The Redwood gazette., 1902-03-26
4 EDDY ON OF OLEOMARGARINE.
He Makes an Impressive Speech Before
VI the. Whole House.

on the OleOmargarlne Dill; DeIOre sJne
committee OF the whole house at
Washington, recently. Extracts
from the speech are worthy of re-
production and are here given:
To my mind, Mr. Chairman, this
is not so much question of princi-
pie as it is question of interest
We have two great interests ar
rayed one against the other in a gi-
gantic struggle for supremacy. We
find the makers of natural butter
or rather we find the representa-
tives OF the makers ofnatural butter
and the represen tatives OF the
makers of artificial butter lined up
in conflict. We might as we'll be
honest about the matter.
Fine words and elegant phrases
may please audiences and tickle
constituencies, but they cannot con-
ceal plain truths There is not a
man on the floor OF this house but is
aware of the fact that one Of the rea-
sons why we favor the passage OF
this measure. those of US who are
in favor of it, is because we believe
that the financial interests Of the
farmers and dairymen will be i'm
proved.
And there is not man here
whose intellect is so dense that he
does not know that one of the rea-
sons, at least why others are oppos-
ing it is because they believe that
the financial interests Of the manu-
facturer of oleomargarine and those
who produce some of the ingredi-
ents that enter into the COMPOST
tion of that article will be injured
But, Mr.. Chairman. there has
never question arisen upon which
the minds of men divide without the
question ofprinciple being involved.
There never was question offered
before any, legislative body under
the bending heavens but was either
right or wrong. There never was
a measure enacted into law but
what that law was either a just or
an unjust one Then this measure
must be either right or wrong, Just
or unjust. And it is not necessary
for me, for a single moment, nor
anyone else, to argue that if man
believes that this is an unjust meas
ure he ought to oppose it, and if he
believes it is a just measure he
ought to favor its passage.
It is one of the fundamental laws
OF civilization that every individual
and every business enterprise
should stand upon its own merits
1t is an equally fundamental law
that no individual and no legitimate
business enterprise should be dis
crlminated against by legislation
For illustration, suppose that am
engaged in the manufacture of corn.
starch. | have no moral or legal
right to ask for any kind of legisla-
ton that will prohibit or binder my
neighbor from engaging in the man
ufacture of similar article.
have no right to ask for legisla-
tion of any sort to prohibit or him
der him from the manufacture of
potato starch; but it does seem to
me that have right, and the con
sumer has right, to ask that the
man who manufactures potato
starch shall not put it upon the
market and sell it as corn starch.
And there is no doubt that if he can
manufacture his article for three
cents a pound, and it costs six for
me to manufacture mine. but that it
will be detrimental to my interests.
He has perfect right to manufac-
ture his article and put it upon the
market for what it is. but insist
that he has no right to claim that an
article manufactured out of tubers
is manufactured t.of corn.
am not going for moment into
the discussion of the healthfulness
or the unhealthfulness OF oleomar-
garine. There has been much sci
entific testimony introduced to
prove that it is just as healtful as
butter. For nv part. all the scien-
lists in the world can never con-
vince me that food article manu-
factured in the laboratory OF man is
-. l, 4 L s.,J Il. !. L