OLEOMARGARINE. 225 



Grout bill gives such men the opportunity of building up their 

 industry on its own merits, and that it simply draws the line so that 

 every human being can tell exactly what he is buying. 



It may be a hard job to do that just at once. And yet there is 

 nothing unfair about the Grout bill, unless you take the stand that 

 you can not make or introduce white oleomargarine or oleomargarine 

 without color. But even that is nothing. If that is the fact, then let 

 it stand on its own merits instead of posing as pure butter. 



There is not a man here who, if he went to a dealer's stand and 

 asked for butter and was given oleomargarine after he had paid the 

 pure-butter price, would not kick. Mr. Jelke himself would do it. 

 Any gentleman who has spoken to you would do it. 



Now, I state this fact, that according to my positive knowledge 

 there is not over 1 per cent of oleomargarine sold for what it is in our 

 market. I would not make the statement if I could not prove it. 



If there are any questions anyone wishes to ask me, I will try to 

 answer them. 



Mr. SPRINGER. This is in Philadelphia, is it not? 



Mr. DRENNAN. Yes, sir. 



Mr. SPRINGER. Is what you have stated due to the fact that if the 

 merchant sold it for anything but butter he would confess himself 

 guilty of a violation of the law ? 



Mr. DRENNAN. I have not any doubt that that has a very great 

 bearing; but even that is no argument. 



Mr. SPRINGER. It explains the fact, however, that men do not go 

 into the community and say, "I am guilty of violating the law by 

 doing this." If a dealer sells it for oleomargarine, the law prohibits 

 that, and he confesses himself guilty. If he sells it for butter, the 

 State has to prove that what is actually sold is oleomargarine in order 

 to convict him. 



Mr. DRENNAN. Yes. 



Mr. SPRINGER. People do not convict themselves, as a rule. 



Mr. DRENNAN. My experience as a man and as a merchant for the 

 last twenty years has taught me positively that the average buyer of 

 butter does not want oleomargarine, and that when he buys oleomar- 

 garine he gets it when he asks for butter, and he would not have it 

 did he know it. Now, then, I will admit that it is possible to work up 

 a trade for oleomargarine on its merits. That is all we ask them to 

 do. The Grout bill gives them the opportunity to do that. It 

 removes part of the tax. It leaves the color out. It puts it squarely 

 on its merits. There is no one who can deny that. 



Then there is another thing: We have a lot of irresponsible dealers 

 who take up oleomargarine because of the immense profit in it. I do 

 not need to stand here and tell you what it costs to make it or what it 

 costs to put it into the hands of the wholesale dealer. We all know 

 that. Everybody knows that. But when the retailer, in its colored 

 condition, can bring it up to within 1 or 2 cents of the price of genu- 

 ine butter and sell it to the customer at that price, he has a profit of 

 anywhere from 10 to 12 cents. Therefore he is bound to go into that 

 business if there is any such business; and just- as long as there is 

 color in it we can not reach him. 



You may talk about the Wadsworth bill. I am sorry to say that 

 the revenue department of our city does not enforce the revenue law. 

 It will prosecute a case if we will make it and bring it to the depart- 



S. Rep. 2043 15 



