The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-04-09


in the beginning but under the oper-
alton of the law of 1886 the superin-
tendence over its manufacture has
been such that certain class of men
have undoubtedly been driven from
the business, and the agitation in Con
gress has been such as to advertise
oleomargarine in all of its component
parts.
The general public today is educat.
ed as to what the materials are that
enter into it's manufacture, how they
are prepared, the clearly methods that
have been adopted, and all of those
things which would tend to make oleo-
margarine respectable in the market
and tend to make it something to be
desired by those who do not wish to
pay higher price for finer article
of food, so that if this bill is passed
these wage earners are to be provided
for; they can have it, Added to that,
it has been proven during this inves-
tigation that any person may purchase
oleomargarine in its natural color and
when he has taken it home he may
color it any tint of yellow he sees fit
and present it on his family table
just as beautiful as the finest cream
cry butter can be made. Under this
bill they have the full right to do
that but the people who have not the
right to do that are the retailers the
people who have not the right to do
that are the hotel keepers; the people
who have not the right to do that are
the restaurant keepers. They are the
men who are swindling all of us when
we patronize them; but the wage
Garner who wants the cheaper article
u l,n nfTl AL I,n 90,
can buy it, and he has the right to
color it in any way he sees fit so as
to make it beautiful to the eye and
attractive to the sense.
There were witnesses before the
committee who said that the manufac-
ture of oleomargarine was an honest
industry, that this bill was calculated
to strike down that industry, and
they wanted protection for American
labor Mr.. McNamee of the Chica-
go Federation of Labor, / believe
was one of them. They-the labor
element of the counry-have demand
ed the exclusion of the Chinese, and
probably every man III the Senate
agrees with them that the treaty regu-
lations with China should be fully
carried out i'll the exclusion of Chinese
laborers but when we come to COM
pare the number of people employed in
these industries, have they the right
to demand that the oleomargarine in
dustry should be nourished and pro-
PEELED by legislation for the protec-
tion of Americn labor? / respectfully
invite attention to the fact that in
1890 there were only 1850 persons en-
bloyed i'll the manufacture of oleomar-
garine, and by the same census there
were more than II, 000-yes, Is, 600
men who were professional dairymen
employed in the production of butter
and cheese, and when we come to the
farm laborers, who are also largely
employed in dairying, there were
more than 5000, 900 of them. So that
there is no argument in that sugges-
ton.
The trouble is that they misappre-
bend what the object of this bill is
and it strikes me that they have mis-
apprehended it by Misrepresentation
which have been made to them, pos
sibly by the manufacturer of this
product. Attention has been called,
for instance, to the action of the Chi
cago Federation of Labor where they
say that
Efforts are being attempted by con-
legislation at Washington to
destroy the manufacture and the sale
of butterine, thereby displacing large
of the industrial element
when everybody knows that the OBJ
ject of this bill is not to destroy the
production of oleomargarine, but to
legalize it and to encourage it as oleo-
margarine, the only purpose being to
stamp it out when it becomes a fraud
upon the public.
The painters and decorators of |
Cleveland, Ohio, . also passed reso-
luton in which they say:
1t is an outrage, in order to crafty |
the people who make butter, that we |
should have to go without it and pay |
two prices for butter which we are |
by law to eat.
That 1t is an outrage "that we |
should be obliged to go without oleo-
and pay two prices for but
ter which we are compelled by law
to eat. " This clearly shows they I'M
1erstood that was the issue that this
bill was to stamp out the production
Of oleomargarine, rather than to regu-
ate its manufacture and to encour-
age its sale as oleomargarine.
Another of these gentlemen referred |
20 is Patrick Dolan, president of the
United Mine Workers Union. He
says:
Don't want to be deprived of the
ability to purchase his wholesome ar
jicle of food.
He did not know that under this
dill he would have the right to pur-
,hase it and purchase it everywhere
lnder the protection of the law, and
% purchase it at price that would
lot carry with it the price of butter.
In conclusion the Senator said:
1t seems to me, in view of all the
acts that have been produced in this
manifest duty is laid
lpon us to take away the temptation
or fraud which exists under present
conditions. l believe we can best do
his by placing upon the medium of
hat fraud burden too great to be
,rofitably borne. The bill reported by
he committee is equitable in all its
eatures While it imposes heavy
ate of taxation upon oleomargarine
'olored in imitation of butter it also
educes the taxation upon oleomar-
5arine offered for sale in its natural
olor, thus atfording the purchaser of
hat article an OOnOrtunitV tO Sacura |