OLEOMARGARINE. 



509 



Senator MONEY. Then you do not know as to how they stand ? 



Mr. McNAMEE. As to the Knights of Labor I will say that they are 

 intermingled all through the labor world the same as the other labor 

 organizations. Now, the Knights of Labor are a general- body with 

 which smaller organizations are affiliated; but I will say that it has 

 been my discovery, wherever I have heard this matter discussed in the 

 ranks of organized labor, or amongst wage earners at all, that they are 

 absolutely and emphatically in favor of retaining the oleomargarine 

 industry in competition with the butter industry, because they see, and 

 they are absolutely honest in contending, that if the oleomargarine 

 industry is at present crushed out (as it will be if this Grout bill is 

 passed), a monster in the form of a monopolistic octopus will arise and 

 gather in all under its protecting care the butter industries of the 

 United States. 



I care not how extensive they may be. Look at the Standard Oil 

 Company. It has monopolized the oil industry of the world. And it 

 will not be long before we will have a " Standard Butter Company n 

 which will be stronger than the United States Government. 



Senator DOLLIVER. I noticed that the Standard Butterine Company 

 is about to be established here in Washington, with a capital of $1,000,- 

 000. That looks threatening. 



Mr. McNAMEE. But they have permanent competitors in the form of 

 certain creamery institutions. 



Senator DOLLIVER. Did you hear the testimony of the gentleman 

 who stated something here about oleomargarine being sold in this city 

 for butter, at the price of butter? What would the workingmen think 

 of a situation like that 1 ? 



Mr. McNAMEE. Sold for butter? 



Senator DOLLIVER. Yes. What would the workingman think if he 

 went to buy butter, and paid a butter price, and got oleomargarine? 



Mr. McNAMEE, Well, I will tell you, Senator. If our present city 

 and State and district governments are not powerful enough to enforce 

 the laws as they exist, they ought to go out of business. 



Senator DOLLIVER. But, my friend, the chairman of the committee 

 was telling me that he caught a little oleomargarine on his butter plate 

 this morning, at his hotel. 



Mr. McNAMEE. Where? 



Senator DOLLIVER. In this town. He was not looking for it. 



Senator MONEY. Did he have a testing apparatus? 



Senator DOLLIVER. He has had a great deal of experience. 



Senator MONEY. What gentleman was that? 



Senator DOLLIVER. I refer to Senator Allen, the chairman of the 

 committee, here. 



Senator ALLEN (the acting chairman). I discovered that I had been 

 eating it all winter. 



Senator DOLLIVER. And he had been paying for butter. Now, sup- 

 pose the workingman got into that situation ? 



Senator MONEY. Well, if Senator Allen could not tell it by the taste, 

 the effect, or anything else [Laughter.] 



Mr. McNAMEE. Senator, I want to tell you a little story. I have 

 got an old German mother-in-law, who is as bitterly prejudiced against 

 biitterine as she is against the average snake. She does not want any 

 of it near her. She will not use it, and will not have anything to do 

 with it. I myself continually use the product of the Capital City Dairy 

 Company, in Columbus, as do a majority of Columbus citizens. My 

 mother-in-law was telling my wife about the man who came around to 



