The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-12-15
DOMAIN OF TEMPERANCE
SPECIAL SESSION or CONGRESS
MADE GREAT PROGRESS IN
TEMPERANCE LEGISLATION.

In the special session of Congress
which closed recently, tremendous
was made in temperance leg
islation, as will be shown by the re-
sumo which follows, as prepared by
e. C.. Dinwiddie.
Between seventy-five and eighty
separate bills and resolutions were
introduced, which in whole or in part
or by amendment related to the pro-
hibition of liquors A few of these
have passed and the balance are on
the calendar to be pressed in the
present session.
4. Prohibition Of Foodstuffs In the
Production Of Distilled Spirits
for Beverage Purposes.
The Food Control Bill, III. r. 1861,
section Is, prohibits the use Of foods,
food materials, fruit or seeds in the
production of distilled spirits for bev-
erage purposes, and section 16 author
izes>t the President to commander dis
titled spirits for governmental use.
2. Prohibition for the United States
Navy.
III. r. 1852, which passed and was
approved by the President on Octo-
Der 6, extends the provisions of the
selective draft act for the army so
that the word army" shall extend to
and include Navy" and that all pro-
hibitions regarding military places
shall include naval, etc. This upholds
the ruling of the navy department,
based upon the opinion of the Attor-
ney General, in that respect.
8. Post Exchange and Recreation
Rooms for the Men.
The Urgent Deficiency Bill for the
year ending 1918 carries an additional
appropriation of $250,000 for equipping
amusement, recreation and lunch
rooms for the men and including pic
ture films.
4. Liquor Provisions in the War
| Revenue Bill.
The War Revenue Bill provided for
increases in tax, as you already know
section 301 prohibits the importation
of distilled spirits into the United
| States from any foreign country, OF
| from the West India Islands, except
from products of the growth of the
latter islands, and not then into any
state or territory or district of the
United States in which the manufac
ture or sale of intoxicating liquor is
prohibited; and prohibits the importa
ton from Porto Rico or the Philippine
| Islands. The provision which forbids
the Importation from the Danish
West Indies into dry states in this
country was prepared by Superintend
ent Dinwiddie and incorporated at his
request in order to protect our dry
| states.
Section lilo of the War Revenue
bone dry and anti-advertising law OF
the last session. Senator Broussard
introduced the amendment to provide
that the said section should not apply
to ethyl alcohol for governmental
scientific, medicinal, mechanical, man
the time the anti-advertising and bone
dry law was before Congress, ou1
forces would have agreed to a provi
sion along the lines Of Senator Brous
| sard's amendment, but we naturally
| did not offer it in the Senate and the
/ 0nthnr. OF ovid 81
until it reached the House. We could
not consent to it in the House as any
change in the bill would have leopard.
lied it's final passage. Since the law
was opened up for amendment by
Senator Broussard, Mr.. Dinwiddie col
laborated with Senator Ransdell, a
prominent Catholic layman, and the
''other side" evidently overcame the
objections on the part of some
churches and this also was included
in section lilo and provides that:
"Nor shall said section be held to
prohibit the use of the mails by regu-
larly ordained ministers of religion, or
by officers Of regularly established
churches, for ordering wines for sac
ramental uses, or by manufacturers
and dealers for quoting and billing
such wines for such purposes only
IS. National Constitutional Prohibition
Amendment.
You have already been advised of
the passage of this resolution by the
Senate hV a vote 0f az I'm % T in
clude it now simply to make this
statement complete.
The decision by Congress in the
early days of the special session to
consider only measures which related
to the war prevented the considera-
tion of some of the other bills, on the
calendar, but we feel that in special
emergency session our cause on the
whole Jared very well and our friends