191fi. 
THE RURAb NEW-YORKER 
CO -OPERATION; 
The Chance for New York Farmers. 
There are times in the affairs of a 
people just as in the affairs of individ¬ 
uals, when opportunity knocks at their 
doors. We believe the farm producers 
of the State of New York face such an 
opportunity now. The New York State 
Food Commission, a recent creation, is 
trying to solve the problem of the high 
cost of living to city people. A sub¬ 
committee has been investigating prices, 
markets and marketing in New York 
City. Housewives’ leagues, consumers’ 
leagues, and co-operative clubs and or¬ 
ganizations have sprung up all over the 
city; and all are demanding better facil¬ 
ities and greater economies in the dis¬ 
tribution of foods. Special committees 
are now studying the terminal facilities 
of the city, the expense of delivering 
from cars to consumptive centers, and 
the question of market facilities. The 
State Food Commission will undoubt¬ 
edly recommend a chain of retail mar¬ 
kets for the city where produce may be 
shipped direct from the farm, and where 
the city housewife can buy it, thus ex¬ 
cluding the costly and wasteful system 
now in use. Others are advocating a 
series of wholesale markets only, leav¬ 
ing the retail distribution to the small 
dealers as now but eliminating the job¬ 
bing and commission charges expenses 
now paid. 
It will be seen that this means an en¬ 
tirely new condition in the New Y'ork 
City market. These consumers, repre¬ 
sented largely by women, want cheaper 
food. They are insisting on full weights 
arid measures, they want fresh goods of 
uniform quality, and in convenient pack¬ 
ages. From the city they are demand¬ 
ing convenient markets. It will cost 
the city millions to provide them; but 
the markets must come. The city is 
using approximately $500,000,000 worth 
of food yearly. A 10 per cent saving 
means $50,000,000 annually. The logic 
of those figures is better transportation 
facilities in the city and markets. These 
women will empty the markets. The 
question for New York and nearby 
farmers is, who shall fill them? Let me 
tell you now you cannot fill them at a 
profit with the old methods of ship¬ 
ments. For these new markets these 
awakened consumers will demand fresh 
goods, of uniform quality and grade, 
packed in bulk to suit the conveniences 
of a city home. If you do not furnish 
the food to their liking, some one else 
will. Already Hood River apples are 
filling the markets at three cents each, 
while better apples grown in the Eastern 
States are rotting in bins and barrels 
with the culls and vermin of the crop. 
Neither can you wait and see what 
others will do, and then follow their 
lead. The producers who capture the 
trade of these new markets wifT"hold 
it. The opportunity is now. 
The Committee on Co-operation, rep¬ 
resenting both producers and consum¬ 
ers, is exerting its influence to further 
the city improvements; but it deems the 
producers’ part of the work as most im¬ 
portant. The consumers will find no 
trouble to fill the markets with distant 
products; but the market once lost, New 
York and adjacent farmers will have 
lost the advantage of their favorable 
location. The important thing is to 
establish standards and grades and to 
perfect organizations of farmers to 
guarantee the grades; and then when 
the new markets are ready, we will be 
in a position to supply the demand for 
the goods. It is all no easy task. It 
will not be accomplished in a day, a 
month or a year. It will take patience 
and perseverance and work; but with 
the right beginning it will pay its way 
from the start by securing for the 
producer his legitimate share of the 
proposed saving that now goes to the 
middlemen. The committee will have 
a sub-committee on standards, grades 
and packages, and desires to have sug¬ 
gestions from producers, shippers and 
consumers. We would also like to hear 
from officers of farmers' organizations 
who are not yet represented on the com¬ 
mittee, and samples of packages and 
cartons that have proved satisfactory 
will be especially welcomed. This work 
opens up great possibilities; and it is 
especially encouraging and gratifying 
to acknowledge the kindly interest man¬ 
ifested in the work, not only by the city 
consumers, but by men and women of 
large business interests and of national 
reputation. But the proposition is one 
largely for producers. These people 
begin to realize that the producers are 
being cheated as well as themselves. 
They are in sympathy with you. They 
will buy your goods if you bring the 
goods to them in proper shape and condi¬ 
tion, but they will not do it all. In the 
last analysis, if other producers bring 
them what they want as they want it, 
and you do not, the others will get the 
trade. The cooperative committee will 
welcome the suggestions and help of 
anyone interested, and will especially 
welcome the cooperation of farmers’ or¬ 
ganizations not yet registered. 
