The National tribune., 1902-04-10
MIR. DEPEW DEFENDS The AMERICAN GIRL.
Witty Argument the OIeomargane BThe Measure Passes
the Seuate-Pension Bills and Other Work of Congress.


bos attracted more attention than any
other before this Congress, with the pos
sihIe exception Of the Philippine Tariff
the repeal of the Spanish War Taxes, anc
the Isthmian Canal measures.
The House of Representatives had al
ready passed a bill to tax oleomargarine
after a heated and wordy battle, and the
Senate. on Thursday, by vote of - to
81. passed its bill which differs somewhat
from the other measure, although embody,
ing the same general features. The bill
is therefore left to a Conference Commit
tee for the final struggle.
For weeks the battle waged hot IN the
Senate Mr.. Spooner of Wisconsin, tax
ing the lead in the affirmative, and BalleE'
of Texas. and Money. of Mississippi, be-
ing the most active opponents of the
proposition. The longest speech was mace
by Mr.. Bailey, his address occupying the
better part of two days sessions. AT the
close of his argument Mr.. Depew enlW-
ened the proceedings by one of the most
entertaining speeches of the session.
The oratorical Senator from New York
has not spoken often since he entered the
body. but when he did speak his talk was
characteristic.
Mr.. DEPEW. Mr. President, | desire
to say that | shall be compelled to be alb,
sent tomorrow, and therefore shall not
have an opportunity to record my vote
on this measure. If here, however, l
should vote for the bill of the committee
with the amendments which they have
proposed.
| saw this notwithstanding the very e!o-
Quent and enhancing speech which has
Just been made by the Senator from
Texas CNIr. Bailey In my brief eXper-
ience as a Senator / certainly never have
IL pranlAn VIII Inl
has so affected my imagination. has so
fired my fancy, and has had so little in
fiuence upon my Judgment. uaughter)
Unlike the Scotch member of Parliament,
whom the Senator mentioned, in stating
how | should vote if present here t0-mor-
row. l am stating both how l would talk,
think, and act if called upon to answer
the roll call.
| have been n student and somewhat of
a practitioner all my life of that kind Of
oratory, which appeals to my imagination
as much as it does to anyone, of the pro-
gress of our country and the opportunities
of its citizens but the speech of the Sena-
tor from Texas was the finest tribute to
which l have listened in many day to
the opportunities which will exist If this
bill does not pass, but which will be for
ever destroyed if it becomes a law. If
l understand Alright the Senator from
Texas, this bill will defeat the opportuni-
ties for progress OF the young man of the
future, because the growth of our country
is built upon oleOmargarine Qaughter); the
growth of our country is built upon some
kind of Misrepresentation and all sue
cess is due to fraud.
am Il thorough believer in the doctrine,
which the Senator advanced. that cOmpe-
titiOn is the life of trade and that the
growth of business, the perfection of our
sachinery, and the creation of cOmmuni-
ties which have become the happy homes
of artisans and the places where prOsperi-
ty dwells. nave been due to that principle
that competition is the life of trade, but
] have been taught. also, that competition
must be honest. Where an honest mer-
chant is selling honest -four and the man
on the next block is saving that his flour
is just as good when it is half plaster of
paris. that is not honest competition; and
If the man who sells flour which is half
plaster of paris or ground earth, or what
not is to be commended because he drives
the honest merchant out of business, then
/ say that the honest merchant should be
protected by law and that the dishonest
merchant should be punished for fraud.
\ friend of mine, who knows the secret
test by which oleomargarine can be de-
:tected. was in a fashionable restaurant
recently, and when a beautiful pat of but
ter was placed before him, he subjected
it 10 his test. and then he said to the
waiter, How do you pronounce sir,
O-l-e-O-m-a-r-g-a-r-i-n-e And that intelli
gent servitor of that magnificent place of
pleasure responded, 81 pronounce If, sir,
butter: else | lose my job" Laughter.)
This legislation is to protect the conscience
ef that waiter; it is TO prevent his being
driven out of employment. reduced TO
poverty. and his family reduced to great
distress unless he lies.
This waiter probably came to us from
a foreign land. He probably never learned
bur language until he arrived upon our
shores, and then. in order TO earn All hon
dSt living, he applied himself diligently,
IS all our adopted citizens do, to learn the
only language in the world in which Gods
truth can be clearly and perfectly ey-
pressed, and then he discovers that iii this
great and glorious country, where he has
come for the enjoyment of every privilege
and every liberty, upon the principle
which my eloquent friend from Texas ad-
ypcates, he has got to pronounce word
In the English language entirely different
from anything that he has been taught in
the books or learned in his family, or what
il means, in order to retain a position
where he is earning an honest living.
My friend from Texas says that he has
talked with the farmer and that the farm
er never has expressed a desire for
let me alone; want TO let
everybody else alone" My impression is
that my eloquent friend has been talking
with the agricUlturist. and not with the
farmer. The agriculturist does not raise
butter, unless It be the bull butter which
my friend is so anxious to have presented
TO the public. / have received thousands
OF appeals for this measure from the farm
ers Of New York.
We have no objection to oleomargarine
sold as such; we have no objection to filled
cheese sold as such; we have no objection
to flour which has in il substance that
will never digest, if people want to put in
their Stomachs things which will consti-
tute monuments over their graves after
they are dead. But what we do object to
is that the citizen who pays a dollar for
q good article, an honest and reputable
article, TO take home to his wife and chill
dren, should be deluded by getting some
thing else.
The COW does not complain OF oleomar-
garlne. The COW complains that oleomar-
galine, which she does not produce and
cannot produce unless she is killed and
carved and then put into n pot and boiled,
should be called that delightful substance
which comes out of the wonderful chem.
jstry which God has given the cow for
the delight Of the world and for the sus-
finance of children.
Mr.. President, it seems to me that the
line comes very clear on this class OF leg
iAlatiOn, not only on this article, but on
al others. There is no Legislature in the
United States which has not had before
II at one time or another. and which has
not passed at one time or another, bills
which have been enacted into law for the