Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-08
ARE DOWN ON OLE0
Animated Discussion by Delegates to
Pure Food Congress.
COL. JOHN F. HOBBS PAPER EXPUNGED
Address by Senator William E.
Mason This Morning
A ADDITION DELEGATES
ADDITIONAL DELEGATES

1000 and drug congress held this morning
in the Harper building. at 463 street. A
| brief but rapid fire action against a paper
read before the congress last night by
Col. John F. Hobbs OF New York resulted
| in expunging Col Hobbs paper from the
| official records of the organization, and
with it all discussion on the subject. Col
Hobbs defended the sale of certain SUBJ
stitutes for butter, recommending them to
be much purer than the direct product of
the cow
After a call upon the President at the
White House at 10 o'clock this morning
the delegates to the congress assembled
Tor business shortly after Ii o'clock. Pres
ldent Blackburn announced that he would
recognize Mr.. George L. Flanders, assist
ant secretary of agriculture of the state of
New York, who had desired to answer Col
Hobbs last evening, but had been cut off
protested against the statements made in
the Hobbs paper, and said it was excep-
Ional that man should so vehemently
denounce fraud and adulteration in other
Dranches of food products and would at
the same time defend the oleomargarine
producers He declared 1t was because Col
Hobbs a9bbs was financially interested in the
cotton seed oil business, and cotton seed oil
was used extensively in the manufactures Of
the butter substitute
Mr.. Knights Views
Mr.. Flanders was followed bv Mr.
Charles Y. Knight of Chicago. secretary
of the National Dairy Union, an ergani-
cation which, he stated had a membership
OF 24,oOO farmers and darymen and which
represented million more farmers who
We're not however, on the active MEM
bership role. Mr.. Knight said he had
prepared paper in answer to that read
by Colonel Hobbs. He said it would be
Hobbs published as emanating from and
bearing the applied approval of the pure
FOOD congress when it defended oleomar-
gar1ne and its sale in what he termed a
fraudulent manner. Mr.. Knight declared
that Colonel Hobbs, whom he was sorry
TO say was not present at the meeting,
was the representative of the packing in
dustries and of the big manufacturers of
oleo.
The inconsistency of Colonel Hobbs po-
sition he added, lis manifest in his con-
domination on the one hand of butter as
an unclean and filthy article of food, and
plea on the other for the privilege of
producing this food for the gods'-oleo.
margarine-fn such color and form as to
absolutely initiate the 'unclean and filthy
product butter. And those whom Colonel
Hobbs represents are willing to expend
hundreds of thousands of dollars to main
tain their ability-not their right-to do
this, contrary to the laws of thirty-two of
our leading states, which absolutely for
bid the manufacture and sale of oleomar-
garine colored inimitation and sembance Of
butter"
Mr.. Knight declared that the congress
mad been imposed upon in the reading of
such paper. He was loudly applauded
and a motion was made to print his reply
along with the original paper.
This motion was about to be put when
Mr. Flynn Of New Jersey arose and said
the sense of.the congress might better be
carried out in expunging the original paper
and all that referred to it. He therefore
cHered substitute motion to eXpunge Col
Hobbs paper and the whole discussion.
This was carried unanimously.
Mr.. Alexander j. Wedderburn, cores
ponding secretary, submitted his annual
report, which was received with applause.
A subscription list was opened and several
hundred dollars raised to meet the obliga-
lions of the congress.
Address by Senator Mason.
While the subscriptions were being re-
corded, Senator William E. Mason of I'LL
nois entered the hall. He was Immediately
presented by the president as being an old
and stanch friend of pure food. The sena-
tor made plain, straightforward and
studious speech. He urged all those pres
ent to write to their representatives and
senators in the Congress of the United
states requesting them to assist in fixing
day when the pure food legislation can be
called up and vote taken.
Senator Mason said there We're a number
OF important measures pending before the
Congress- but he regarded the legislation
looking to the publication of food as being
just as important and just as urgent as the
tariff Of Porto Rico. The way to get the
senator's to move he declared, is to make
the people move. The object of the pure
food legislation pending at present, he de-
clared, is not to discriminate against any
particular article or firm. The sense of it
all Is simple. First, to prevent the sale of
deleterious food, and second, to compel
producers to mark all of their goods for
just what they are. No damage could be
done the producers by such legislation. and
the people would be benefited in the knowl-
edge of knowing exactly what they were
buying.
Mr.. F. 3. Thurber of New York presented
a paper dealing retrOspectivey with pure
food legislation of the past twenty years
1t is possible the congress may finish its
business this evening, although a morning
session tomorrow may be necessary The
committee on resolutions will report late
this afternoon.
Additional Delegates.
The following additional delegates have
been enrolled: Mr. Sam Powell, wagner.
Indian territory Mr.. VIM. G. MartindaIe
Philadelphia, Pa, representing the state of
Pennsylvania; Mr.. Charles e. Jaaues Chi