The Cecil Whig., 1886-06-26
GOOD WORDS FOR OLEOMARGARINE

Scientific and Expert Testimony to Its
Purity and whoIesomeness.
Large numbers of persons interested
in dairying and oleomargarine attend the
hearings in Washington given by the
Senate committee on agriculture and
forestry on the House bill taxing cleo.
margarine.
Professor Morton, president of the
Stevens Institute of Technology, opposed
the bill. He had taken natural scien-
tiiic interest in the new industry, had
visited and spent much time in oleomar.
garine factories, and had reached the
conclusion that oleomargaripe was of ne
cessity pure and wholesome product
If the fats from which the oleomargarine
oil was produced were tainted in the
slightest degree the oil would become
exceedingly offensive to the smell and
taste, and when made into oleomargarine
would be unsuitable The same condition
would arise if careIessness or wilful neg
lect occurred in the manufacture. This
condition once existing could not be
counteracted. Hence the oleomargarine
sold must always be good. Oleomarga-
rine contained the three principal ele-
ments of butter, but did not contain but
terine, which was peculiar to butter, and
gave it its peculiar flavor. In order to
secure this flavor in part, milk was mixed
with this olemargarine oil, and the pro-
I,tp thn,, haI sli ,c
and also the other components of butter.
LlId is added to give softness and stick
ness to the product. The reason for max
ing it as nearly identical as possible to
butter was because of the influence pre-
vious habits had on peoples minds. For
this reason he thought it unwise to in
quire that it be colored red or blue. He
thought, however, that it should be sold
under its true name. Occasionally small
manufacturer might endeavor to make
larger profits by using unwholesom ma
terials but the produc: would be oifen-
sive and unstable, and the experiment
would not be repeated. An ounce of i'm
pure fat wonld faint whole ton of pure
fat. 1t was impossible that the germs of
disease could exist in this product.
Professor Chandler, of Columbia Col
lcge, New York, and president of the
New York Board Of Health, said that he
had always taken the ground that this
was new process of making an old arti-
cle-butter. 1t was pure and wholesome
and contained all the components of but
ter III the same proportion as in dairy
butter, except that the proportion of fla
vorinS matter was less. He regarded the
discovery of this process as one of the
greatest discoveries of the century The
process by which oleomargarine was man
ufactured was of necessity much more
cleanly than that by which butter was
manufactured. The attempt to destroy
the industry, he thought, was on par
with the attempt to prevent the intro.
duction of indigo as dye in England,
France and Germany because it would
interfere with the sale of what every one
now admitted was an inferior dye. Wit
ness, having stated that his wife paid so
cents per pound for butter, was asked
why he did not use oleo at lS cents He
said his wife had IA fancy for the other
article and he Was willing to please her
fancy and pay the difference. He had,
however, used oleo for two days on his
table without detection. Then he sub
stltuted the best Connecticut butter and
his vile declared it must be oleomarga
rine. Laughter
Professor Babcock, of the Boston Board
of Health, bore similar testimony. while
George II. Webster, of the firm of Ar
monr X Co., of Chicago, not only vouch
ed for the purity and wholesomeness OF
oleomargarine, but said that the value
of cattle and hogs had been perceptbly
increased by its manufacture.