The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1909-12-30
THE TAX ON
BOGUS BUTTER
SHOULD BE RETAINED BY THE
GOVERNMENT.
OLtOMARGARINE TRUST
WILL ATTEMPT TO HAVE DUTY
REMOVED AT THIS SESSION.

headquarters at the college. has call
ed our attention to the article from
the Huronite copied in last weeks
Register advocating the reduction Of
the tax on olemargarine. Mr.. Ryger
takes issue with the article when it
claims that a reduction Of the tax
would bring oleomargarine in competi-
tion with butter and thereby reduce
the price of the latter product. Mr..
Ryger claims that just as soon as the
government takes away its supervision
of the manufacture Of oleomargarine
that article will be sold throughout
the country, not for what it is, but
labeled as butter and will bring butter
prices. The price of butter will not
be lowered one cent, but the manu-
facturers of oleomargarine will reap
immense profits from the deal.
In South Dakota colored oleomar-
garine is prohibited, but Mr.. Ryger in
his travels over the state has ran
across numerous merchants who have
been promised by the big packers that
their fines would be paid in case of
conviction for selling this article.
Should the government take off this
ten cent revenue tax and leave the
matter to- the states, Mr.. Ryger, as
well as the pure food officers of other
states, would be powerless to handle
the situation. He might secure some
convictions, but with the big manu-
facturers paying the fines, and they
can well afford to do So the sale
of this spurious article would go on
without hindrance, and instead Of ben
efitting the householder by reducing
the price of butter it would simply
compel him to pay the present price
and he would not know whether he
was getting the product of the cow or
hogs fat. Oleomargarine can be man
u.sactured for tenacents a pound or less
and without the present government
supervision it would bring anywhere
from thirty to forty cents, the present
price of butter.
The farmers and dairymen could
not compete with the manufacturers
of this products. Where is the farm
mer who can produce butter for less
than ten cents pound with the
present price of feed? 1t is estimat-
ed that butter costs the farmer eigh-
teen cents a pound and the manufac-
turers of olemargarine could sell their
product for less than the cost of but
ter and still make a handsome profit.
Last spring when butter was plenti-
down to twenty or twenty-five cents
the big packers, with the idea of form
ing public opinion against the oleo-
margarine tax, gobbled up all Of the
surplus supply and thereby kept the
prce close to Thirty cents. One big
Chicago packer alone had over $50
carloads of butter in cold storage,
kept there solely for the purpose OF
keeping the price from lowering.
The leader of the movement to take
the tax from oleomargarine in this ses
sion of congress will undoubtedly be
Congressman William J. Moxley OF
Illinois, the big Chicago manufacturer
of butterine Moxley was recently
elected to congress to fill a vacancy
and for no other reason, it is said,
than to- lead this fight Under the
Roosevelt administration Moxley was
fined s2S,499S0 for selling bogus but
ter, oleomargarine which had been fix
ed up with coloring matter to re-
semble butter, both in appearance and
taste. In his recent campaign for
election to congress Moxley was as
sisted by Uncle Joe Cannon, speaker
Of the house, end it is expected that
he will have that gentleman's most
valuable assistance in pushing through
his bill for the removal of this tax
The last number of Golfers Weekly
devoted considerable spoce to Moxley
and Cannon in their fight against the
pure food law, and II should be read
by every householder in this country
1t showed just how the biz packers
headed by Moxley ard aided by the
speaker, expect to force this bill
through in 'ace CT the opposition of
every advocate Of pure food in the
country. Congressman Tawney of
Minnesota, is expected to lead the
fight against Moxley, and every voter
in the state interested In the fight
against the corporations and for pure
food should write an expression of
their views to their congressman.
Evvnf1o EYoucnn 1rf TrlHo~v -s-Ax o.