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Show The Ten Cent Oleomargarine Tax Why did th Conirro ul tlie (lulled State enact the present oleo-mararlne oleo-mararlne law which provide for an Internal revenue tax of ten cent per pound on artificially colored luomarffarlnef Wat it to permit the butter producer of the country to oxact a high price for butter at lint been claimed? To make tuch a claim it a pretty teriout indictment of our federal law making body. Of u luree butter it higher In price than I.- v. a ten yetra ago but to are other neciuuiltle of life. The percentage of oleomargatlnt now being put up--i the market beart a higher ratio I the amount of butter consumed , t ian it did tan yean ago. Thii c upled with the fact thai less than t iree per cent of the oleomargarine k .M U taxud at ton ceuU per pound n-ovet that the oleomargarine law h n alieoluUly nothing to do with (he price of butter. I'otigres enacted thlt law to pre- ent fraud In the tale of oleomar garine TI.e law was never Intended to prevent the honest sale f nleii- I margarine nr to enhance the Interests Inter-ests of the bnlti-r producer of Hie' cinintry, tuit rather to protect the one against fraud In the purchase of butter or oleomargarine and the other against fraiiduleiil competition competi-tion Congruss Intended to compel the ale of oleomargarine in lu natural color (which It white or nearly no) instead of In the natural eolor of bullrr iwhich Is yellow. I Congress at the Biune time reduced the former tax of two cents per pound on oleomargarine oleo-margarine to one-fourth of a cent per pound when the product In nt artificially colored to look like butter. Congress lined lie taxing power t'i prevent fraud in the sale of oleomargarine oleo-margarine becauxe It had no other ITcctlvo iiieaim of accompi ng thnt result. When oleomargarine U put upon theinnrket In It natural color, thin making It ImpoMlble to commit fraud, the tax U one and three-fourth lot per pound than any proviout oleomargarine law. The butter producert of tha country coun-try aro benefitted by oleomargarine legislation only In o far a the Integrity In-tegrity of the dairy industry I sua-talned sua-talned a benefit which I shared by every other clllsen. It I a moat Important branch of agriculture and it I quite a essential to prevent the destruction of an agricultural Industry In-dustry by fraud a it I to prevent the destruction of our banking industry in-dustry or any of theotherluduntrles In which every good citizen in Interested. |
