Time capsule looks back at the Oleo War

The Oleo War, with battle lines first drawn in the 1880s, intensified in the 1940s and finally fizzled out in the late 1950s. This war has been largely forgotten. There are no monuments in our city parks, no holiday to commemorate the beginning or end, no decorated heroes. But the fighting went on for decades in grocery stores and Congress and state legislatures, and there was no love lost between opponents. The following article from our front page of April 9, 1953, was printed during the latter days of the war in Iowa, a state that was among the last battlegrounds.

It is feared by many Iowa politicians that the oleo-butter controversy may have an effect on both the primary and general elections if the matter is not soon settled. The second oleo compromise committee met for a hurried session on March 31 to avoid having an April Fool’s Day meeting. Both the house and senate, as the session gets into its final weeks, are becoming more acutely aware that if the butter-oleo controversy isn’t settled they’ll face a big campaign battle in the next elections. There’s no fooling about that.

The wrangle of this session got underway on Feb 10, officially, but in the first January days of the session it was the chief topic of conversation. The house and senate haven’t been able to agree since then. A compromise committee, after three weeks of deliberation, asked to be dissolved and requested that a new one appointed. Legislators were hopeful this new committee might come up with the answer to the hot issue. But indications are now that this committee may have to be dissolved in favor of a third group.

So what was the big fight about? Well, in 1869 a French scientist made a butter substitute called oleo-margarine. The stuff tasted something like butter, but was cheaper and kept better. By the mid-1880s there were about 40 margarine plants in the U.S., a fact of great concern to dairy farmers. Congress took sides and levied a stiff federal tax on oleo. When people bought it anyway lawmakers went further, enacting a law that allowed only the sale of white margarine—no butter look-alikes allowed. People still bought it, so taxes were increased again. Laws were actually enacted to restrict the movement of margarine across state lines. Consumers persisted, particularly during World War II when dairy products were strictly rationed.

Congress fought to suppress the evils of margarine for more than fifty years, then gave up and let the free market take over. When the feds backed out in 1951, states were left to carry on the war if they wished. In most states margarine soon became yellow and less expensive, but in Wisconsin and Iowa and other dairy strongholds the war ground on. Wisconsin considered a bill that would have discouraged the use of margarine by forcing it to be colored either pink or brown, while Iowa held out for white margarine only.

But eventually even Iowa and Wisconsin gave in, and the public was free to clog their arteries with the spread of their choice.

Roy Marshall is a local historian. E-mail him at news@redoakexpress.com.