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Oregon Measure Nos. 304-305, Oleomargarine Regulation Referendum (1920)
| Oregon Measure Nos. 304-305 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Business regulations and Food and beverage taxes |
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| Status |
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| Type Veto referendum |
Origin |
Oregon Measure Nos. 304-305 was on the ballot as a veto referendum in Oregon on November 2, 1920. It was defeated.
A "yes" vote supported upholding the contested legislation, which was designed to regulate the manufacturing and sale of oleomargarine and butter substitutes, establish manufacturer and distributor license fees, and provide penalties for fraud and deception in oleomargarine sales. |
A "no" vote opposed upholding the contested legislation, which was designed to regulate the manufacturing and sale of oleomargarine and butter substitutes, establish manufacturer and distributor license fees, and provide penalties for fraud and deception in oleomargarine sales. |
Overview
Measure Nos. 304-305 was defeated, resulting in the contested legislation, Senate Bill 236 (SB 236), being repealed. SB 236 sought to prohibit oleomargarine from being sold with the label butter, required people to obtain a license to manufacture or sell oleomargarine, and fined people for violating the law.[1]
The Oregon Daily Journal wrote that the purpose of SB 236 was "to drive [oleomargarine] out of competition with cow's butter." The newspaper continued, "Friends of the measure argued during its consideration by the legislature that the sale of oleomargarine in the markets of the state in competition with butter was providing disastrous to the dairymen of the state who were facing abnormal conditions as to operation and maintenance of their herds and cost of production generally." "Its opponents contended that that oleomargarine as manufactured and sold in Oregon was composed of healthful and wholesome materials, was a legitimate article of food which should not be driven from the tables of those who cared, for reasons of economy or otherwise, to use it and that the manufacturers of it, as well as the makers of butter, were representative of a growing and important industry backed by considerable investments which should be encouraged rather than rebuked," wrote the newspaper.[2]
The Capital Journal wrote, "The bill is camouflaged as one in the interest of the dairy farmer—but in reality it is in the interest of the butter trust and foreign manufacturer and against the consumer. ... In addition it unnecessarily raises the high cost of living by barring a food product."[3]
Election results
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Oregon Measure Nos. 304-305 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 67,101 | 36.03% | ||
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119,126 | 63.97% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Measure Nos. 304-305 was as follows:
| “ | Referred Bill - Referendum Ordered by Petition of the People Referred by Associated Industries of Oregon, offices 607 Oregon Building, Portland, Oregon; H. C. Huntington, President; H. T. Frank, First Vice-President; C. J. Ball, Vice-President; R. B. Bain, Jr., Secretary; all of Portland. - OLEOMARGARINE BILL - Purpose: To regulate and license the manufacture and sale of oleomargarine, nut margarine, butterine, renovated butter, process butter or any butter substitute, and to provide license fees to he paid by manufacturers, wholesale dealers and proprietors of hotels, restaurants, dining rooms and boarding houses; to prevent and punish fraud and deception in such manufacture and sale as an imitation of butter, and to prescribe penalties and punishment for violations of this act and means and methods of procedure for its enforcement. --- Vote YES or NO. | ” |
Full Text
The full text of this measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
The number of signatures required for a veto referendum was equal to 5% of the total votes cast in the last Supreme Court justice election.
See also
External links
Footnotes
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State of Oregon Salem (capital) |
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