The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1894-12-21
Address Of the Legislative Committee
of the Pennsylvania State Grange.

rine manufacturers to effect the re.
peal of the restrictive law of 1885,
after due consideration, would respect
fully report That we regard any
modification of the act of May al,
1885, looking to the removal of its
restrictions upon the manufacture or
sale of counterfeit butter as injudic.
ious and wholly unwarranted.
On the contrary, we would urge the
more effective enforcement of the
present law, not merely for the ad-
vantage of the dairy interest, one
most important to the prosperity of
the country, but for the sake of the
preservation of the health of the
whole community, than which there
can be no more vital issue. The
dairy interest may be not Improperly
regarded as the very foundation of
good husbandry and agricultural pros
perty. In it in this State is invested
a larger amount of capital than in
any other single industry, and it gives
direct employment to a greater mum
Der of people.
While we do not ask for any espec
ial favor under the law, we do demand
that it shall be considered fairly and
equltably.
Oleomargarine is an imitation and
counterfeit of butter and is invariably
palmed off on the consumer as butter.
1t is fraud, pure and simple.
1t should be accorded no more pro.
lection under the law than counter
felt money.
In some respects bogus butter is
even more dangerous to the public
than bogus money, as las been shown
by thorough investigation of the pro.
cesses Of manufacture.
Hon. Norman J. Coleman, U. S.
Commissioner of Agriculture, ascer-
tanned that over 40 different articles
were used under IS patents by the
manufacture of imitation buffers.
Among the ingredients are Tactic
acid, boracic acid, salicyic acid, ben.
zolc acid. nitric acid and butyrc acid,
cottonseed oil, oleo, oil, fats of all
animals, lard, tallow, caul fat, glycer.
inc, annatto, steerine, etc.
The resources of modern chemistry
enable the manufacturers to render
any animal fat or offal, no matter how
rancid its condition, together with
cottonseed oil, into a compound,
which, In appearance, is difficult to
distinguish from creamery butter,
which deception is further carried out
by the methods of packing and
marketing which they adopt.
1t has also been demonstrated that
IN the process of manufacture oleo.
margarine is not heated above 1859,
which is not sufficient to destroy any
disease germs the animal fats may
contain, while the powerful acids used
to purify and deodorize them are
dangerous to human economy.
Besides this the coloring matter
now generally employed by large
manufacturers is an analine dye called
Methy's orange, a coal-tar color. Ac-
cordlng to eminent authorities, who
were officially investigating this mat
ter, another coal tar product, cheap
and nasty, which is now being used
extensively, where the laws still per-
nit the making of oleomargarine, is
"paraphlne wax, which, indigestible
itself, has the dangerous property of
coating the stomach and digestive
organs, destroying their power of
dgesting anything"
1t therefore appears to us that tine
interests of the public will be best
served, not by the repeal of the act of
1855, because of the allegation that
1t is imperative or for any other pre-
text, but by the full and proper en-.
iorcement of that law; and we demand
that the Legislature of 1895 provide
by an appropriation means of such en-
forcement by the State authorities.
LEONARD RHoNE.
GERARD c. Brown.
B. II. WARREN.
r. II. THOMAS.
+. n. MOORE.