NINTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VII 311 
pure product and a healthful one. It is not for us to stand back and ask 
whether this is a fact or not, whether it is possible to transmit tubercu- 
losis. We dare not stand up to it. What we have to do is to comply 
with the consumers' demand and it is going to be up to us, and the sooner 
we get there and the sooner we come to their conditions the sooner we 
will cease to hear such talk as we have heard here today and truths told 
about the conditions of our butter traffic, and of the raw material and the 
less talk of that character we have go into print the more popular will 
our product become. It is simply a business proposition and I want to 
impress upon you that you have got to furnish a guaranteed product. 
I believe I was to talk on organization and I am only going to dwell on 
it for just a few minutes. First I will call to your attention some of the 
things accomplished by the National Dairy Union last year. I want to 
tell you just one instance that came before me this year. I went before 
the Secretary of Agriculture in an argument for the dairy industry against 
the oleo manufacturers. The first question asked was, "Who are you^ who 
do you represent, and what is your membership?" It all seemed to de- 
pend upon that one thing. As you know, it didn't take the Secretary of 
Agriculture very long to decide in favor qf the dairy industry. And be- 
fore I left, he said, "I ^m glad to know that you dairymen are keeping 
track of this thing." 
Another thing, we have been instrumental in the election of governor 
of Illinois. His opponent was being heavily backed by the oleo people. 
I am not flattering myself, but I have it from the chairman of the Repub- 
lican committee that it was the help of the National Dairy Union that 
placed Mr. Deneen in the governor's chair. Later Mr. Deneen said, "When 
the dairymen want a new commissioner appointed tell me who you want. 
We never have had as good a condition in the Chicago market as we have 
at the present time." Mr. Shucknecht has succeeded in doing more than 
has ever been done before in closing the illegal sale of oleomargarine in 
the city of Chicago. 
St. Louis is the v/orst hotbed of oleo in the United States. There are 
perhaps two or three carload sold there every week. I formed an associa- 
tion among the butter dealers there and raised nearly $500 to fight the 
illegal sale of the butter substitute. The National Dairy Union furnished 
some of the money for taking the matter to the state legislature, and as 
you know Mr. Washburn resigned and left the city. They got after him 
so hard that it was absolutely impossible for him to remain. 
I just want to mention one more market before I close, and that is 
Denver. That, also, is one of the worst places for oleo in the country. 
So far as our association is concerned we have reduced our expenses to 
the very lowest possible point. There isn't an officer drawing a single 
dollar for salary. We felt it was a burden and we want a larger member- 
ship. We are up against this situation. The National Retail Grocers* 
Association has come out and endorsed a strong resolution favoring the 
repeal of the oleo law. The Butchers' Association have done the same 
thing and we have to meet them. They have elected two representatives 
in Missouri, both pledged to the oleo cause, and we must have your sup- 
port again this winter. I thank you. 
