﻿Commissioner 
  of 
  Ageiculture. 
  167 
  

  

  tlie 
  lighter 
  petroleums 
  which 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  were 
  commonly 
  called 
  

   paraffin, 
  and 
  thereby 
  possibly 
  misleading 
  the 
  translators. 
  At 
  the 
  

   present 
  time 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  data 
  to 
  warrant 
  anyone 
  in 
  saying 
  that 
  

   the 
  use 
  of 
  paraffin 
  as 
  above 
  is 
  harmless 
  in 
  its 
  effect 
  upon 
  the 
  

   system. 
  

  

  Although 
  paraffin 
  is 
  an 
  unsaponifiable 
  substance, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  question 
  

   whether, 
  under 
  the 
  above 
  conditions, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  paraffin 
  is 
  not 
  

   absorbed 
  in 
  the 
  system 
  along 
  with 
  the 
  other 
  fats, 
  and 
  whether 
  more 
  

   serious 
  disturbances 
  may 
  not 
  arise 
  than 
  could 
  be 
  expected 
  from 
  

   the 
  ordinary 
  digestive 
  disturbances 
  attributable 
  to 
  the 
  indigesti- 
  

   bility 
  of 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  adulterant." 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  last 
  year 
  or 
  two 
  the 
  trend 
  of 
  judicial 
  decisions 
  in 
  some 
  

   of 
  the 
  "Western 
  States 
  have 
  been 
  against 
  the 
  butter 
  interests 
  owing 
  

   to 
  the 
  unconstitutional 
  State 
  laws, 
  but 
  this 
  State 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  con- 
  

   gratulated 
  in 
  having 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best, 
  if 
  not 
  the 
  very 
  best, 
  anti-oleo- 
  

   margarine 
  laws. 
  

  

  In 
  1897 
  the 
  Legislature 
  enacted 
  a 
  law, 
  being 
  an 
  amendment 
  to 
  

   the 
  Agricultural 
  Law, 
  regarding 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  colored 
  oleomar- 
  

   garine, 
  this 
  having 
  become 
  necessary 
  for 
  the 
  reason 
  that 
  some 
  

   oleomargarine 
  violators, 
  upon 
  being 
  prosecuted 
  for 
  selling 
  tliis 
  

   article, 
  when 
  our 
  agents 
  were 
  unable 
  to 
  prove 
  a 
  sale, 
  would 
  offer 
  

   as 
  a 
  defense, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  successfully, 
  that 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  own. 
  

   the 
  oleomargarine, 
  but 
  that 
  it 
  had 
  simply 
  been 
  left 
  there 
  by 
  some 
  

   friend 
  or 
  customer, 
  and 
  would 
  be 
  called 
  for. 
  The 
  afore-mentioned 
  

   amendment, 
  however, 
  met 
  the 
  evasion 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  words: 
  

   "Any 
  dealer 
  in 
  any 
  article 
  or 
  product, 
  the 
  manufacture 
  or 
  sale 
  of 
  

   which 
  is 
  prohibited 
  by 
  this 
  act, 
  who 
  shall 
  keep, 
  store, 
  or 
  display 
  

   such 
  article 
  or 
  product, 
  with 
  other 
  merchandise 
  or 
  stock 
  in 
  his 
  

   place 
  of 
  business, 
  shall 
  be 
  deemed 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  same 
  in 
  his 
  possession 
  

   for 
  sale." 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  past 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  years 
  that 
  amendment 
  has 
  been 
  

   vigorously 
  attacked 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  as 
  unconstitutional. 
  On 
  

   October 
  20, 
  1899, 
  Justice 
  Bartlett, 
  in 
  the 
  Supreme 
  Court, 
  ren- 
  

   dered 
  a 
  decision 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  People 
  v. 
  Meyer," 
  which 
  not 
  

   only 
  reaffirmed 
  the 
  constitutionality 
  of 
  the 
  color 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  