Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1902-09-17
FANGR> ii TIER
DRASTIC LAWS ALMOST PROAI8.
IT 8UTTERtNE.
Artificial Butter Business Likely to
Suspend Unless Federal Acts
Are Repealed


The new United States law affecting
these products which went into eff
feet July | has Tallen with bliehtine
force on these business industries.
According to y statement of n lead
ing chicago manufacturer the sales of
butterlne have benn reduced three
quarters in two months and the bust
ness IS threatened With extinction
1t is admitted. however, that the
weather has had something to do with
the slump The summer season"
said the same authority. has been
unusually favorable for butter MAX
ing. The heavy rains have produc-
ed an abundance of feed for COWS and
the cool atmosphere has greatly facili-
tated dairy operations The conse-
quence is that every farmer has made
little butter and taken it to town
and traded it off for groceries. The
grocers prefer to buy butterine. be-
cause it is more salable even in the
great milk and butter regions, but
they are compelled to take this coun-
try butter in order to hold the trade
of the farmers. AT present they are
completely stocked up with it and no
one can tell when they will ever get
rid of it. This is one reason that
butterine sales have declined, but
we do not conceal from ourselves the
fact that the new law is absolutely
prohibitive so far as our business is
concerned and that we would be ruin
ed in any season if this law is to
srand.'
The United States law regulating
the manufacture of oleomar-
garine adulterated butter and
renovated butter was enacted
in 1886 and the law of 1902
consists of amendments to it.
Both the law and the amendment to
it are regarded by many people as
class legislation of the most oppres-
siye description. The feeling that if
oleomargarine is fraud the legisla
ture had a right to make regulation
that would prevent deception, but
that the putting OF tax on it could
not be justified either on the ground
that it was an imposture or on the
ground that it was an injury to the
public health and could only be at
tributed a desire to aid a rival indus
try
Restricts Sale of Oleomargarine.
The law of 1856 placed restrictions
around the manufacture and sale OF
oleomargarine so complicated and
buraensome that any fait minded per
son would be inclined to regard it as
prohibitory. The size Of the tubs was
prescribed. series Of Labels and cOu-
pons were provided for and the very
retailer must sell only from legal tubs,
must not sell more than ten pounds
to anyone and must put all his
sales in peculiar packages prescribed
by the collector of internal revenue
All this might be excused on the
ground that it was necessary IN or
der to prevent imposition. But then
the acf vent on to prescribe that the
manufacturer should pay tax OF
cents on every pound of his product,
and Da# $500 for license to do busl-
ness tf.at The wholesale dealer should
take OF, a $3.50 license and the petty
dealer should purchase S4S license.
All this is enforcd by a multitude OF
penalties and bonds. This could only
have been done in the interest OF the
dairies.
Nothing could more concluslvely
prove that oleomargarine had come
to stav than the fact that it survived
legislation. It is fact that after pay
ing all all these oppressive taxes. this
nroduct was not only Salable and prot
itab]a bit it was most in demand IN
olaces like Elgin that were the cent
ers of butter production. 1t literally
bearded the lion in his den and the re-
sult was that the lion called upon the
general government for still further
assistance, and, after years OF et-
fort, in which politics played prom
inent. part. secured the drastic amend
ments OF 1902.
That this last legislation was II the
interest of the dairymen was no Sc
cret. as they demanded it, and the lo5-