Omaha daily bee., 1890-03-13
COMPOUND LARD.
Hearing Before the House Committee
on Agriculture.

WAsHINGToN, March l2.--Ihe hous, COM
mittee on agriculture today devoted its en-
tire session to hearing Representatives. But
terworth and Mason, who favored and OPP
posed, respectively, the measures pending
before the committee having for their pur-
pose the regulation and taxation of the man
ufacture of compound lard. Butterworth,
who was the first speaker, said tue bill did
not propose to prevent the manufacturers of
compound lard from prosecuting their bust
ness. "All we ask he said, "that in taking
its place this industry shall not place its
fingers upon the throat of another industry"
The speaker discussed the condition of the
farmers OF the country, taking gloomy view
of it, He said they were rapidly
becoming class of peasants, and despsed
class, too. "The farmers have been robbed
by means of gambling and gambling shops,
and now it is proposed to add to their bur
dens an to assist in making them victims
of counterfets. 1t is no answer to their
complaint to say that this counterfeit is
better than the original" Butterworth SAID
he spoke feelingly on TINS subject because
the great industry of the country was suffer
ing from influences that this committee can
do much to correct. Lard had been driven
out of the markets of the world by u coun-
terfeit. Let the makers put this counter
felt before the public for what it 10, 'vege-
table lard or what not. The farmer asks
no more anu Will DS SdtlSHeu WIFI no lcSS.
He will have it. The manufacture and sale
of this counterfeit last year cost
the farmers of the country Sl5. .000,0pe
Have we reached such condition in
this country asked the speaker "where
we believe that falsehood is better than
truth in business. 1t is not 80" Butter
worth said the proposed legislation would
not destroy nor damage any industry at the
expense of another, but would compel max
ers and dealers in lard compounds to hoist
the flag of honest dealing over their tranSlC-
tions.
Congressman Mason said that the farmer
was the rock on which most men rely for
the foundation of their action when they
cannot justify it in any other way. Today,
NJ son said, he appeared In behalf of the
working men of his district to oppose the
Legislation proposed in the bills before the
committed. He, with the laboring men he
represented, preferred cotton seed oil lard
to the rotten lard put on the market, and
they objected to being taxed for choosing
between two articles of diet. But they ask
fer and favor the branding of the product
for just what it was. Legislation to secure
that would meet their approval. The prln-
cipal objection to the bill. Mason said, was
that owing to the imposition OF the dealers
tax and the liabilities under the internal reve-
nue. regulations the compound would be
driven out of convenient places and the
would-be purchaser would be compelled to
go a great distance for it or else buy hogs
lard, however nasty and rotten it might be.
IL was no argument in favor of the bill TO
say that the farmers suffered from their ex-
perience with the beef trust and the boards
of trade and because OF the extortionate
charges of the railroads Would the bill re-
lieve the farmers of all the burdens imposed
upon theml If So pass it, but il 1t would not,
push the old bills to reach these evils. Mason
sand he would be with the advocates of these
measures, but it was great mistake 10
place any food product under tax.
Hatch stated for himself and other sup
porters of the Conger bill that they did not
believe the bill referred to or was intended
to refer to any product of cotton seed oil
and beef stearlne that was not sold for lard,
as cottolene, for instance. This concluded
under the present programme of the com
mittee, the public hearings on the bills.