JOHN J. DILLON, 
____________ Chairman. 
LARGE PUBLIC QUESTIONS. 
[Editor’s Note. —Under this heading we intend to 
have discussed questions which particularly interest 
country people. We do not agree with all that our 
correspondents say, but we shall give men and women 
who possess the courage of conviction an opportunity to 
say what they think about certain things which interest 
country people]. 
THE SOUTH AND OLEOMARGARINE. 
The Southern Man’s Argument. 
Since you specially request that the 
South be heard from ou the oleo question, 
and why they take the side against butter, 
it is time to speak. The South looks on 
the oleo tax as an inquisition and class 
legislation with its sole object to enrich 
the Northern dairyman and butter trust, at 
the expense of the remainder of the nation, 
exactly and identically as in the duty on 
block tin, wool, steel, iron and other neces¬ 
sary commodities. The South can see no 
good reason why a composition of various 
greases and oils, etc., which is not un¬ 
wholesome, should pay a special tax in 
some cases and be exempt from it in others, 
and knows the only reason is to prevent 
certain mixtures from cutting into the 
profits of the dairying sections. Wherefore 
should compound lard, cottolene, hogless lard 
be sold without tax, and a similar com¬ 
pound but of somewhat different proportions 
be taxed, not because it is a mixture, but 
because it bears the name of “butterine,” 
a butter substitute? There appears no ra¬ 
tional reason for imposing an excessive tax 
on a compound of fats and greases simply 
when it is colored to match another greasy 
substance produced from-the milk of cattle, 
which substance is also masquerading under 
“false colors” 95 out of 10O cases, as it 
must he of uniform color and to get this, 
that color must be artificial. If one greasy 
mixture pays a tax for putting on an arti¬ 
ficial color, the other should do likewise. 
As we see the tax on oleo and the oppo¬ 
sition to parcels post, “they all look alike 
to ns.” only the dairy and butter trust 
is fighting to perpetuate one and the ex¬ 
press companies the other, and if the dairy- 
man will write his views on the express 
situation opposed to parcels post, and then 
substitute the word “butter” for “express” 
and “oleo” for “parcels post” he will have 
an excellent idea of some of the reasons 
the South opposes oleo legislation for. 
Many persons cannot afford the regular use 
of butter at prevailing prices, but could 
afford butterine if it was untaxed, and it 
is the depriving these people of a substi¬ 
tute for a luxury, for butter is not a neces¬ 
sity, and a good healthy article of diet, 
that largely helps to create opposition to 
the tax on oleo. “Protection” is heresy 
in the South, aud if an industry cannot 
stand on its own merits, let it die as it 
deserves and a fitter successor will take its 
place. If the butter trust cannot fight its 
battles alone without the protection of the 
government, let it go down in defeat. The 
people always have been able to procure 
good butter when they had the price, long 
before the Elgin Board was thought of, and 
will long after it is forgotten. I presume 
I have eaten plenty of butterine branded 
“butter,” but to my knowledge have never 
bought the “butterine,” as so far I have 
managed to beg, borrow or steal the price 
of the small amount of butter used, but 
when it went to over 40 cents, cut it out 
just as many others did, on principle. 
Alabama. marsena a. darker. 
Reply by Geo. M. Whittaker. 
Mr. Parker, on being asked the reason for 
the attitude of the South regarding the 
oleomargarine question, gives only one spe¬ 
cific cause. He claims that “the sole ob¬ 
ject” of the law is “to enrich the northern 
dairyman and butter trust.” That there is 
any “butter trust” we deny. We also deny 
that the law can benefit exclusively the 
Northern dairymen. If the “sole object” 
of the law is to help dairymen. Southern 
dairymen as well as Northern will share in 
the benefit. If “certain mixtures cut into 
the profits of dairying” that cut is not sec¬ 
tional hut injures South ns well as North. 
If this is Mr. Parker’s only specific reason 
for the attitude of the South it is a reason 
without any foundation in fact. Much 
thought, effort and money are being ex¬ 
pended to develop dairying in the South. 
All Southern agricultural leaders are in¬ 
terested in and helping on the movement. 
Great progress is being made. This move¬ 
ment needs encouragement. Mr. Parker 
raises a number of general points which 
have no particular sectional application. A 
friend of oleomargarine in Maine or Oregon 
could raise them as well as one in Alabama. 
1. “Why should a wholesome mixture be 
taxed in some eases and not in others?” 
