OLEOMARGARINE. 25 



the particular individual who is giving testimony shall be present at 

 any time. I want again to denounce, in the severest language I am 

 capable of using, the sneaking and cowardly method that has been 

 pursued in respect to this measure. 



The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Gardner, you may proceed. 



STATEMENT OF RATHBONE GARDNER Continued. 



Mr. GARDNER. Mr. Chairman, at the time of the adjournment yester- 

 day I had partly completed my argument, and with the permission of 

 the members of the committee I will resume it. 1 was engaged at the 

 time of the adjournment in the endeavor to support the proposition 

 that there were no existing conditions to-day which demanded the 

 passage of legislation of this character in the interest of any legitimate 

 industry. I was considering somewhat in detail the reasons which 

 have been advanced by the advocates of this measure for its passage. 

 I had referred to the claim heretofore made, and now I think practi- 

 cally abandoned, that oleomargarine is an unwholesome substance 

 which it is proper, in the interest of the public health, to legislate 

 against. In this connection I desire to refer to one piece of evidence 

 which I did not mention yesterday. 



The CHAIRMAN. May I ask you a question right there? I do not 

 know anything about this business, I will state in advance, and I want 

 to learn about it what I can. Presuming what you say to be true, and 

 I have no reason to question it, that oleomargarine is, as now made, 

 wholesome, I want to ask if it is not possible, it being a combination 

 of various materials, I suppose, to introduce ingredients that are in 

 themselves unwholesome whether, in other words, an unscrupulous 

 dealer might not put in unwholesome ingredients and so conceal them 

 that the final consumer would not be able to know it? 



Mr. GARDNER. I will answer that question as well as I can, Mr. 

 Chairman, not being thoroughly familiar personally with the methods 

 of manufacturing oleomargarine. 



The CHAIRMAN. You appear as counsel? 



Mr. GARDNER. I appear as counsel. In answer to your question I 

 would say that while I presume it is possible in the manufacture of 

 any compound to introduce elements which are deleterious to the pub- 

 lic health, I believe that there is no product in which it is so difficult, 

 so well-nigh impossible to do it as here. The manufacture of this prod- 

 uct is under the control of the Government. The Department of 

 Internal Revenue have provided the most stringent regulations. They 

 keep in every factory, I think, an inspector whose duty it is to know 

 what comes into that factory and what goes out of the factory. Noth- 

 ing- can go out of that factory except oleomargarine, and everything 

 that goes into that factory is to be used for the manufacture of oleo- 

 margarine. If any substance of that kind is taken into the factory it 

 must be known. Moreover, the Government of the United States 

 maintains an expert chemist to whom the articles of this manufacture 

 can be submitted without cost for analysis and for constant inspection 

 as to their component parts. So I believe if it can be said of any com- 

 modity that it is impossible to introduce deleterious substances into it 

 that can be said of this commodity. 



The CHAIRMAN. That answers my question. 



