256 OLEOMARGARINE. 



appear as a witness on behalf of all these people who have expressed 

 themselves against this species of legislation and as a witness on behalf 

 of every loyal, liberty-loving citizen of this great United States. What- 

 ever may be the situation of paid attorneys in some cases, in this my 

 duties to my client and my country are the same. 



Gentlemen, I believe that the mind of every member of this commit- 

 tee is made up, to an extent, on this subject, but I believe that every 

 one is oyen to conviction on either side. That is evidenced by the 

 patience and consideration with which every one has been received. 

 This has been a very liberal hearing. From my point of view I would 

 have preferred that it be more in the nature of a trial; that the friends 

 of the bill should have presented their case; that they should have 

 presented their witnesses, not statements, not allegations, not bunches 

 of testimony which appeared before the House, and which, of course, is 

 admissible as evidence in this case; not that they should come in and 

 read at random statements from books or pamphlets issued from some 

 source, we know not what, but that their evidence should have been 

 submitted to a rigid, searching cross-examination, and that then we 

 should have come in with our side of it and been subjected to the same 

 cross-examination. Then they could have closed their case. As it is, 

 we have appeared at a disadvantage. We are under arraignment. The 

 specific counts of the indictment are not named. We do not really 

 know as yet what it is we have to face excepr that it is a threatened 

 destruction of our industries. 



The burden of proof, you will remember, is on the friends of the bill 

 in this case. As yet they have failed. As yet they have not tried to 

 make a case. As yet they have not stated their case. And before I go 

 any further, let me say this : I see Mr. Knight is present. I would like 

 to have on record Mr. Knight, who seems to be the main spoke in the 

 wheel; Mr. Hoard, who is his first assistant; General Grout, who seems 

 to be second assistant in the case ; Mr. Adams, Mr. Flanders, and others 

 who have appeared here. I would like to have these gentlemen on 

 record, so that we may know just exactly where they stand. And I am 

 going to ask Mr. Knight this morning and I think I am entitled to 

 ask the question that he place himself on record; that he tell us 

 whether the object of this agitation, the object of this bill, is to abso- 

 lutely prohibit the manufacture and sale of colored oleomargarine, or 

 whether he is willing that the manufacture and sale of this product 

 shall be so hedged about with law, with regulations, with provisions, 

 that it will be compelled to be sold on its merits, and not to encroach 

 (if it ever has encroached) upon the particular province of dairy or 

 creamery butter. Will you kindly advise me, Mr. Knight? 



Mr. KNIGHT. I will say to Mr. Schell that if he will present a measure 

 which the people who have had experience in enforcing the dairy laws 

 believe will hedge it about with such safeguards as that colored oleo- 

 margarine can be put to the consumer without deceit and fraud, I am 

 sure we will all accept it. That is my answer. And I want to say 

 further that if it had been possible in the twenty years we have been 

 endeavoring to have framed such laws, we never would have been 

 before Congress to-day asking for a 10-cent tax on colored oleomar- 

 garine. [Laughter.] I will prove my case, gentlemen. You need not 

 smile so audibly. 



Mr. SCHELL. That is the point, gentlemen. I am glad to hear Mr. 

 Knight speak as he does. His statement is the most nearly direct 

 explanation of their desires that we have as yet had. But does he 

 mean it? We will see. I wish he had made his case in the beginning 



