Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-11-28
WAR ON OLEOMARGARINE
THE CIRCUIT BILL TO BE SOMEWHAT
MODIFIED.
As Amended 1t VIII He Early Intro
duced and It's Quick PassaEe
is Hoped For.

The oleomargarine fight is to come up in
the House early in this session of Congress.
Some amendments to the Grout bill of the
last Congress are to be perfected and
bill introduced the first day Of the session.
1t will be pushed with vigor by the dairy
and pure-food interests and no doubt will
be heartily opposed by the oleomargarine
manufacturers, the cotton seed oil trust
and the beef trust, as was done last year.
Ex-Gov. Hoard of Wisconsin and Mr..
Knight, leading representatives of the dairy
interests, will reach Washington the latter
part of this week and will take up the cam
paign. The cause of the oleomargarine bill
has been strengthened, it is claimed, during
the recess and it's advocates are very san
guine of success at this session.
The Grout Bill.
The Grout bill, it will be remembered,
made oleomargarine shipped into one state
from another subject to the laws Of the
state to which it was delivered, irrespec-
tive Of the interstate commerce law. 1t also
increased the tax on oleomargarine colored
in imitation of butter from cents pound
to 10 cents a pound and reduced the tax on
uncolored oleomargarine from cents to
one-fourth Of a cent.
1t has been suggested that if the tax on
y,
one of the arguments of the opponents of
the bill would be eliminated. The new bill
will probably so provide.
The Grout bill was introduced in the first
session of the last Congress and was fought
stubbornly. The subcommittee of the House
committee on agriculture having the meas
ure in charge was presided over by Mr..
Lorimer of Chicago, the outspoken oppo-
nent of the bill.
The fight ran along through the session
but became SO warm on the last days that
a compromise was reached by which the
bill, finally reported from the committee
was to be voted on at the beginning of the
following session. The bill passed the House
by handsome majority and went to the
Senate. 1t was reported from committee,
but the powerful interests opposed to 1t
were able to prevent it's being called up for
consideration
Must he Introduced in House.
AS the bill affects the revenue, it will
have to originate in the House, but efforts
will be made to get it through that body
early in the session, and then all the am
munition of the friends of the bill will be
directed against the upper body of Con-
gress.
Mr.. Grout, the introducer of the measure.
will not be In Congress this year. The bill
will find plenty of friends, however, and
efficient advocates. Representative Tawney
of Minnesota il among them. He was con-
spicuous In the last Congress in favor of
the bill and forced a minority report
through the House in the face of hostile
majority report from the committee on
ways and means on a resolution calling for
confidential information from the internal
revenue bureau on the ingredients Of oleo-
margarine.
.T will continue the fight for the oleonar
garfne biif" said Mr. Tawney to Star re-
porter today, "and hope the bill will pass.
The states Of Minnesota, Iowa and Wiscon-
sin are deeply interested In the question Of
the competition of imitation butter and my
own state, which has won many medals for
fine butter, is fighting the oleomargarine