The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1917-07-07
'SENATESAVES
!, BEER And WINE
BY 52-34 VOTE
FOrbids, However, Use as
Beverage of Whiskey
Now in Bond.
KILLS "BONE DRY" PLAN
Radical Action Likely to Re-
suit in Adoption Of Cham
berlain Amendment.
KILLS "BONE DRY" PLAN

| WASHINGTON, July 6.-At the close OF
daS of turbulent debate. and after
voting SO to "a against the so-called
bone dry" amendment, the Senate to-
night recessed until tomorrow in the
midst of the prohibition fight on the food
control bill
, Defeat of the bone dry proposal in
sures that legislation prohibiting manu-
facture of intoxicants will be limited to
distilled beverages Whether consump-
Zion. as well as manufacture, of distilled
spirits shall cease during the war, new
element injected into the contest at the
eleventh hour completely disrupted the
! leaders well laid plans and caused the
recess for conferences on a compromise.
After roll calls showing a considerable
majority, against stopping manufacture
of beer and wines or giving the Presi-
dent power to suspend their manufac-
ture the Senate voted to prohibit the
importation of distilled beverages, and
then by vote of 45 to 40 tentatively
adopted provision prohibiting with
drawal of distilled spirits now held in
bond for beverage purposes.
Substitute OHered.
The question before the Senate was
the substitution of an amendment to
the pending food bill prepared by Sena-
tor Robinson OF Arkansas, framed to
take the place Of the committee amend
ment which provides for the forced dis.
continuance OF the use OF foods, food
| 1l 81 In ha mn n r. = re
Of distilled spirituous liquors and leaves
to the judgment of the President the
stopping of the use of such materials OF
malt or spirituous liquors. The Robin
son amendment read as follows:
! SECTION IL. That from and after thirty
days from the date Of approval OF this
act no person shall use any food. fruits.
food materials or feeds in the production
OF distilled liquors or spirits. except for
governmental, Industrial manufacturing,
4 scientific or medicinal purposes.
! ANY person who wilfully violates this
section shall upon conviction thereof be
punished by fine of not exceeding
$1,000 or by imprisonment for not more
than two years or both"
To this amendment Senator Myers,
Montana offered an amendment provid-
ing that malt and vinous liquors should
be included in this legislative ban. This
precipitated the test of strength on the
bone dry question. For three hours the
debate was earnest and intense. Then
came the test vote, and the Myers amend~
ment was defeated by a vote Of 81 to 81
as follows:
Ayes-Ashurst, Beckham. Gore.
Johnson IS, DA- Kendrick, McKellar,
Myers, Shafroth Shields, Thompson,
Trammell. Vardaman and Wolcott.
Democrats Borah, Brady, Cummins,
Curtis. Dillingham;. Fernald. Gronna'
Hale, Jones (Washington). Kellogg,
Kenyon, McCumber. Nelson, Norris,
Page, Poindexter, Sherman, Smith
(MIchigan), Smoot, Sterling and Town
send. Republieans-34
Noes-Bankhead. Broussard, Cham
berlain, Culberson, Fletcher, Gerry.
!. Hitchcock. Hollis, Husting. James,
Jones (New Mexico), King, Lewis,
McNary. Martin, Newlands, Overman'
Owen. Phelan, Pittman Pomerene'
!. Ransdeu Read. Robinson, Sheppard,
CMaryland), Smith (South Carolina),
stone. Swanson. Thomas, Tillman.
. Underwood, Walsh aud Williams,
Democrats Brandegee. Calder, Colt,
France, Frelinshuysen Harding, john
son California;. Knox, La Toilette,
4. Lodge, Mclean, New, Penrose, Wads-
worth, Warren and Watson, Repub-
licans-52.
Radicals Not satisfied.
But this did not serve TO settle tht
question. The prohibition radicals were
moi satisfied that the prohibition of th'
, Manufacture of spirits for the war perioC
: would suffice. Senator Cummins intro
= duced an amendment similar to on'
which the Senate had favorably consid
cred earlier in the debate, under thu
: terms of which the coup de grace wal
} given John Barleycorn.
The Cummins amendment was framed
to administer a complete knockout t
whiskey and kindred products. Its ef
l feet would be TO shut on the 220, ,0O0, ,00I
gallons of spirits now stored from sal
, in this country after the law went int,
} effect, removing thereby the necessity o
communicating this supply by the GOV
ernment In order to stop whiskey drink
ing and also shutting off the supply from
foreign countries
The Cummins amendment read: "NC
: distilled liquors or spirits now in bone
/ In the United States shall during tn
! existing war be withdrawn to be useC
: as a beverage. Nor shall there be i'm
ported into the United States during th'
: said war any distilled liquors"
i, on motion OF Senator James OF Ken
. lucky opportunity was afforded the Sen
/ ate to vote first on the provisions o
4 the amendment torbidding the RELEASE
) OF alcoholic beverages from bond. Thi
I the Senate voted to do, As to 40. TheI
D the Senate voted to prohibit the i'm
portation OF any distilled spirits from
: abroad by 6S to 10,
z The only way that supply of-whis
r key could be made available for retail
: purposes II this action stands would b
7, for the wholesalers to buy II out o
e bond before the law is passed, There /
hi nothing to forbid its sale once II l
h taken out of bond.
4 1t was in this action that the pro
r ponents Of bone dry nation seem
O lngly overreached themselves Their &C
ton in practically voting to nullify tn
: internal revenue law by voting approx
A mately s300.000,000 Of revenue out Q
/ the prospective receipts OF the Treas
4 ury, as we'll as voting to destroy 70
. a time at least the entire property valu
Of the liquors now held In bond in tn
United states. estimated at more tina
a billion Of dollars. started q backfire.