Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-02-11
AGRICULTURAL HINTS
AGAINST HOG BUTTER.
An Able Argument by Congressman
Morse, of Massachusetts.


Morse, of Massachusetts.
Congressman Morse, of Massachu-
sets, defends the farming and dairy
interests of the country and the manu-
facturers of his own state.
On January IA the committee on
agriculture favorably reported to the
national house of representatives bill
affirming the decision of the supreme
court, to the effect that oleomargarine
or any imitation of butter or cheese
passing from one state to another
should be subject to all the laws and
regulations respecting the same in
that state. Hon. Elijah A. Morse, M. c.,
supported the bill and spoke in part as
follows:
"Mr Speaker, I propose to vote for this
bill. believe 1t is proper and just bill.
And in voting for 1t l represent Massachu-
sets. Our state has passed stringent
laws against these frauds called oleomar-
garine, imitation butter or imltation cheese
In the commonwealth which l have the
honor in part to represent. boarding
house that uses this vile stuff on It's table
must hang up in it's dning-room sign:
Imitation butter used here. The man
ufacturers of this product in my state are
not allowed to color 1t in imitation of tire
color OF butter: they are obliged to sell II
white, or it's natural color, so that the man
who buffers his bread with it can see what
article he is using.
This bill proposes to protect the COM
monwealth of Massachusetts, from having
brought into her borders from other states
this imitation product and sold contrary to
the laws of the state. Ever sire l have
been member of the house have consist
emily and persistently voted for every
measure that looked to the suppression Of
c1nD crcri,1 iy,,it ntf tan hrrtf ~
itation cheese. Every one of us has
personal interest in this matter. I, for one,
do not want to butter my bread with soap
grease, even If it has been chemically
treated
'"The board of health of Massachusetts
was called upon while I was member of
the state legislature, to pass upon the
healthfulness of this product; and that
board. composed of some of the most prom
inent men in our commonwealth, said,
among other things, that the door for the
propagation of that awful disease known
as trichinosis' was thrown open to some
extent at least by the manufacture of
this product. And why? They explained
why. They said that the oil of the hog,
in order to be made into oleomargarine or
butterine or any of these other products
named here, could not be brought up to
such a temperature that the disease germs
would be destroyed, because this extreme
heat would break the globules and the
butter could not be churned. On the
strength of that report by the board of
health of Massachusetts,, the Legislature of
which I was at the time a member passed
this very stringent measure to which 1
have called attention.
1.-THE manufacture of imitation butter
and cheese is fraud upon the great farm
ing interests of this country. have, since
I have been member of this house, voted
uniformly. consistently and persistently
for every measure in the interests of the
great farming class Of our country. There
are a great many tribunes of the farmers
who are demagogues who stand up and
demand in the interest Of the farmers
things which would be against their inter
est. But do believe 1t to be in the inter-
est Of the farmer-I believe 1t to be wise.
just and proper-to legislate in behalf Of
the great dairy interests Of this country.
'I have listened to some Of the constitu-
tional arguments of the learned gentleman
from Louisiana and the learned gentleman
from Virginia. And when hear some of these
learned lawyers, judges and jurists dis
course upon the constitution, sometimes
think of a minister that heard of, of whom
it was said that his principal qualifica-
ton was that he could split theological
hair, and it was not so good after he had
split it as it was before.
Now, Mr.. Speaker, 1 am loyal to the
constitution of my country. / find in II
a provision about interstate commerce. L:
there is anything in that provision that
will enable us to suppress, control or re-
strain the sale of this vile, dirty compound,
unfit for human food, will vote for such
measure every time.
''It has been said in the course of the de-
bate on this floor, by the way of justifying
this oleomargarine fraud upon the great
farming interests and consumers of this
country, that the manufacturers of Massa-
chusetts are not honorable merchants and
business men and are guilty of fraud in
nj l.
ems, etc. Lest by silence I should appear
to give consent to that charge, wish to say
q word here in my place.
Il call the attention of the house to the
fact that a distinguished representative Of
Massachusetts on one occasion in ante
bellum times, when the dark crisis was i'm
pending and the mutterings of war and
secession were heard, stood on this floor
and said, in answer to an attack on our
commonwealth, that he threw down her
glove to the whole band of assailants.'
That man was Arson Burlingame. Now
/ stand In my place, and in behalf of the
manufacturers of Massachusetts,, and meas
uring my words, say that, for business
honor, for enterprise, for integrity, throw
down the glove of her manufacturers,
bankers and business men to the world.
IApplause.J
"Mr. Speaker, the manufacturers of
Massachusetts, sell wooden goods and shoes
for what they are. There is no attempt as
off for something it is not. If there is
any split leather in their shoes, they are
sold for split leather, and for half the price
of whole leather. If their clothes are made
in part of cotton (as charged, it is to cheap
en- them and bring them in the reach of the
poor, and they are sold for what they
are.
Mr.. Speaker, I might go through the
whole category of articles made by the
manufacturers of Massachusetts, and used
In civilized life, and prove by statistics that
our manufacturers, for honor, for enter
prise, for integrity and for success, can
safely challenge the world. More than
that, Mr.. Speaker when the yellow wings
of pestilence flap themselves in south
crn sky, when fire or famine or flood or pes
thence overtake any section of our coun-
try or oycrtake humanity anywhere in the
wide, wide world, in starving Ireland, in
famine-stricken Russia, or in the far-away
victims of the sultan in Armenian say.
who pours out its treasure like water to
relieve affiiction and distress? Why, these
same manufacturers who have been abused
and misrepresented on this floor to-day,
these men who are accused of making
clothes out of shoddy' and shoes ont OF