530 OLEOMARGARINE. 



the bill so as to make it a good bill that will be applicable to the butter 

 business as much as to the oleomargarine business. 



Mr. KNIGHT. What would happen to you if you should go on the 

 streets of Washington attired in woman's clothes? 



Mr. TOMPKINS. I do not see the relevancy of the question. The 

 question at issue is whether in this bill there is an unfair discrimination 

 against one product and in favor of another; not with reference to 

 whether a proper and legitimate industry ought not to be allowed and 

 all legitimate occupations pursued with perfect freedom. I can not 

 but feel that the bill does two things : It discriminates in the first place 

 in favor of the butter business, in allowing the manufacturers to use 

 processes for coloring and to use flavoring compounds; that these 

 things are permitted, whether they are right or wrong, whether the 

 processes are clean or not clean ; while, in the case of oleomargarine, 

 you permit absolutely nothing, even though the article is perfectly 

 wholesome. The distinction between right and wrong should be made 

 by police regulations, and there are ways of doing that without dis- 

 criminating in favor of one and against the other. 



Senator ALLEN. I suppose you recognize the fact that almost the 

 entire quantity of butter consumed on the farms is never colored? 



Mr. TOMPKINS. I do not think it is colored. 



Senator ALLEN. I refer, of course, to the butter that is consumed on 

 the farms. 



Senator HANSBROUGH. It is taken in its natural state. 



Mr. TOMPKINS. What I am contending is that both butter and oleo- 

 margarine ought to be allowed to be colored, or not, according to taste, 

 provided that the color is not injurious; and all injurious methods 

 ought to be forbidden in both cases. I think the whole matter can rest 

 on that proposition, and I thank you for your kind attention. 



Senator DOLLIVEB. Let me say that 1 find a natural prejudice in 

 favor of butter, and a very strong indisposition to do any real damage 

 to a legitimate business that has invested capital. I am extremely 

 anxious to know what would be the actual effect of putting oleomar 

 garine on the market in its natural condition and leaving it to make 

 its way without a continual conflict with laws and prejudices and cus- 

 toms in thirty two different States, but give it its true reputation, and 

 rescue it, if possible, from the general disrepute in which it seems to 

 be, so far as has been shown generally by the testimony. 



Mr. JELKE. I will say here that if the Grout bill passes, providing a 

 tax of 10 per cent, it will kill the industry. Last winter a dealer was 

 arrested in Council Bluffs, Iowa, through the efforts of the dairy com- 

 missioner of that State, and we had to go to the expense of paying for 

 the return of the goods. The goods were absolutely uncolored except 

 for a slight grayish tint. We defeated that case in the police court 

 there. Then the dairy commissioner presented the case to the grand 

 jury, the dealer was indicted, and we had to defend another case 

 brought against him there. A dealer in Des Moines said, " I am going 

 to undertake to sell butterine." The commissioner said, u If you do I 

 will prosecute every sale you make. We-don't want it sold in our city, 

 colored or uncolored." 



Senator DOLLIVER. The State of Iowa would be an exceedingly dis- 

 couraging place to undertake to sell anything for butter, very much as 

 a man would not carry coals to Newcastle. But in the city of Chicago, 

 where there is a great demand by the poor people, who have been 

 spoken of, for cheap butter, what would be the practical difficulty in 

 selling authenticated oleomargarine under its own name without any 



