461] ADULTERATION AND OLEOMARGARINE 237 



sometimes nods and sleeps over public questions but when he 

 goes at it in earnest, to take a hand in their settlement, political 

 rings are broken, unwise political bosses go up in the air, golden 

 collars become a rope of sand and popular judgment is crystal- 

 lized into law. 1 



The fight was waged through dairy associations, the Far- 

 mers' Alliance, or Grange, and other agricultural organiza- 

 tions. Many resolutions were adopted at conventions held 

 by these organizations denouncing the oleomargarine traffic 

 and calling upon legislators to protect the dairy industry. 



The first state laws attempting to deal with oleomar- 

 garine were enacted in New York and Pennsylvania in 



1877. Maryland followed with a law in 1878. In New 

 York the dairymen were not only responsible for the law 

 of 1877, but for subsequent laws passed in 1880, 1882, and 

 in 1884. 2 The laws passed prior to 1884 remained unen- 

 forced because there was no effective executive machinery 

 provided for. This was, however, established in 1884. 



Before the first oleomargarine law was passed in Penn- 

 sylvania, the bill was submitted for approval to the Sole- 

 bury Farmers' Club, to the Bucks County Agricultural So- 

 ciety, and to the Doylestown Agricultural and Mechanics 

 Institute. 3 



The President of the Illinois Dairymen's Association in 

 1880 asked the convention to take measures that would pro- 

 voke legal enactments against the wholesale adulteration of 

 foods. His appeal included the consumer as well as the 

 dairymen : " The time has come when the people, yea, the 



1 Report of Dairy and Food Commissioner of Wisconsin for 1902, 

 p. 60. 



2 Vide, Investigation of N. Y. Senate Committee on Public Health, 

 p. 2. 



s First Annual Report of the Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture, 



1878, p. 201. 