Because cottolene, hogless lard, etc., are 
advertised honestly and sold on their merits. 
Oleomargarine when colored to counterfeit 
butter is frequently advertised dishonestly, 
and in many cases is sold dishonestly, to 
the injury of consumers and dairymen both 
South and North. The tax is on the frand, 
not on an honest substitute. 
2. “Many people cannot afford butter, but 
could afford oleomargarine, if it were un¬ 
taxed.” Ninety-seven percentage of last 
year’s output of oleomargarine was prac¬ 
tically untaxed, so that this point raised by 
Mr. Parker fails to the ground. 
3. “Butter masquerades under false col¬ 
ors in 95 out of 100 cases. If one greasy 
mixture pays a tax for putting on an arti¬ 
ficial color the other should do likewise.” 
Butter, which is not a “mixture,” never 
masquerades under false colors and never 
puts on an artificial color. The natural 
color of butter is yellow. It is sometimes 
colored butter color to intensify or empha¬ 
size its natural color, but it is never given 
an artificial color. Even this adding of col¬ 
oring matter is not done as often as Mr. 
Parker states. The motive in coloring 
oleomargarine is the motive of a counter¬ 
feiter—the intention to make it simulate 
something which it is not. 
“If an industry cannot stand on its own 
merits let it die as it deserves.” This is 
a sentiment to which dairymen can sub¬ 
scribe. Let oleomargarine in its natural 
color, stand on its merits as a cheap, whole¬ 
some, honest substitute for butter, not as 
a fraud and a counterfeit. Butter asks for 
no protection when the deal is a square 
one, when it is not handicapped by the 
competition of a counterfeit. 
GEO. M. WHITAKER. 
Sec. National Dairy Union. 
Politics or Business 
Calling on a lawyer friend in a large 
city a few years ago I found him about 
starting for a State convention. As he had 
previously told me that he was out of poli¬ 
tics forever, I expressed my surprise. “I 
am out of politics,” was his answer, “but 
I am not out of business.” He was at¬ 
torney for a railroad, and his business at 
the convention was to look after the inter¬ 
ests of his client. I presume we are most 
of us out of politics, so far as politics 
means a scramble for offices, but we ought 
all to be distinctly in politics when it comes 
to a question of the way our representatives 
transact our business. The congressional 
district in which I live is satisfactorily rep¬ 
resented, but I think the farmers in most 
districts will do well to ponder the follow¬ 
ing extract from a Canadian dispatch : 
“Both political parties are combining to 
elect an independent representative to the 
Dominion Commons for the Kootenay dis¬ 
trict, with the sole instruction that he re¬ 
main independent until such time as the 
lumbermen are satisfied that their interests 
are carried out.” 
Those Canadians have the right idea. 
They are going to forget whether they are 
“Grits” or “Tories” and they are going to 
find a representative gifted with the same 
lapse of memory, just long enough to get 
their interests taken care of; then he can 
blindly follow Lanrier or Borden, or what¬ 
ever leader he may choose. This is some¬ 
what in line with the idea of an agricul¬ 
tural party often suggested by The R. N.-Y. 
Probably an agrarian party, such as exists 
in Germany, is not desirable here—or there, 
for that matter—aud perhaps it would be 
hard to organize one if we wanted it. But 
it does seem as if American farmers should 
be able to take care of themselves as well 
as the Canadian lumbermen do it. If we 
want an effective parcels post law, or oieo 
law. wo should begin right now to see that 
those Congressmen who are not with us 
get into line or else take steps to replace 
them with men who will properly represent 
ns. h. a. s. 
Niagara County, N. Y. 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK. 
DOMESTIC.—Seven lives have been lost 
and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth 
of property has been destroyed as a result 
of the earliest forest fires in the history 
of Oregon and Washington. Scores of 
families are homeless in Skagit county, 
Washington. May 15 bodies of three men 
were found in the main Dempsey logging 
camp and the bodies of four others are 
known to bo in the ruins. The men gave 
up their lives in an effort to save the 
property of their employers, remaining be¬ 
hind while others fled. 
A verdict for $7,500 was awarded Walter 
B. Hough in the New York Supreme Court 
May 17 against Edward T. Rosenheimer 
for the death of his daughter, Grace Hough, 
who was killed by being thrown out of a 
runabout when the defendant's automobile 
struck the latter vehicle. Mr. Hough sued 
for $25,000. Rosenheimer was tried for the 
killing of Grace Hough and was acquitted. 
