Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1900-04-27

1t is not often that legislation comes
before congress which has so direct and
material an interest for Nermonters as
the olcomargarine bill, now being con-
sdered before the house committee on
agriculture. Were the imitation butter
sold on its own merits-and there are
authorities who declare it has merits
Vermont dairymen would 'eprecate the
competition, but would realize that no
legal recourse was open to them. But the
manufacturers of cleo have not contented
themselves with building up a demand for
their substitute for butter the have at
tempted to put it on the market as the
genuine article. Consumers are Just as
much entitled to legal protection from
this fraud rs from any other now on the
food fight; the purity and wholesome
ness of OleOmar garine Is not in question.
What dairymen demand Is that when a
consumer asks for butter he he given
butter, and if imitation butter is offered
there be no deception As to its character.
This appears to e very moderate and
reasonable demand; but because oleo-
margarine is by product of the great
and vastly wealthy packing industries Of
the west there is a possibility that con-
gress may not consider the question
solely on its merits,
The argument presented by the beef
trust before the committee is that the
passage of the bill will greatly inure
the beef-raising industry of the west,
and crowds of catte-raisers have been
brought to Washington TO testify to that
effect. As well might it be argued that
the suppression of p gang of counter
feiters is an injury to the paper-making
business. and that therefore cOunterfeit-
ing be allowed to continue. Oleo max
ing is an industry of recent origin, and
it is hardly to be believed that the ma
terials used in its manufacture was not
marketable for other uses before its dis
covery.
The extraordinary extent TO which
oleOmargarine is fraudulently disposed of
in Philadelphia alone was brought to
light couple of weeks ago by the PHI.
adelphia North American. Believing
that the state health officials were cor
ruptly cOnniving at the sale of oleo as
butter, in defiance of the PENNSYLVANIA
state law, the newspaper opened store
under the name Of the National Butter
Company, and placed one of its re-
porters in charge. This was two months
ago. The store was several times visited
of oleo as butter and advised that the
wholesale lots be purchased from a Ger
tain firm. The firm in question sold tht
oleo "with or without protection.
ton. The wholesaler is quoted as say
ing to the reporter: Every pound o
OleO that is sold in Philadelphia is sole
in violation of the law. | am close t
the state authorities, and am IN a posi-
ton to furnish protection to my Gus
toners, provided they pay for it at tn
rate OF / cent per pound for all the Ole'
they sell. None of my customers ha
ever been arrested or prosecuted for tn
illegal sale of oleo.'
As there are In Philadelphia l3
licensed wholesale and retail dealers il
oleOmargarine, and about 500 unlicensed
a calculation has been made that abou
$4,000 pounds of the stuff is sold eac
month in that city, and practically al
of it as pure butter. What the dairy
men of the Keystone state are sufierin
from this fraud is self-evident. That tn
national government should make an
enforce a general law for all the state