204 OLEOMAKGAEINE. 



to regulate the table of the home you are attempting something which 

 is absolutely impossible, and there is no use in attempting it. It would 

 be an absurd thing to attempt. You might as well say that I shall put 

 upon my table a synopsis, a digest, of what the hash is made of, or that 

 I shall brand my coffee, and say that it cost only 20 cents a pound, or 

 that I shall expose my poverty to my guest by saying that this is oleo- 

 margarine. I will not discuss this further, because I am sure, gentle- 

 men, that that is too absurd to talk about, and it is not necessary to 

 consider in any sense that it is proper or legitimate to go into the secrets 

 of the home and try to regulate the home table. 



Senator DOLLIVER. Have you discussed the reason why the product 

 is colored ? Why do they not put it on the market in its natural con- 

 dition ? 



Mr. TILLINGHAST. That has been discussed by others who preceded 

 me, and very thoroughly, too. 



Senator DOLLIVER. If it is in the record, that is all that is necessary. 



Mr. TILLINGHAST. I will say that it is simply conformable to the 

 law of custom and taste, one of the strongest laws to run up against. 



Senator DOLLIVER. Do you think anybody would buy it if it was 

 light or white colored? 



Mr. TILLINGHAST. Yes, sir; I think it would be sold in very limited 

 quantities. 



Senator DOLLIVER. I understood from some of your people that 

 they thought if they were compelled to color it white it would destroy 

 the market. They have written to me to that effect. 



Mr. TILLINGHAST. Yes, sir; there is no doubt about that. It would 

 entirely destroy the industry as an industry. An industry putting out 

 107,000,000 pounds a year would be practically totally destroyed, 

 because nobody would buy white oleomargarine to put upon their table. 



Senator DOLLIVER. Is that mere prejudice and custom? 



Mr. TILLINGHAST. Solely that and nothing more, sir. 



Senator DOLLIVER. It seems to me you might overcome that preju- 

 dice. 



Mr. TILLINGHAST. You could not overcome it so long as butter is 

 colored. So long as butter is put upon the table yellow, in my judg- 

 ment, it would be impossible to sell white oleo as against colored butter. 

 You can sell white oleo against white butter. 



The ACTING CHAIRMAN. Would it destroy the butter business if 

 butter were not colored ? 



Senator DOLLIVER. The great hotels, I notice, are serving white 

 butter. Have you noticed that ? 



Mr. TILLINGHAST. Yes, sir. 



Senator DOLLIVER. Without even salt in it? 



Mr. TILLINGHAST. Yes, sir. I know that is true in some cases. 



Senator DOLLIVER. I noticed that in a hotel in New York the other 

 day. 



Mr. TILLINGHAST. Yes; that is true, I think, at the Waldorf. 



Senator DOLLIVER. They do that, perhaps, in order to guarantee 

 their good faith. 



Mr. TILLINGHAST. In response to your question, Mr. Chairman, I 

 am of the opinion that people would eat butter, that they could not 

 get along without the use of butter, and that if all butter was white 

 there would be the same quantity of butter used as is used to-day. 