Counsel for Rosenheimer moved to set aside 
the verdict as excessive, and Justice Gerard 
reserved decision. 
State’s Attorney Dedman of Kentucky 
filed suits May 17 against the International 
Harvester Company in four counties, com¬ 
prising the 18th Judicial District, alleging 
that the company operated in these counties 
in violation of the Kentucky anti-trust law. 
Five thousand dollars and costs are asked 
in each case. 
Many more exhibits—correspondence 
among manufacturers and jobbers that 
shows, according to the government, that 
they conspired against five and 10 cent 
stores to shut off supplies of wall paper— 
were introduced May 16 jn the trial at 
Cleveland, O., of eight representatives of 
concerns in that trade who are charged 
with violating the Sherman anti-trust law. 
Louis Paul, of Wheeling, testified that he 
could not get wall paper for his five and 
10 cent stores in that place and Cleveland, 
and as a result his Cleveland store had 
gone out of business. He had no trouble, 
he said, in getting all the wall paper he 
wanted for another all-priced store in which 
he was interested. Charles F. Newberry, of 
New York, secretary of a company which 
operates a string of five and 10 cent stores, 
testified that his company was repeatedly 
refused paper by the manufacturers. 
Fire which started early May 19 in the 
Stowers’ Furniture Building, Main and 
Capitol streets, Houston, Tex., demolished 
that structure, and caused damage approx¬ 
imating $400,000 in the business district. 
The Federal Government made a new 
move May 18 in its effort to enforce the 
Sherman law. It began an action against 
Hermann Sielcken and seven other defend¬ 
ants for a receiver for 950.000 bags of 
coffee, “more or less,” now stored in the 
South Brooklyn warehouses of the New 
York Dock Company. The defendants in¬ 
sist and the Government admits that this 
coffee belongs to the Brazilian State of 
Sao Paulo and this, Mr. Sielcken asserts, 
is apt to give the suit an international 
aspect. The suit is designed to break up 
the coffee valorization scheme into which 
the Government of Brazil and a number 
of American and foreign bankers entered 
six years ago. 
Sympathy for the mine mules has caused 
75 men of the Morgan Run colliery near 
Coshocton, O., to go on strike. The men 
said they do not think the mules receive 
proper treatment and they will remain on 
strike until assured the mules will be 
treated humanely. 
In a terrific electrical storm lightning 
struck the Corning Mill of the E. I. DuPont 
de Nemours Powder Company, in Schaghti- 
coke, N. Y., May 21. The mill was wrecked 
and every pane of glass on the main street 
of the village was broken. No one was 
injured. The loss is estimated at $20,000. 
Serious charges are being brought against 
ee? 
judges in the General Sessions Court of 
New York, it being proven that many con¬ 
fessed criminals are let go on suspended 
sentence, while others are released against 
the weight of evidence. The work of the 
police is nullified, and proper protection 
to citizens is not given. Political influence 
is alleged, a majority of the judges being 
affiliated with the Tammany party. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—American ambas¬ 
sadors in Europe, by direction of the State 
Department, have undertaken an investiga¬ 
tion of farm finance to make recommenda- 
tjons which shall be the basis of legisla¬ 
tion to facilitate the raising of money by 
American farmers and eliminate high in¬ 
terest charges. President Taft, it is said, 
is prepared to recommend to Congress some 
proposed legislation as the result of this 
investigation. It may be framed after the 
French Credit Foncier, which loans money 
to farmers at a staple rate of interest 
and issues bonds for the loans. The insti¬ 
tution is under government supervision. The 
German Landschaften system also is under 
observation. The American farmer is said 
to pay from six to 10 per cent interest, 
while the French farmer averages 4.3 per 
cent. 
What is recognized as one of the most 
serious problems with which the Essex 
County, N. J., Park Commission has to cope 
is the same one that has given State For¬ 
ester Alfred Gaskill and all New Jersey trae 
experts serious .concern for the last five 
years. It is the chestnut blight, which, 
while the scientists have cast about in vain 
for a method to combat it, has within an in¬ 
credibly sort time destroyed the greater 
part of the chestnut trees in Essex county. 
Reports are that Hudson, Bergen, and Mor¬ 
ris counties are no better off than Essex, 
and that Sussex county, where there was 
a bountiful crop of nuts last year will soon 
be among the denuded districts. Salem and 
Cape May counties are the only two that 
have thus far escaped the ravages of the 
pest. The total damage already done and 
practically certain to follow, in view of the 
helplessness of the tree doctors, has been 
estimated at $5,000,000 in the State. It 
will not be long before every chestnut tree 
in the State will have been killed by the 
blight unless some better means than chop¬ 
ping down the affected ones is discovered. 
