Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-04
j. W. johnson Talks About the War
on Bogus Butter.
BELIEVES SfRICFER LAWS ARE NEEDED
Dairymen and Consumers De-
frauded by the Counterfeit
SOME REMIN.ISCE CES


itor of the Knoxville UOwa) Journal. Mr..
johnson is at presenl in Washington. where
he has been for some months past conduct
ing the census office examinations. Nearly
5000 applicants took the examination under
his direction.
After the examinations had concluded last
Monday and the Lust applicant to be ex-
amined had turned in his papers. Mr..
Johnson breathed :. sigh of relief and said
to The Star man that he glad it was
all over. During the conversation which
followed Mr. johnson mentioned The Stars
fight against butterine and the many sub
stitutes of pure butter.
Ever since the swarthy Egyptian MIXED
the goats in the shadow of the pyramids
and hung the milk in leather sack across
the camels back To be rached over the
Sahara desert for churning. said Mr..
Johnson. has there been lively interest
the world over N good butter. The Star
has always had its olfactorieS trained to
detect good qualities in the golden bovine
product and has always been feminist any
fraudulent article such as butterine or oleo-
margarine that has found its way into the
markets under the guise of pure goods We
do not like counterfeit butter any more
than do counterfeit money or spurious
products of any sort
For some years | have been connected
with the dairy work in the hawkeye state
and the National Dairy Association. and
the subject of impure butter has been one
of vital interest to us for years. Person.
ally. | have objection to butterine and
oleomarsarne being sold so long as they be
made and sold for what they are. If the
people prefer to eat sow butter instead of
COW butter they ought not to be prevented;
but no man firm should be allowed. I'M
der severe penalty of national law to make
and sell an article for pure butter that is
composed of ~ per cent of choice butter
and 50 per cert OF hog lard or beef tallow.
Not only have the people of the far west
and south been defrauded in this, but legiti-
mate buttermaking throughout the great
dairy belt has been defrauded for a score
of years. while few unscrupulous manu-
facturers in Chicago. Philadelphia and
few other cities have grown immensely
rich by foul means
First Gun of the War.
Mr. johnson made the statement that he
read the first paper (fired the first gun of
the campaign ever pronounced from the
platform against this gigantic counterfeit.
1t was before the national dairy convention
In Cincinnati. in October 1883. Three hun
dred and fifty men were in the convention
hall. he said. representing twenty-seven
states Cheers rent the air. and from that
moment the war was on. When the speak
had finished Norman ]. Colman of st.
Louis. afterward Secretary of Agriculture
under Cleveland. moved to submit Mr..
JOhnsons paper to a special committee, to
report next morning lit was then p.m-).
FOR, said he. there are important ma t.
ters therein that this convention must not
pass over This motion was amended by
nent exporter OF fine butter. that it be
taken up at once for discussion, for If 1t
ever went to a committee 1t would be lost
sight Of. and this must not be. 1t was
plain from this he continued. that the
casion was ripe. The speaker claimed that
for decade or more this base practice of
making lard and tallOw butter had been
going on. and that millions of pounds of
the stuff were sold every year as butter.
The scene that followed. even on till 5
o'clock. was highly exciting and dramatic
Denver hat
II the factories of Chicago where never
cow had tread were making fine cream
cry butter then the creamery men of lii
nois and Iowa were buying their cleo and
neutral oil from these same factories and
were themselves putting 1t every day into
their churns along with the cream and
We're also making fine butterIne where no
hog had ever dared to tread Cexcept for a
drink OF buttermilk). Prof. Taylor of St
LOUIS afterMard department chemist with
t"iman IN Washington, nailed the attack
Ing argument above their power to assail
when he told the convention that ten wears
before he came in contact with some sus-
pcipuS butter in Lenver and had put a
specimen of the stuff in a vial and taken
II home He forgot 1t for eight years and
,et II SCI on his laboratory shelf. when,
nearing faint rumblings about the fraud
he took down the bottle and auaIyzed its
contents. only to find that so per cent was
hoS iard and 20 per cent butter. These
are only specimens of the Juror the tur-
MOL the hot-air demonstrations that went
on curing tnat memorable afternoon con-
tLhueu Mr- Johnson: the first of its kind
IN history The fat in the fire: they
mad fired at the crisis and now IT must
De determined whether by legislation.
FahsAati"n. taxation or any other means
hHoWn among men could check the OWL
50 plainly and forcibly brought before the
highest dairy organization In the world
FROM that day To the present A strong
ca mas been made for honest dairy prod7
ucts. both butter and cheese STATE I,ws
anu national enactment have been nasssd
but no effectual remedy has yet been found
-IFFr .fzsy,
country ought to be far more strict H.
they are about food authorizations Of ali
KINDS He holds that il should he made a
leature OF the Department of Agriculture to
detect fraudulent foods. Just as they in
sp-ct meats and discover tuberculosis and
other dangerous diseases and give tben,
"ihpie power 70 take care of the adulterated
goods II sold for what they are not and
turn the offenders over to the courts
Rise of the Creamery
Mr. Johnson continued: Prior to 1872 no
such thing as a creamery or butter factory
mad been known The small farmers of
New England. who Were well provided with
pure water. mountain pastures and other
favorable conditions. had provided the cit
leg with small percentage of good but,ar
at an cary day. and Herkimer and Orange
counties. New York. extended the art and
developed great interest in cheese as well
as butter making. The Western Reserve of
OHIO followed these. and in this limited
butter worth naming. All the butter COM
ing from the great west was denominated
In the markets as western grease" Think
OF all the Fox River county of Illinois and
Its broad prairies everywhere likewise
Iowa, whose butter and cheese product to-
day. added to its home consumption. equals
Sb"rr"- Think of all this being of the
lowest grade Of stuff
But in 1872 John Stewart of Manchester,
Iowa. invented a creamery. The world had
never known A butter factory. On Spring
branch. where was plenty of spring water,
he built building and began to buy the
milk from his neghbors. In 1876 he showed
up at Philadelphia and took the world S
prize for fine butter. II opened every body 8
eyes. and ii opened up new resources in the
west Iowa today has over $50 creameries
and nearly 100 cheese factories. Other states
well situated have made similar improve
nlents- The Iowa state fair over whose
dairy department / had supervision for a
dozen years. has done great things TO i'm
prove the people IN this art.
"A dairy school was established at the
Agricultural College. Ames, the phenomenal
success Of which must be attributed to our
present very able Secretary of Agriculture
James Wilson The Iowa Dairy Association