The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-02-07
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY z, 1902.
SHODDY N OLEO.

tory OF Representative GrOSvenOr's at
titude toward the pure wool and oIeo
margarine bills now pending in CON
gress the Pacific Northwest Wool
growers association in the opinion OF
some people has undoubtedly placed
itself in the position where it endorses
II fraud while condemning another
A little thought. however, will show
that the association has been consist
ent through it all and that what it
did was but just and right.
Shoddy is not only a fraudulent
article used by dishonest manufacture
ers, but is also an article that is in
furious to the health of those WAC
have been deceived into it's use. No-
only does it pretend to be what it is
not, but because of the way it is made
and the articles that enter into its
manufacture it is u~nwholesome and
very often cases of serious sickness
could be traced to it we're the test
made. Filth and nastiness of the most
s%ickening sort are interviewer into
shcddy. The stuff of which it is made
is the sweepings of alleys, rag shops
and often even worse. 1t is on rec
ord where whole cargoes of rags gath,
ered in the slums of the large Europe
an cities have been landed in this
country to be bought by the makers OF
shoddy and converted by them into
sso-called CLOTH 1t is also known
that some of those rags have been OBJ
tanned from old tombs in which hui
man bodies have corrupted and morti-
fed and without being put through
any process of publication have been
made into the article, the manufacture
OF which Mr.. Grosvenor demands shall
be stopped, and for which demand the
Woolgrpwers are commencing him and
giving him their moral support.
1t was no doubt a high conception
of duty and a devotion to principle
which caused Mr.. Bailey, secretary of
the association, to tender his resigna-
ton when the meeting decided to
adopt the resolutions, for he is the
food commissioner of the state from
which he halls. But a little reflection
and sober thought would undoubtedly
have caused him to look at the matter
in a different way than in which it
presented itself to him at first blush.
OleOmargarine. no matter what the
prejudice against it may be, or how
much some people may object to it's
use as an article of food, is. neverthe-
less, not to be compared with shoddy
as a commercial deceit. If The Ga.
zette is not in error years ago a law
was passed by congress compelling all
packages containing oleomargarine to
be plainly and clearly labeled as such,
and to still further protect the pub
TIC against fraud all dealers in the
article were required to keep con-
s~plcuously posted in their places of
business notices that oleomargarine
was sold and handled there. So much
for the protection given to those who
are averse to the use of "oleo." But
there is still another phase of the
question to be considered.
While oleomargarine is put on the
market as a substitute for another ar
ticle of diet, it is not a vicious or
harmful substitute calculated to cheat
and defraud those buying it, neith@r
is it's use in any way injurious to the
health of the consumer. The articles
entering into it's manufacture are all
wholesome, nutritious and palatable.
Suet is II of it's pricipal ingredi-
ents, while butter of a high grade also
enters into it's composition. MANY
people prefer it to butter, or at least
esteem it fully as highly and use it
regularly on their tables. Still MANY
others, those living at restaurants and
hotels, and not. always Of the cheap
kind, either ,eat it daily, bui under the
impression that it is butter of the
highest grade turned ont by the most
famous creameries. With the latter
1t is a case of the blissfulness of ig-
norance.
hen the manufacture of the article
is conducted with the utmost regard
for cleanliness and due observance
OF hygienic principles. The places |
where it is made are always kept
scrpulously clean, while the product
itself is characteristic for it's tempt
Ing appearance and clean, wholesome
condition. To many it has become
almost Indispensable as an article of
God and to hedge it's manufacture af-