OLEOMAKGARIKE. 79 



of his matured animal depends somewhat on the value of the c butter 

 fat ' carried by the animal. 



u The rights and privileges of the producers of beef cattle should be 

 as well respected as those of others, and as they are the beneficiaries 

 in the manufacture of this wholesome article of food, they should not 

 be burdened with unnecessary special taxes or needless restrictions in 

 the manufacture of this product other than is absolutely necessary for 

 the support of the Government and the proper governmental regula- 

 tions surrounding the handling of the same. 



"This product of the 'beef steer' should receive at the hands of 

 Congress no greater exactions than that imposed upon competing food 

 products. It is already surrounded by numerous safeguards, which 

 Congress in its wisdom has seen fit to provide, stipulating severe pun- 

 ishment for selling same under misrepresentation. It has, by experi- 

 ence, proven to be just what a large majority of the people of this 

 country want, and in behalf of the producers and consumers of this 

 great country we do solemnly protest against the enactment of legisla 

 tion calculated to ruin a great industry and to deprive not only the 

 working classes but many others of a cheap, wholesome, nutritious, 

 and acceptable article of food." 



This memorial was discussed in open convention and adopted by a 

 rising vote. 



In order to show the spirit of the convention and the great interest 

 manifested in the subject, I will read, with permission of the commit- 

 tee, extracts from some of the speeches on the adoption of the memorial. 

 Colonel Hobbs, who is the editor of the National Provisioner, a paper 

 published in Chicago and New York in the interest of stock raisers, 

 said: 



" Mr. President, I would like to make a few remarks. I do not want 

 to be personal or talk sharp, but our chief chemist is a practical pack- 

 ing-house chemist. He has been in packing houses of the West for 

 the last fifteen years. We have had him analyze a large number of 

 samples of butterine. These samples were from every Government 

 inspected butterine or oleomargarine manufactory in the United 

 States. We have done this to test the melting point. It has been 

 said that 102 is its melting point, while the temperature of the stomach 

 is only 98. Therefore it could not be melted in the stomach. There 

 were many other objections raised that we wanted to investigate. I 

 want to state that we have analyzed samples taken from trade and 

 from factories, and that the melting point of butterine is just under 

 91 degrees and up to 97 degrees, the latter the highest melting point 

 of the crudest butterine made in any Government inspected factory in 

 the United States and mind you, nobodj^ else has a legal right to 

 make it. It does not need paraffin to hold it up. 



' The melting point of a pound of choice dairy butter was 91 and a 

 shade over. The melting point of the best butterine is 91 and just 

 under 91. 



"In butterine is used beef and hog products and cotton-seed oil 

 all of the highest and best products so that there is not an unhealthy 

 element in it. The hog product that goes into it, the beef product 

 that goes into it, and the cotton-seed oil are the highest and purest 

 products. It is the same as butter chemically the same. 



"If Congress passes this 10 per cent bill, it will simply kill the but- 

 terine industry; it will hit the cotton-seed industry; it~will hit every 



