646 OLEOMARGARINE. 



Mr. BAILEY. There could be no question about a man's finding the 

 mark on any package you have shown to me this morning, and with 

 the publicity that you have given to it I should think they would not 

 find it pro li table and people would not buy it. 



Mr. KNIGHT. We can not interest you people 365 days in the year, 

 and we can not keep the newspapers going all the time. We have tried 

 to control this question of color for twenty years', and we have failed, 

 and it is growing worse and worse all the time. Gentlemen suggest 

 how it might be done this way or the other way, but I tell you we have 

 made the trial, and the result is we have lost, and we have exhausted 

 absolutely every means at our command; and here is a point that I 

 want to impress upon you gentlemen, that we have fought this fight 

 and kept fighting and fighting all the time until our people are good 

 and tired. Pretty soon butter is going to get down to the basis of lard 

 and tallow, and it is not good to fight all the time, and we will have to 

 give it up eventually. Farmers are losing confidence and losing 

 heart 



Mr. BAILEY. Is not that .contrary to the evidence that Governor 

 Ford gave here the other day, to the eftect that this industry has 

 increased more than any other in the country to-day? 



Mr. KNIGHT. Let me show you this diagram here [referring to dia- 

 gram on page 14 of pamphlet]. This will give you some idea of the 

 results that have followed from this defiance of the State laws. In 

 1899 the production of oleomargarine was increased 50 per cent over 

 that of 1898. 



Mr. BAILEY. How much cheaper is the butter? 



Mr. KNIGHT. I can not answer that question without explaining. 

 The prices of butter were so low during that year, and oleomargarine 

 was crowding it so close, and so many farmers went out of the busi- 

 ness and gave it up during last year and the year before, that there 

 was a shortage in the butter production, which the statistics will show. 

 That made a shortage, so that last winter it gave the oleomargarine a 

 chance to go further in still, and drive out the butter more and more, 

 as it is doing all the time. 



Mr. ALLEN. Suppose this bill should pass, it would drive oleomar- 

 garine up to the price where it would sell for 8 cents higher than it 

 does now, so that it would almost drive the colored part out of business. 



Mr. KNIGHT. Yes, sir; almost. 



Mr. ALLEN. Would it not drive butter out? 



Mr. KNIGHT. But has not a man the right to the best price he can 

 get for what he has to sell ? 



Mr. ALLEN. Yes, sir; and there was at common law the name of a 

 crime given to this kind of embracery, where a man would take pos- 

 session of a business and raise the prices on the consumers. 



The CHAIRMAN. You say a man has to get the best price he can for 

 what he has to sell? 



Mr. KNIGHT. Yes, sir. 



The CHAIRMAN. Do you think Congress has a right to legislate so as 

 to make one article higher and another article lower, or to drive it out 

 of the market? 



Mr. KNIGHT. I do not think Congress has any business to look into 

 that phase of the matter at all. I think Congress should look out for 

 protecting the consumer and the health of the consumer. 



(Thereupon, at 12.45 p. m., the committee adjourned.) 



