OLEOMARGAKINE. 487 



president of the Georgia Cotton Growers' Protective Association, 

 directed to the committee. I will read it: 



To the honorable Committee on Agriculture. 



UNITED STATES SENATE, 

 WASHINGTON, D. C., January 5, 1901. 



MR. CHAIRMAN AND GENTLEMEN: In behalf of the agricultural interests of my 

 State, which might be affected adversely or otherwise by the passage of the pend- 

 ing Grout bill, now in your hands for consideration, I beg to herewith submit my 

 earnest protest against its favorable consideration. The people of my State are 

 opposed to any legislation which fosters one industry at the expense of another. 



Georgia is rapidly developing the dairy industry, and has also extended cotton- 

 seed oil milling interests. From a careful reading of the Grout bill, I feel assured its 

 passage would work serious detriment to the cotton-seed oil industry of the South. 

 The sale of our farm products should be based upon legitimate demand, and every 

 article given a fair showing in the markets. 



The different States will and are enacting laws which will fully protect our but- 

 ter industry against the improper sale of oleomargarine, and will shut the sale of 

 that article out of the market as an active competitor, save upon its actual merits. 



A bill was introduced at the last session of the legislature in this State, and 

 passed, which guaranteed absolute protection to the butter industry of Georgia, and 

 at the same time left the choice of purchase and consumption of butter and oleomar- 

 garine on a fair and equitable basis. 



Sectional or class legislation is always objectionable, and should never be tolerated 

 in a country of such wide and varied interests as ours. I can see no good reason for 

 national legislation on the interests of the Grout bill. I am chairman of the general 

 agricultural committee of the house of representatives of Georgia, and can assure 

 you that we have secured the passage of a State law which gives satisfaction and 

 ample protection to the dairymen of Georgia, so far as the future sale of oleomar- 

 garine is concerned. 



I am exceedingly anxious for the rapid development of the dairying industry in 

 Georgia, but I do not want it fostered and protected by the passage of unjust laws, 

 which will be detrimental to the future of other highly valuable and equally impor- 

 tant agricultural products. 



1 trust that your committee will give to the provisions of the Grout bill most 

 careful and thorough consideration, and that your final judgment will be based upon 

 a fair and just solution of the questions involved in that bill, which I feel assured is 

 the earnest desire of every Senator who has the honor of representing the American 

 people in the highest branch of their National Legislature. 



With highest respect, I beg to remain, gentlemen, 



Yours, truly, HARVIE JORDAN. 



Senator MONEY. Who is the writer of that letter ? 



Mr. PETERS. Harvie Jordan. He is the president of the Georgia 

 Cotton Growers' Protective Association, and chairman of the Commit- 

 tee on Agriculture of the Georgia senate. 



Gentlemen, I thank you very kindly for allowing me to be heard. 



CONTINUATION OF STATEMENT OF CHARLES Y. KNIGHT. 



Mr. KNIGHT. It was stated by Senator Allen that probably I would 

 want to answer something that the gentleman preceding me has said 

 In regard to cotton-seed oil. 



From his figures I gather that the value of the cotton production of 

 this country is $475,000,000. From figures presented by other people 

 here, I take it that the value of the cotton-seed-oil industry is 

 $50,000,000, making a total of $525,000,000. Of those $525,000,000 in 

 value of the cotton and cotton-oil product, the oleomargarine people of 

 this country use less than one-half of $1,000,000 worth. The amount of 

 cotton- seed oil used in the manufacture of oleomargarine in this coun- 

 try, in proportion to the product of oleomargarine, basing it upon the 

 figures of the cotton-seed-oil people themselves, is about two-thirds of 

 1 per cent. So that we can not see, gentlemen, any great harm that 



