XVI OLEOMARGARINE AND OTHER IMITATION DAIRY PRODUCTS. 



facture, not only of the food product known as butter, but of everything of that 

 nature. That octopus is now being conceived. If the United State* 'Senate should 

 consent to the passage of a bill so outrageously unjust as this one is, then its birth 

 will have been accomplished. 



* * * * * * * 

 Now, we can not see that there is any justice whatever in placing any tax upon 



oleomargarine. Heaven knows that its manufacture is already sufficiently restricted 

 and that it is an utter impossibility, under the stringent laws which exist in alnio-t 

 all of our States regulating its sale,' for any deception to be practiced therein. And I 

 want to assure you, gentlemen, that if any deception in this connection should be 

 attempted in pur part of the country it would be, and often is, in undertaking to 

 palm off inferior butter for the product known as oleomargarine. I am myself a con- 

 stant consumer of the article, and I propose that it shall be continually used by my 

 family, because I know, and so do all of the members of organized labor who have 

 listened to the discussions relative to this product in their various unions, that it is 

 absolutely free from all disease germs; that the process of its manufacture is such as 

 to destroy all the bacilli of tuberculosis and various other disease germs that exist in 

 the cow and through the medium of butter consumption are conveyed to the human 

 system, and that butter is not subjected to any process which will eliminate that 

 element of danger. 



* * * * * * # 

 Here is an expression from one of the largest representative labor bodies in the 



United States the Chicago Federation of Labor and here is what they say relative 

 to the tax: 



"We believe the efforts to place a tax of 10 cents per pound on colored butterine 

 is inspired by selfish motives, so that the manufacturers of butter may charge an 

 unreasonable price for their commodity and enable the large creameries to establish 

 surely and securely a butter trust which may raise prices as their cupidity may 

 dictate." 



Here is another expression: 



" Justice demands equal rights for both manufacturers of butter and butterine 

 both products having equal merit. Any adverse legislation against either must be 

 condemned. ' ' 



* * * * * * * 



This is from the Journeyman Horseshoers' Union: 



"We feel that all people having arrived at the age of discretion should be left to 

 exercise their own choice as to whether they shall use butter or oleomargarine: 

 Therefore, be it 



il Resolved by Journeyman Horseshoers' Union No. 40, of Columbus, Ohio, That as long 

 as butterine is colored with a healthful ingredient said coloring should be encour- 

 aged, as it improves the appearance of the product; that we do most emphatically 

 condemn the persecution being waged against the butterine industry; that we pro- 

 test against the attempt to increase the tax thereon, and that copies of this resolu- 

 tion be forwarded to every Congressman, with the request that they each and every 

 one exert the most strenuous efforts to crushingly defeat once and for all any and all 

 measures providing for the further taxing of butterine." 



***** -x- * 



Here is something from the Painters and Decorators of Cleveland, Ohio. It speaks 

 in very plain language. This is in the form of a letter signed by Mr. Peter Has- 

 senpfliie, 442 Erie street, Cleveland, president of said union. 



"I have been instructed by our union, containing over 400 members, to write and 

 inform you that we are unanimously and bitterly opposed to the bills now pending 

 in Congress providing for the persecution of the butterine industry. As you doubt- 

 less know, there are laws now that are being carefully enforced and lived up to that 

 make it impossible for butterine to be manufactured and sold for anything else but 

 butterine, and it is the unanimous opinion of our members that butterine made 

 according to these laws is better for all uses than three-fourths of the butter that 

 can be bought. It won't get strong, and it don't come from feverish cows that are 

 full of disease germs, and butter frequently does. 



"We feel this way that if butterine is wrong, or poison, or liable to injure public 

 health, then do away with it altogether; but, if it is not (and years of experience in 

 using it have taught us it is not) then why persecute the industry and keep passing 

 laws against it? Our belief is that this is kept up just for political reasons, and 

 that some people in Congress that are sworn to protect the rights and interests of 

 all the people are willing to increase our already too high cost ot living and add to 

 our taxes just to catch the farmer vote and increase the business of the butter trust 



