The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-03-13
Cotton Oil Versus Hog Fat.


Georgia, was the only; member present,
and he ,prefacees his remarks by reading
the following letter:
ATLANTA, GA, March, 8, 1890.
To the Hon. John D. Stewart, Wash
ington.ADear Sir: Your valued favor of
February 8 is before me. In reply will
say that Mr.. Hatch has no authority to
soy that the Alliance in Georgia wants
suchsa bill passed as you speak of. Of
course it would rain the oil mill indus
try in the South and damage US about
$28, ,000, 900 annually. It would reduce
theprice of cotton seed and raise the price
of:lard, 80 as to work great hardship to
our poor people. You can reut assured
that Georgia wants no such measure
passed. Very truly,
WILLIAM L, PEEK.
President Farmers Alliance Exchange
= Of Georgia.
/. Representative Morgan, of Mississippi,
member of the committee, said he was
a member Of the Farmers Alliance and
knew that the organization in the South
ern States does not desire the legislation
proposed in the CoDger and Butterworth
bills. They are in favor of q general
pure food bill. The passage of the
Conger bill would take the bread and
meat out of the mouths of our poor peo-
pie.
Mr.. Allen, Of Michigan, asked Mr..
Stewart how Congress could pass pure
food bill and not do the same damage to
the cotton seed industry, which it is
claimed will be done by the bills now
before the committee.
Mr.. Stewart, said that, as far as the
Southern States are concerned, they now
have laws governing the manufacture
and sale of food products, which cover
the case. All that is needed to prevent
the sale Of unwholesome products is to
enforce those laws. To pass a law as
proposed our people think, Mr.. Stewart
said, would result disastrously to them;
reducing the price of cotton seed to 1s or
ii cents bushel.
In answer to questions by several mem
bers of the committee Mr.. Stewart said:
that if compound lard was deleterious to
health, or q fraud 10 any way, then he
would be in favor of branding it ss such
and Furnishing thoselwho sell it. But,
said MI. Stewart, do not understand
that any such thing is claimed here. 1t
is a fight, as understand it. betyeen
lard and cotton seed oil, and scientists
say that one is just as wholesome as the
other. If one is to be branded, then
brand the other and tax them alike.
In colloquy that ensued Mr.. Morgan,
of Mississippi, asserted that the Supreme
Court had never passed on the question
ofthe constitutionality of the oleomar-
garine law as has been assumed in the
discussion.
Mr.. Stewart agreed with Mr.. Morgan
that Congress has the power to pass
law:regulating the manufacture and sale
Of lard and lard products that shall have
force only in the Territories and District
of Columbia.
To Mr.. McClammy, Mr.. Stewart said
that he and the people he represented
believed it would be wrong. for Congress
!tosipgle out one food product and legie-
late on it.
In conclusion, Mr.. Stewart said that
If the use Of cotton seed oil was abolish
ed by the passage Of the proposed bill, it
would compel the Southern farmer to 60
back to the situation of twenty Eve years
ago, when cotton seed was used only as
fertilizer Or thrown away. The tax and
expenses provided for in the bill came
ultimately out of the producer Of cotton
seed oil. It will be burden on them,
and such tax is notneeded by the Gov.
ernment.
Gen. Joseph Wheeler, of Alabama,
who had come into the room while Mr.,
Stewart was speaking, was introduced to
the committee, and he said that the
second section of the Conger bill was
enough to damn it among his people.
THAT section defines compound lard, and
prohibits its manufacture or sale except
under the provisions Of the bill. That
bill would destroy an industry from which
the people of Alabama had received
millions of dollars. "They write to us,"
Gen. Wheeler said, demonstrating
against the passage of the BILL"
Ina further statement Gen. Wheeler
quoted Fairbanks as testifyiug that lard
compound, with cotton seed oil in it, was
in greater favor with the people than pure
lard, and at one time when he could not
get his shipments of cotton seed oil con.
sumera complained of the pure lard he
furnished them, saying it was inferior to
the compound.
To Mr.. Hatch Gen Wheeler said that
when people learned, as they ultimately
would, that cotton seed oil is better than
any other lard, not pound of lard
which does not contain cotton seed oil
would be sold. If there were any fraud
in the matter of the sale of lard com.
pound, some power which has the right
ought to regulate it, and that right, he
believed, rested in the States.
A Preacher for Revenue.
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