108 ' ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



Two years ago in the City of Chicago, from the month of October, 

 when butter went to 22 or 23 cents, it was a common thing for the 

 retailers to take oleomargarine and never be seen on South Water 

 street until the next July. They simply put colored oleomargarine in as 

 butter. You could not detect it from butter by the taste, smell or looks. 

 They had no scruples whatever in selling it for butter, and we never have 

 been able to get a law in Illinois that we could reach those fellows. They 

 had too much political influence. 



We have got the thing in pretty good shape now as far as the matter 

 stands today. I don't believe thare is a great deal of fraud in the sale of 

 oleomargarine. The people who want oleomargarine are getting it, and 

 those who want butter are getting butter. 



There is one thing we have got to remember and that is to keep the 

 butter up to a June shade. In winter it looks like oleomargarine. If we 

 don't our laws will be ignored and the oleomargarine people will be saying 

 their goods is uncolored butter. 



There will be nothing done in congress this session on the oleomar- 

 garine question. The session will adjourn on the 4th of March, and there 

 will be no chance to amend the bill this year, but next December we will 

 go before them. By that time, with the year and a half experience we 

 will know what to do in the way of amendment. Until that time we have 

 got to be well organized, keep up our organizations, got to watch every 

 influence that is coming into our ranks and, as I said before, we have got 

 to guard against any attempt to divide our front in putting the renovated 

 people over with the oleomargarine people and have them fighting us 

 when they were with us last year. 



All that is necessary in the senate, is the influence of three or four 

 United States Senators. We only had two majority in the senate last 

 year, and there was renovated butter influence enough in the states of 

 Nebraska and Kansas to have taken that away from us. We could never 

 have done a thing without their support. With the new territory coming 

 in, Oklahoma, which will be oleomargarine, we are going to have a pretty 

 close shave. 



That is about all I have to say. I am willing to answer any questions 

 or give any further information you wish or any explanation necessary 

 regarding our attitude in this matter. 



