320 OLEOMARGARINE. 



the world than those working people of Philadelphia and Bethlehem, 

 where I formerly worked, as to the matter of the wbolesomeness of the 

 food they eat. The housewives there keep the best houses in the 

 United States. They use cotton sheets, and they use cotton all the 

 way through. 



Senator MONEY. They have good sense. 



Mr. TOMPKINS. Yes ; they have good sense. They make our armor 

 plates and armor forgings and build our ships. Those are the people 

 who do these things. 



I take it that the United States Senate can handicap the progress of 

 improvement. They can pass a law saying that a power loom can not 

 be run except by paying a tax on it, in order to try to protect the hand- 

 loom weavers. That is what the English people did a hundred years 

 ago, but it did not succeed. The opposition did not last. There were 

 people killed. There were riots. There was infinite trouble. You can 

 stay the progress of an improvement for a time, but if it is an improve- 

 ment it will succeed in spite even of legislation. Political economists 

 tell us that on one occasion in England, and on more than one occasion 

 in other countries, trade had been maintained by smugglers when the 

 tariff attempted to destroy it, or was put so high as to make it practi- 

 cally prohibitory. It is well known in making tariff lists that if you 

 attempt to put an embargo on a certain class of goods, you can not put 

 more than so much on it, because if you do you will throw the business 

 totally into the hands of smugglers. 



I am one of those who believe that this cotton- seed oil business, 

 together with its outgrowing industries, is one which you are not going 

 to stop by legislation. It is a food stuff which is too valuable, which 

 goes to too many people, to have a stop put to it even by law ; and you 

 will have a whole lot of people arrested in the year during which the 

 bill lasts if you pass it. You will have a whole lot of trouble about 

 collecting these revenues; but the industry will go on, and in time you 

 will get tired of it and you will repeal this bill, and the improvement 

 will live, as almost all improvements live. And some of the people who 

 helped to pass the bill will live at home and run dairies, instead of 

 legislating in Congress. 



I may say that if there are any questions which the gentleman would 

 like to ask I will be happy to answer them. 



Senator DOLLIVER. Have you gone over the question of how far 

 cotton-seed oil enters into the oleomargarine product ? 



Mr. TOMPKIINS. It is a very variable quantity, more or less; and in 

 many cases cotton-seed oil is used for cooking purposes without any 

 mixture at all. I think the Secretary of the Treasury has investigated 

 the subject, though. Mr. Miller, can you tell me what the percentage 

 is? It is something like 10 per cent. 



Mr. MILLER. Ten million pounds, I understand, were used during 

 the past year. 



Senator DOLLIVER. What is the percentage in that particular 

 formula ? 



Mr. TOMPKINS. It is a matter of investigation by the Secretary of the 

 Treasury. You will find his statement accurate, I think. 



Senator DOLLIVER. What is it the oleo oil, or the neutral oil, or 

 the butter oil? 



Mr. TOMPKINS. The butter oil. 



Senator DOLLIVER. It seems to be 8 per cent. Of course this legis- 

 lation does not affect the ordinary domestic use of cotton seed oil. You 

 have said that considerable of that was being used without admixture. 



