408 OLEOMARGARINE. 



Mr. DAVIS. Plenty of it, but without foundation. 



Senator HANSBROUGrH. The advocates of oleomargarine here have 

 said that the internal-revenue officers, in the matter of inspection at 

 the several factories, are doing their duty. I myself very much ques- 

 tion whether they do their whole duty. 



Mr. DAVIS. Senator Hansbrough, read what Mr. Hewes says about 

 the United States attorney in the city of Baltimore. If he does not 

 come right to the edge of accusing him of shutting his eyes I do not 

 know the English language. 



Senator DOLLIVER. I have rather understood these gentlemen to 

 boast of their law-abiding disposition in respect to the present internal- 

 revenue laws. 



Mr. DAVIS. I tell you, sir, as was said before the House Committee, 

 there are violations of this law. That is not to be denied. Nobody 

 denies it, and the violations of this law are induced by the consumers. 

 They are perpetrated by the little dealers, and they can not be perpe- 

 trated without some sort of laxness. 



Senator DOLLIVER. I notice that there is a factory proposed to be 

 capitalized in the district here for $1,000,000. 



Mr. DAVIS. Yes. 



Senator DOLLIVER. You do not believe, since these factories are large 

 institutions, that they could escape the internal-revenue agents in the 

 mere matter of the collection of the tax ? 



Mr. DAVIS. There is not a wholesaler in the country that escapes; 

 not one. That is not the point. You get your tax all right. The vio- 

 lations are made in the sales, as they say, under circumstances making 

 oleomargarine a competitor with butter. You get the tax all right. 

 The tax is paid at the factory. Nobody makes any complaint about 

 that. They are law abiding, and the Internal Revenue Commissioners 

 will tell you so. Their factories are open to inspection. They pay their 

 tax, but they are not going to pay any 10 cents a pound and keep alive. 

 I say you are going to invite a violation of the law where it never has 

 been violated, and that is among the wholesalers, and you are going to 

 invite a further violation down among the retailers, because the profit 

 is so much greater when the tax is 10 cents and not paid. The profit is 

 very much greater, and the temptation is very much greater. 



But, gentlemen, I take these gentlemen on the other side, if I may 

 use the term, on their own dunghill. What do they mean when they 

 tell you these State laws are not enforced, and what do they mean when 

 they say they want the United States to act as policemen? They must 

 give some explanation of it. If these laws are on the books, why don't 

 they repeal them, you say. What is the use of repealing them when 

 they are as dead as Julius Caesar, and that is their own cry. Are they 

 dead ? There is only one of two answers. One is that there is a deliber- 

 ate blinking at the violation of the law, and the other is that the public 

 sentiment is too strong. How is your State anticolor la\v enforced in 

 Iowa? 



Senator DOLLIVER. I do not think there is much oleomargarine sold 

 out there, though probably 



Mr. DAVIS. You have had a law on the books since 1873, and how 

 many prosecutions have you heard of, or how many convictions have 

 you heard of under it? 



Senator DOLLIVER. I think our State dairy commission out there does 

 not believe there is much sold of any color. You see we are in the heart 

 of the butter belt. 



Senator HEITFELD. I think there is a document giving the number 

 of pounds sold in Iowa. 



