152 OLEOMARGARINE. 



STATEMENT OF JOHN HAMILTON, SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE 



OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, I 

 come here as the representative of the department of agriculture of 

 the State of Pennsylvania, as well as a representative of the daily 

 union of our State. I want to say at the outset that Pennsylvania is in 

 favor of this bill. The State Grange of our State, at its meeting in 

 Lockhaven recently, passed resolutions favoring the Grout bill. The 

 dairy union, at its meeting in Corry just a few weeks ago, passed strong 

 resolutions indorsing the Grout bill. The people of the State gener- 

 ally endorsed the Grout bill. The oleomargarine question was made 

 a campaign issue in Pennsylvania; and if there can be an expression 

 of opinion of the people, I think that Pennsylvania's vote shows that 

 Pennsylvania, in all of her citizenship, is very much in favor of some 

 law that will repress the sale of colored oleomargarine in our State. 



The governor, in his message which was given to the legislature only 

 a day or so ago, makes use of the following language in discussing the 

 oleomargarine question. It took about a column in the newspaper, 

 and closes with this sentence: 



"I am much gratified at the prospects of the early passage in Con- 

 gress of the Grout bill. If this bill becomes a law, it will greatly aid 

 in the suppression of the oleomargarine traffic." 



In my preliminary report to the governor as secretary of agricul- 

 ture only a week or so ago, I say: 



"The passage of the Grout bill by the Congress of the United States, 

 whereby a 10-cent tax is imposed on all colored oleomargarine manu- 

 factured and the operations of the interstate-commerce law so sus- 

 pended as to oleomargarine trade, will greatly aid the State dairy and 

 fruit authorities in suppressing the oleo traffic. 1 ' 



The State Alliance at its meeting also passed resolutions indorsing 

 the Grout bill. The Republican platform of the State of Pennsylvania 

 indorsed the suppression of the oleomargarine traffic or its regulation 

 in our State. So we have practically the unanimous indorsement of 

 the people of our State, irrespective of party, in favor of the passage 

 of this bill. 



Perhaps I could just as well stop what 1 have to say here now, and 

 not take the time of the committee, because this is as explicit a piece 

 of expression as any that can be presented; and yet there are one or 

 two other matters that I think the committee ought to have their atten- 

 tion called to, inasmuch as, so far as I know, the points that 1 desire 

 to discuss have not been fully presented. 



Before taking up the items that I wish particularly to discuss, I 

 would like to refer to the argument of Judge Springer yesterday 

 for the purpose of getting rid of some things that seem to cloud a 

 little the bill itself. The Judge referred to the many State laws and 

 the difficulties that were encountered by the several States in their 

 efforts to suppress the oleomargarine traffic, or at least to regulate it 

 within their borders; and those gentlemen of the committee who were 

 here yesterday recall that most of the Judge's presentation was taken 

 up in the discussion of these laws. Now, if I had been going to make 

 an argument in favor of the passage of the Grout bill, instead of against 

 it, I think I would have taken the very same document. If that argu- 



