Evening journal., 1909-10-01
oIeo and Butter ou.slio,.

Editor EVENING JOURNAL:-Niy at
tention has been called TO an article in
your issue Of September 18th, headed,
Congress May Help to Reduce Butter
Prices from a Washington, d. c.. cor
respondent. The recent advance OF price
In butter, Is perfectly legitimate due TO
reduced production. caused by short
pasture. not only here In the East, but
also throughout tho Middle West. Added
to this is the fact that all the feeds
usually fed 10 cows. are very high IN
price. and the margin Of profit in their
use is so small, that farmers are not
feeding heavily. Just why Congress.
should interfere to still further reduce
the margin OF the dairyman's profits
fall to understand. Your correspondent
implies that II the tax were taken off
oleo II would tend to prevent the further
advance IN price Of butter. How this
would affect the butter market IS hard
to understand. unless indeed colored oleo
were sold as butter
AS things are az present any one who
/ wishes to buy oleo can do so; II IS on
/ the market Tho butter maker has no
quarrel with any one who wishes to
use oleo. His objections are only when
dishonest dealers. sell oleo as butter
The present Federal tax on straight, un-
colored oleo IS only one-quarter Of n
cent per pound. certainly not very OPP
! pressive, and should no, enhance tho
price Of II much. But on oleo colored In
imitation of butter, the tax is 10 cents
per pound. This to prevent as much as
may he its fraudulent sale as butter.
This is wnere the shoe pinches. The
dealer who could. were the Federal 10
cent tax removed buy the colored pro-
duct for. from 10 to Is cents a pound,
and then palm it of as butter, at but
ter prices, could double his money or
more, on each pound. To the producer
Of butter Il seems very unfair and un-
lust to have 10 compete with an article
'raudulently sold as butter. which can
be made al less than half what II costs
to produce n pound Of butter. not to
mention the downright dishonesty Of the
transaction.
Your correspondent. himself. notes the
effect OF this unjust compettion, where
he says that "the farmers have become
discouraged and turned their
herds into beef and quit making but
ter" And II the oleo interests succeed
n their efforts to repeal the present 10
cent tax on colored oleo. there will be
a much greater decline in real butter
production.
When you come to consider the de-
moralization. resulting from the con-
tinued practicing of a fraud OF this kind.
which lowers the standard OF honesty
among all who practice 1t. II is a seri-
ols menance to society. II is but one
STEP from cheating In oleo to cheating
In any other article on sale. The pros
porous farmer is the bulwark OF our ma
tion he Is the great consumer. and while
he produces our foods. he Is the Gus
toner for nearly everything manufac-
tured. He is the bottom factor In our
nations prosperity. Then why try to
destroy an industry in which more mer
are interested. than any other one busi
ness In the country solely for the bene
ut OF a very few oieo manufacturers
who are already rated as millionaires
These oleo men will argue to you abou
the pleasing effect Of the yellow coloi
OF their oieo. But the real reason at thu
bottom. Is the fact that by initiating tn
color or butter It can then be sold as
butter. Thos. Sharpiess.
Sept %. 1909 West Chester Pa