OLEOMAKGAEINE. 20 7 



purely healthful food product, desired by the people of this country. 

 It is desired by the citizens of Rhode Island, that I have a right to rep- 

 resent; it is desired by the people who live in Rhode Island and work 

 in the mills; it is desired by tlie poor people of that State, who can not 

 afford to pay the high prices for butter, and you have no moral or 

 constitutional right, in my judgment, to deprive them of the privilege 

 of buying it as they are now buying it. 



Senator HEITFELD. You speak of the large consumption of oleo in 

 Rhode Island. One of the gentlemen who appeared here said that it 

 was about 8 pounds per capita for last 3 r ear. 



Mr. SPRINGER. That was my statement, Senator. 



Senator HEITFELD. Can you tell me what the consumption of butter 

 per capita was in that State ? 



Mr. TILLINGHAST. I can not tell you the consumption of butter in 

 any locality in the United States. 



Mr. FLANDERS. Are you about to leave the health question, Mr. 

 Tillinghast? I would like to ask a question before you leave that. 



Mr. TILLINGHAST. Yes, sir. 



Mr. FLANDERS. Have you any evidence as to any physiological tests 

 as to digestion of oleomargarine and butter? 



Mr. TILLINGHAST. I have the tests of the whole State of Rhode 

 Island. 



Mr. FLANDERS. I do not mean that. I mean a scientific experiment 

 as to the digestibility of butter as compared with the digestibility of 

 oleomargarine. The testimony you have given there is simply as to 

 the melting point of two samples by the particular chemists. 



Mr. TILLINGHAST. All I have to say about that matter is that if that 

 fact has not been established, that oleomargarine is a perfectly healthy 

 food product, without a single thing in it that is deleterious, it seems 

 to me that before this discussion goes any further this committee 

 should resolve itself at least into a committee of one or two and find 

 put whether that is so or not; but the evidence throughout the world 

 is overwhelming on that question. 



Mr. FLANDERS. I do not want to press this too hard, Mr. Chairman, 

 but the evidence so far is in dispute. We brought from the State of 

 New York and left here with this committee evidences of scientific 

 experiments in digestion. We have raised the question here as to the 

 right of a chemist to determine a physiological question. The gentle- 

 man is making a very nice argument from his point of view, and I 

 like it. It would like him to tell me if he knows anything on that sub- 

 ject. He has submitted here the melting point of oleomargarine and 

 of butter, as found by a chemist, of some particular samples. The 

 evidence we submitted here was of oleomargarine bought on the open 

 market and known to be oleomargarine, and it went through digestive 

 experiments. I say that is evidence on the comparative digestibility 

 of the two, and I ask him, so long as he is trying to make so fair an 

 argument, if he has any evidence from his State or anywhere relative 

 to the comparative digestibility of the two, because if a sample of 

 oleomargarine of the best kind were submitted to a chemist it is hardly 

 a fair illustration of the oleomargarine found in the open market, and 

 particularly when he submits it only as to the one proposition of its 

 melting point, not to the proposition of digestibility. I would like 

 the gentleman to discuss that if he has anything on the subject. 



Mr. TILLINGHAST. If I have not taken too much time, I would like 



