10 VERMONT DAIRYMEN'S REPORT. 



year, that the oleomargarine laws in several states were un- 

 constitutional. We should be thankful, however, that all of 

 our supreme judges do not agree in these decisions. A few 

 weeks ago we were visiting an old schoolmate, who is now 

 a retail butter dealer in Chicago. He, being a Vermonter, was 

 much opposed to dealing in a fraudulent article, and up to two 

 years ago, his firm sold only genuine butter. But it could not 

 meet the competition. Its trade gradually grew less, and it 

 became evident that they must either take out a government 

 license and sell oleo or go out of the business. They chose the 

 former alternative and from that time on their trade and profit 

 increased. They now sell more than nine pounds of oleo to one 

 pound of genuine butter. While the laws of Illinois require 

 that " each sale shall be accompanied by notice to the purchaser 

 that the substance is imitation butter," no man in their employ 

 is ever allowed to even whisper a word as to its character, 

 although many of their customers know it is not genuine 

 butter. My friend told me of a man who, a few years ago, was 

 at work by the week driving a delivery wagon. Seeing the 

 enormous profits that were derived from the business, and 

 being a shrewd fellow, he began the manufacture of imitation 

 butter on a small scale. To day he is worth many millions. 

 During the last fiscal year the government license was paid on 

 2,000,000 pounds more than during the previous year. If we 

 could get a national law requiring all imitation butter to be 

 colored pink it would practically stop its sale. If this cannot 

 be done, the internal revenue tax of two cents a pound should 

 be raised sufficiently to protect the farmer, and to prevent such 

 enormous profits to manufacturers and dealers. Thanks to the 

 inadequacy of present laws Vermont butter is manufactured in 

 Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and large amounts of Ver- 

 mont maple sugar in Chicago. 



OUR NEW POSSESSIONS. 



Among the new problems that have arisen since the last 

 meeting of our Association, one of interest to the farmer is, 

 what is going to be done with our new possessions. Are they 

 to be admitted to the Union as territories ? This is demanded 

 by Spanish property holders in these islands, and it will be sup- 

 ported by powerful monopolies in this country, who will wish 

 to utilize the cheap labor and great productiveness of these 

 islands, to supply our markets duty free. They would not only 

 ruin our beet sugar, tobacco, fruit and other domestic indus- 

 tries, but would lessen our United States revenue $100,- 

 000,000 or more annually. This would make our taxes, which 

 will be largely increased to support a large army and navy, and 



