Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-05-27
flint TELLS OF
0LEOMARGARlNE
INVESTIGATION
SAYS HEARING AT WASHINGTON
REsEMBLED A CASE IN
COURT
CLEO Interests Fight HARD.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A|oVANC-
ED COST OF LIVING TO GET
NEW LAWS
State Dairy Inspectors Think There
Should Be a Distinct Line Of De-
marcation Between Butter and all
Substitutes - Dairymen will En-
dorse McHenry Bill.
|OLEO INTERESTS Fight HARD

Editor Tribune: The dairymen, nc
doubt, will be interested in hearing
something of the oleomargarine situa
ton as seen by one not particularly
| familiar with congressional proceed
ure.
| BY way of explanation: I received
from the officers of the National Dairy
Union an urgent request to attend
the hearings before the agricultural
! committee of the house of representa-
! tives. On my arrival there I found
that there were numbers of persons
from various northern. states, repre-
| senting state, national and private
DAIRY interests, as we'll as those who
were there in behalf of oleomargarine.
There are six bills referred to the
committee, all relating to oleomargar-
| inc, and one to the manufacture and
sale OF butter. The hearings were
granted by the committee for the pur-
pose of discussing the general ques'
lions, rather than any one bill, and
took on the character somewhat Of a
trial.
The oleomargarine interests, con-
sisting of cotton seed oil, packers,
manufacturers, dealers, and, in les.
ser degree, the consumers, argued
their side of the case.
After they had been heard, the dairy
men had their innings. Lawyers,
both on the committee and represent
ing their interests, questioned those
submitting statements and, as In a
court case, attempted to discredit the
evidence of their opponents.
After listening for five days to- the
questions asked, was impressed with
the thought that the members on the
committee, who represented the cleo
| interests, were much more DESTROYS
| or bringing out misinformation rather
than the facts in the case. The pro-
! position as l understand it, is as fol-
lows:
In order to get any legislation in
! 1902, the dairymen were compelled
to concede to compromise, and that
compromise was the introduction of
the word "artificially" before "colored
in imitation of yellow butter" Prior
to 1902 when oleomargarine was color
ed, coal tar dyes were used, but since
they have selected the fats of Guer-
nsey, Jersey and grass fed cattle, and
| used other oils such as mustard, GER
tain grades of cotton seed oil, etc.,
! and June butter to bring up the col
or without coming under the reach Of
the law, at least to large extent.
1t has taken the cleo manufacturers
some time to perfect their plans for
making and disposing OF their mon
artificially" colored product. In the
mean time high living has become
common and the accomanied cost has,
so the cleo interests think, opened up
an opportunity for them to secure
LEGISLATION that will permit them to
color artifcially again, and thereby
make a less expensive, to them, grade
of cleo that will sell legally for a
nearer true butter price.
A manufacturer of OleO testlhed
that the fats that produced natur-
al colored article, which is "a light
straw color" according to a decision
Of the United States supreme court,
made better favored oleomaragine
and cost less to produce than the
higher colored article that more close
ly resembled butter.
He also stated that it cost from
ten to sixteen cents a pound to pro-
duce a pound of cleo. 1t was brought
out by the dairy and food commits
sioner of Wisconsin that the average
profit to the retail merchants of that
state was 2.5 times as great on oleo-
margarine as on butter.
These facts explain why some in
terests are so anxious to secure legis-
latiOn favorable to Oleomaragine.
hese same influences have evidently
been active among the laboring men
and conveyed the impression that the
ten cent tax provided in the 1902 law
on oleo, when colored, Is one cause
prices for butter. So far as could
hear no publicity has been given to
the fact that oleo in its true natural
color, was taxed only one-fourth Of a
cent per pound, or that only three per
cent of the cleo manufactured paid
the ten cent per pound tax. They al
so make great claims of discovering
a butter trust, that the entire dairy
product. from the cow that produces
the milk, up, is foul, filthy, injurious
to health, and a detriment to humanity
in general.
The attitude of the oleo interests
is one way of attracting attention
away from their fraudulent practices,
and, by preying on public prejudices,
secure if possible, legislation that
will be beneficial to themselves, and
against the great dairy and accompan-
led interests.
Speaking for myself, I am willing
to concede that there is a field for
oleomargarine, but l am not willing
that that should be the one occupied
for these thousands of years by but
ter. 1t should have a distinct line
of demarcation from butter. and that
the color line. Let it stand on its own
foundation in ito true cnlnr not hang