ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 149 



In the first place, the oleomargarine manufacturer has got the 

 money to fight us. You know the Union secured a law and that 

 it was under the supervision of the Internal Revenue Depart- 

 ment. They are an overworked department today. The illegal 

 sales became so great that we applied to the Internal Revenue 

 officers to do something for us. We all know that at first the 

 tax on oleomargarine colored as butter there was a tax of two 

 cents, but that didn't last. We finally secured an amendment to 

 that of ten cents on colored oleomargarine and one-fourth of a 

 cent on the uncolored. In the city of Chicago the sales had reach- 

 ed to an immense amount. In there the wholesale sales shrank 

 281,000 pounds. In the city of Chicago a matter of 281,000 

 pounds less of butterine, to displace yours and my product of the 

 dairy, so you see the results are everything we wished for. 



The present season a modification of the present law has been 

 asked for. They want to reduce the ten cent tax to four cents, 

 or two cents. We have to fight it, for if they are successful in 

 getting this modification it will mean a repeal of our law, and we 

 are simply lost. The National Dairy Union is fighting this. We 

 have a man in Washington looking after it. We reach from one 

 end of the United States to teh other. There is not a state in the 

 Union but where we claim members, and it is so thoroughly organ- 

 ized, because we are strong enough to prevent them pushing any- 

 thing through the congress without our knowing it. They have 

 tried that, and it took just 30 clays to hear from the dairymen of 

 the country. We have got to prevent them from passing that 

 law. The only protection we have is the simple fact we are or- 

 ganized and good and strong. 



When you sell a pound of butter on your farm, you can think 

 you are selling the only product that is protected to you by law. 

 And I want to say to you, the National Dairy Union is the only 

 organization for the express purpose of furthering any one par- 

 ticular interest that has b een successful. The high prices 

 you are receiving this law has given you dairymen and it amounts 

 to millions of dollars a year. I don't have to ask you to pass any 



