The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-02-03
CIRCUIT BILL REPORTS f.
Details Of Arguments by Proc.
tor and Heitfeld.
A BLOW AT INDUSTRY
IDAHO SENATOR MAKES A PLEA
FOR PAIR PLAY"


Washington. Jan. Sl.-The report
made by the committee on agriculture
and forestry Of the senate on the So
called Grout oleomargarine bill has
some interesting points in it which were
not brought ont when the bill was
favo1ably reported from the house com
mittee To- that branch of congress.
So far as The Identification OF the
commodity to the Wholesaler is con
ccrned. states the committee, the law
OF 1886 has been successful So far as
the Identification of the commodity To
the consumer is concerned the law of
1885 is of LITTLE value, the evidence be
ing that very large proportion of the
OIeomai garinc manufactured goes to
the consumer finally as butter, either
as a purchaser of the retailer or as a
guest at a hotel restaurant or board
ing house
II appears from testimony. received
by the committee. that through the leg
islatures of thirty-two states. with
fcur-dfths of the population of the
United States the people have eX-
pressed their diSapDrOl of OleOmav-
garine colored in sembiance of butter
; that those who have been charged with
. the duty of enforcing the stale laws re-
garding the product are positive in the
opinion that 50 long as r is COIOred in
/ imitation of butter fraud uDOn the
consumer, if not upon the dealer, can
not De prevented
Claim Backing Of State Officials.
So far as the committee has been
able TO ascertain. this measure has the
approval OF all state officials and food
I commissioners whose duties are the en-
I forcement of the laws regulating the
! manufacture and sale Of OleOmargar-
( inc.
The committee has listened with in
terest to the representations of the
livestock interests and TIE -JttOn seed
/ oil manufacturers, and the majority
are unable TO see in this measure any
/ thing that can greatly injUre either.
The committee is of the opinion that
I if OleOmarsaTiue is the wholesome and
( nutritious product hat those interested
/ in its manufacture and sale claim it 20
{ be. it viii mes5 with a ready demand
I in lis natural COlof, and especially as
+ the tax on the unCOlOred product is by
2 this bill reduced from = cents to one
/ quarter of a cent per pound.
Heitfeld Stands for oleo.
/ The majority report was presented
I to the senate by Senator Proctor; the
minority report Of Senator Heitfeld Of
Idaho. This report contains the fol-
/ lowing:
"OleOmargarine is a legitimate article
! of commerce This mas been distinct
/ lively held by the supreme court Of the
I Cn-tea states.
/ ''Coloring matter is used both in the
making of butter and in the manufac-
/ ture OF cIeomarEauua for the purpose
5 of catering 70 the tastes of consumers
/ who have been accustomed to q gener-
ally yellow tint in both food pro-
diets.
eft * the universal ar,ir,ior, of those
] engaged in the manufacture Of OleO-
margarine that a tax Of 10 cents a
pound upon the product colored a vel
low tint viii destroy that industry, for
the reason, which experience has shown.
there would not be any considera BILE
demand for OleOmargaTine in an UncOl-
{ Ored condition. This opinion is based
] upon efforts which have already been
made to introduce and sell the uncOl-
Orcd product in states where anti-COlOr
laws now prevail The object, there
fore, Of imposing this excessive tax Of
/ 10 cents a pound upon cOlOTed OIeOmar-
garine is not for the purpose of rails
/ ing revenue, but for the purpose Of
prohibiting its manufacture, and of
thus destroying the industry. It is Of
no Importance that the proposed legis-
latiOn reduces the tax on UncOlOTed
T OleOmargarine from cents pound to
/ LC a pound Unless there is reason to
production of that kind Of article the
+ increase of the tax of 10 cents d pound
would. in all probability, prevent any
substantial revenue being derived from
/ is manufacture
/ Should Not Ruin Industry.
| The committee assumes that the
/ laW-malziug power Of the government
+ desires to prevent the possibility of
/ fraud in the sale of OleomaTSaTine as
/ butter and not 60 destroy the industry
/ itself. They, therefore. recommend lee
islatiOn upon the subject which .
make fraudulent sales as near imDo>-
siOle rs laws can provide.
! The proposed bill is not a revenue
MEASURE. 1t is NJ for the purpose of
raising revenue D. reducing surplus
/ revenue. In tact, in no sense is it a
MEASURE resting for its authority upon
/ The taxing power of the gOvernmer'--
/ It's object is to prevent competition be
I tween two home industries by building
/ UP one and destroying the other
= < VAN ANTWERP.