Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-26
OLEOMARGARINE BILL
REPRESENTATIVES, AwNEY SPEAKS
OF THE COMING CONTEST.
Believes That the Advocates of Spufi-
Gus Butter VIII Meet With Defeat
Flight Made Upon Him.

receive the attention of the House at this
session." said Representative Tawney OF
Minnesota this morning to Star reporter,
II consider that popularity known as the
olecmargarine bill to be most important.
This bill, which will give the farmer q
chance to compete with the manufacturers
Of spurious butter, vitality affects millions OF
producers and consumers in this country,
and the fight for pure butter which The
Star has so consistently and strongly made
is deserving of unstinted praise.
Increase of the Trust Product.
"Oleomargarine already controls one
twelfth of the butter market. At this ratio
of increase, which is startling, 1t is sim
pie mathematical problem to show how
rapidly it will invade the field OF the legiti-
mate product. The increase for the past
year has been 2J,00O,0O0 pounds. The pro-
duction of spurious butter in 1897 amounted
to $4,000 000 POUNDS. Today it Is 1O4, 2O56ol
pounds. Oleomargarine Is pretty poor food,
but there is a great deal of food for thought
in these figures. There are now twenty-six
spurious butter factories in the United
States, as against seventeen year or SO
ago.
THE oleomargarine people made hard
fight against me this fall. l have it upon
good authority that they offered to the
democratic congressional committee $1,0OO
for every hundred my majority was re-
ouced / represent one o. the largest dairy
ing and butter-prOducing districts in the
country In one county, Freeborn, the
farmers last year received for butter sold
outside of the county $50 per capita for
every inhabitant therein. There are 1877
creamer:es in my district and the patrons
Of these creameries alone received a net in
crease of 1.5}3, 600 in September, 1900, over
the price of butter in 1896.
when Mr.. Bryan spoke in my district
n" could not, of course, refute this evidence
of the farmers prosperity, so he endeavor-
ed to tell them that what they gained in
advance Of price they more than lost In the
increase in the cost of tubs, etc: but it was
shown by the butter makers that such was
not the case, and that their profit was ac
tual
The Fight In the House.
THE bill is set in the House for the 9th
OF December. 1t will be very lively day
and the debate will be spirited ON both
sides. as the opposition will make hard
fight / am confident, however, Of the
passage of the bill In the House by safe
majority, and 1 believe that the prospects
are good for Its passage in the Senate. The
tight Will be made OH the bill in both houses
OF Congress
Farmers from the Atl; ntic to the Pacific
are in favor OF the Ill., and the consumer
who wishes pure butter Is with them.
petition Of 5.00O00O farmers has been sign
ed In favor Of the bill. In thirtv-tWo states
there are prohibitiVe laws against the man.
ufacture of oleoHlargarine colored as but
ter Notwfthst anding these laws 10000 600
pounds OF the spurious article were sold In
tbs se states ,as. year. ii the bill passes
oleomargarine will become subject to the
laws IN these states and Il great reform in
pure food products will result.
The bill reduces the present tax of 2
cents to one-quarter Of a cent per pound
on the natural color of oleomargarine
and Increases 1t to 10 cents when colored
In the scmblance OF butter. The average
cost or producing pound of natural but
ter is IL cents, while the average cost of a
pound of oleoma rgarine is Z cents. includ-
Ing the cents tax. The imposition of the
tax or 10 cents would raise the cost to
about that OF pure butter and would make
o!eomargarine ar article of fair competi-
tor to the farmer, ard the people at large
would know what they were getting.
The Substitute Bill.
1.-The bill which the opposition will offer
as substitute Is very ingenious and plau-
sihle one, but 1t is sDecious and deceptive.
While pretending to safeguard the public
against the imposition OF the manufactured
article, its prcva-oH' come within the origi-
mai package dccasi' of the Supreme Court
and would defeat liz very object the advo-
Gates Of the original bill are trying so
steadfastly to accomplish
The session will be very busy one, as
1t is the intention of Congress to do a lot
of work. AS to the proposed increase in
the army, l believe that the people Of this
country have the utmost confidence in the
President and that any measure he favors
will receive their support. So far as / am
personally concerned you may say that a. y
measure the President desires will lave my
support.
Il find that the sentiment In Congress
and among the people on the proposed
naval increase is universal and that the
naval appropriation will go through all
right. The people very proud of their
navy and the sentiment in the west is very
strong for navy in accord with the great
n, IS and obliga tjons of the country"