Rensselaer Republican, Volume 13, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 December 1880 — Oleomargarine. [ARTICLE]

Oleomargarine.

The manuftioture of tills greasy make-believe for butter has lately developed into almost colossal proportions. For several yeare it languished, popular taste and prejudice being proof against all the ingenious arguments which were directed to demonstrate the purity, cleanness and general great qualities of the compound. Why or how the present revival has occurred, we do not know, but It is evident that a good oleomargarine interest has established itself at Chicago, and that in some way popular favor has been secured for it. Whether this indicates a real change in the public mind, or w*hether it only means that the manufacturers have attained so much skill as to be able to deceive tho very elect, is not clear. It is open to our readers to suspect that the latter explanation is the true one; and in fact Chicago rejiorters have repeatedly assured us that it was scarcely possible to distinguish between the' real and the sham butter. Oleomargarine Is stud to lie made of the best suet and the ehuicest and purest fat when It is described by those who are interested in its manufacture, Whon prejudiced people undertake to describe it. they allege that It Is made from dead dog's and cats and rats, and every* imaginable oleaginous nastiness and refese. Tiie circumstance that the processes employed are such as to conceal tin* original character of tiie fatty matters used, no doubt encourages the enemies of the manufacture to imagine ali kinds of Impurity in it. At the same time it is impossible for the friends of oleomargarine to adduce satisfactory proof that the materials used are not objectionable. Of course oleomargarine is not butter, aud it is very doqbtfiil whether it is equally wholesome, even supposing the ugly stories about it to be libels. Whether it is less of au injury than a benefit that such a substitute for butter should be inflicted upon the average boardinghouse martyr, is a question demanding much study. Certainly it appears to be putting a tremendous weapon in the hands of the cheap restaurant and boarding-house keepers to invent such an article of food. In justice to the public if should not be allowed to l>e oncrtnl for sale unless its actual character Is plainly advertised. To sell it as butter is to commit fraud, and at this point the law ought to protect the public stomach.