The shearing of the flock of Central Park- 
sheep was begun May 20 at the sheepfold 
by two Scotch immigrants, who were found 
after considerable searching about for an ex¬ 
pert shearer. There seems to he a dearth of 
sheepmen among men in the city out of em- 
polyment. Head Keeper Snyder spent sev¬ 
eral days in calling up employment agen¬ 
cies for a professional shearer. It was 
through a visitor that he heard of the two 
men who recently arrived from Scotland. 
They knew the business and were glad to 
get the job, although it will not last long. 
MEAT INSPECTION.—-The preliminary 
inquiry of the House committee into the 
wholesale charges brought against the meat 
inspection service of the Department of 
Agriculture was closed by the Moss com¬ 
mittee May 15, following the testimony of 
Dr. John V. Laddey, of Newark, the third 
of the witnesses offered by Representative 
Nelson. Dr. Laddey, a former veterinary 
inspector at New York and Newark abat¬ 
toirs, testified he left the service last De¬ 
cember because his hands were tied by his 
superiors, and he was unable to bring about 
satisfactory sanitary conditions in slaught¬ 
ering and packing establishments. Portions 
of his testimony relating to alleged condi¬ 
tions in the slaughter houses were unprint¬ 
able. Inspectors were given to understand 
they must be lenient with the packers, said 
Dr. Laddey. Dr. Laddey read into the rec¬ 
ord correspondence* with his superior officers 
regarding his views on inspection and also 
a letter of resignation, which he sent 
Secretary Wilson last December. In this 
communication ho included a bill of speci¬ 
fications of alleged violations of the law, in 
consequence of which he said he must quit 
the service. Solicitor McCabe, of the De¬ 
partment of Agriculture, was not permitted 
to insert in the record certain letters bear¬ 
ing upon the alleged incompeteucy of J. 
W. Burroughs to testify. Mr. Burroughs, 
also a former inspector, preceded Dr. Lad¬ 
dey on the witness stand, and the solicitor 
attempted to show that he had been dis¬ 
missed from the department “for borrowing 
money from packers.” May 20 Dr. J. F. 
Harms of Tremont, O., a former inspector, 
detailed shocking conditions (in packing 
houses at East St. Louis. His testimony 
was confirmatory of the previous testimony 
of Mrs. Crane, Dr. Laddey aud Mr. Bur¬ 
roughs ; some of it was stricken out as un¬ 
printable. He made charges of falsehood 
against Solicitor McCabe and Chief MeJ- 
vin of the Bureau of Animal Industry. 
WASHINGTON.—After long debate the 
House May 21 by a vote of 100 to 90 
adopted the Doremus amendment to the 
Panama Canal hill providing that ships en¬ 
gaged in the coastwise trade of the United 
States shall not pay tolls for the use of 
the canal. While the Interstate and For¬ 
eign Committee was defeated in its deter¬ 
mination to prevent preferential tolls for 
American owned vessels, it succeeded in re¬ 
taining a substitute for section 11, which 
closes the canal to all vessels owned or 
dominated by railroads. This section also 
amends the interstate commerce act by a 
radical provision that no railroad subject 
to the interstate commerce laws shall be 
permitted to hold stock, directly or indi¬ 
rectly, in a competing steamship line. Rep¬ 
resentative Malby. of New York, tried to 
amend this section so as to limit its opera¬ 
tion only to the Panama Canal. Mr. Malby’s 
amendment was lost on a viva voce vote 
and the committee plan was put through. 
Three members of the executive commit¬ 
tee of the United States Steamboat Inspec¬ 
tion Service conferred with the Secretary 
of Commerce and Labor May 21 relative 
to changes in the rules and regulations 
governing ocean-going steamers in respect 
to carrying ample lifeboat protection. Act¬ 
ing under the authority of Section 4488 the 
committee promulgated new rules on May 
1. requiring all steamships plying the ocean 
to carry lifeboats sufficient to accommo¬ 
date every passenger and member of the 
crew. Before then the number of lifeboats 
was based ou the tonnage rather than the 
number of persons carried. The operation 
of the new rules and steps to compel their 
enforcement were discussed at the confer¬ 
ence May 21. 
