/ or opposition IS based upon Lo broader
! foundation than local or personal inter
: est, nave Outnumbered all tae others
This upon its face. and i'll its main features is a
| revenue bin and was first introduced in the
| House Ul Representatives, wherein the Consti-
tuition declares that all bills for raising revenue
! shall originate. The Constitution has invested
| Congress wi II very wide legislative discretion
| both as to the necessity OF taxation and selec-
tipn of objects of its burden and though If this
/ question was presented 10 me as au original
proposition might doubt the present need OF
| increased taxation, deem it my duty in this
instance to defer to the Judgment of the legiSla-
/ tive branch of the Government, which. has been
| so emphatically announced in both II uses of
| Congress upon the passage of this bill. More
| over, those who desire to see removcdthe weight
! of taxation COW pressing upon the people from
| other directions, may well be justified in the
| hope and expectation that the selection of aI
additional subject of internal taxation so
well able to bear it, viii in consistency be fol-
| lowed by legislation relieving our citizens from
! other revenue burdens, rendered by the passage
of this bill even more than heretofore unueces-
sary and needlessly oppressive. 1t has been,
urged as an objection to this measure that
| while purporting to be legislation for revenue
Its real purpose is TO destroy, by the use OF the
| taxing power, an industry of our people for the
protection and benefit of another If entitled
TO Indulge i'll such suspicion as basis Of official
action in the Case aud if entirely satisfied that
! the consequences indicated would ensue, [
! would doubtless feel. constrained to inter
| pose Executive dissent; but 1 do not
| feel called upon TO interpret the motives
! OF Congress otherwise than by the apparent
! character of the bill which has been
! presented to me, and am convinced that the
| taxes which it creates cannot possibly destroy
the open and legitimate manufacture and sale
of thing upon which it is levied. If this ar
! ticlc has merit, which its friends claim for it,
! and if the people of the land, with full knoWl-
/ edge OF its real character, desire to purchase
! and use H. the taxes enacted by this bill will
permit fair profit to both manufacturer and
! dealer. Ii the existence of a commodity taxed
and It's profits and its manufacture and sale, de
pend upon disposing of it to people for some
Thing else 1t deceitiully initiates, the entire en-
terprise is Il fraud and not an industry, and If it
cannot endure the exhibition of Its real charac-
! ter. which Will be effected by the inspection,
! supervision and stamping which this
bill directs, the sooner it is destroyed
! the better in the interest of fair dealing.
/ Such result would not furnish the first i'll
F. stance in the history of legislation in which
! revenue bill produced Il benefit which was
| merely incidental to its main purpose. There
is certainly no industry better entitled to incl
| dental advantages which may follow this legiS
! latlon than our farming and dairy interests, and
/ 10 none OF our people should they be less be-
| grudSed than our farmers and dairymen, The
j present depression of their occupations. the
hard steady and unremunerative toll which
/ such occupations exact, and the burdens of tax
! alton upon our farmers entitle them to every
! legitimate consideration. Nor should there be
opposition to the incidental effect of this legsla
! ton on The part of those who profess to be en-
gagged honestly aud fairly in the manufacture
4 and sale of u wholeso il and valuable article of
! food which by its provisions may be subject
TO taxation. As long their business
| is carried on under cover and by false pretenses
! such men have a bad companion in those who
4 manufacture. However vile and harmful they
! take their place without challenge with the bet
ter sort Ill the common crusade of deceit against
the public But II this occupation and its
! methods are forced into light, aud all these
manufacturers must thus either stand upon
| their merits or fall, good and bad must soon
j pant company. and the fittest only will survive.
/ Not the least important incident related to this
legislation is the defense afforded to the con-
sumer against the fraudulent substitution and
| sale of an imitation for the genuine article of
| food of very general household use. Notwith-
! standing the immense quantity of the article
described in this bill which is sold to the people
: for their consumption as food, and notwith-
1 standing the claim made that its manufacture
| supplies cheap substitute for butter, venture
I TO say that hardly pound ever entered poor
mans house under its real ne and its true
character. While in its relation to an article of
| this description there should be no govern
| mental regulation OF what a citizen shall eat,
! it is certainly not cause of regret if by legis-
lation of this character he is afforded means
! by which he may better protect himself against
! imposition in meeting the needs and wants of
! his daily life. Having entered upon this legis-
| lation, it is the manifest duty to render it as
effective as possible in accomplishment of all
good which should legitimately follow in its
I train. J mis- leads to the suggestion that the
i article proposed to be taxed. and the circum-
| stances which subject it thereto, should be
clearly and with great distinctnessidefined in
the statute. 1t seems to me that this OBJ
Ject has not been completely attained in
the phraseology of the second section of the
bill, and that question may well arise as to the
precise condition of the article to be taxed, in
order to be regarded as made in imitation or
+ semblance of butter, or when so made, is calcu-
lated or intended to be sold as butter or for but
| ter he fourteenth and fifteenth sections of
the bill, in my opinion, are in danger of being
! construed an interference with the police
powers of the States. Not being entire
ly satisfied of the constitutionality of
! its provisions and regarding them as not being
, so connected and interviewer with the
/ other sections, or if found invalid, will vitiate
| the entire measure. | have determined to com
mend that to the attention of the House, with
view TO an immediate amendment OF the bill
ii it should be deemed necessary, aud is practi-
cable al this late date i'll the session of Congress.
The fact, too, that the bill does not take effect
by its terms until ninety days ha ELAPSED after
its approval, thus leaving il but one month in
operation before the next session OF Congress,
/ when, If time does not now permit, the safety
and efficiency of the measure may be abund-
! autly protected by remedial legislative action,
and desire to see realized the beneficial results
which it is expected will Immediately follow the
Inauguration of this legislation, have had their
influence in determining my official action.
Z Considerations which have been referred to will
/ hope, justify this communication and the sug-
gestions which it contains.
T,ial Races.
! New York, August 2d.-The trial races
| to select "a boat to pit against the Galatea
for the Americas cup take place between
| August Goth and 30lh, over the regular
New York Yacht Club course, in New York
| harbor. 1t is not expected that any yachts
| outside the Priscilla, Puritan, Mayfiower
! and Atlantic will comnete The New York