New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-06
Foes of Food
Bill in Senate
Admit Defeat
Passage Within Three Days
of Conference Report
Predicted
Hoover Faces Attack
Reed Will Fire Broadside at
Administrator To-
day
Hoover Faces Attack
Hymn The Tribune Bureau

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5.-The con-
,.,sDee report on the food control bill
iii mass the Senate unchanged within
.hs,next three days at the outside &C
.,a;nv TO the prediction of Senators
.,..slv in touch with the situation. 1t
!, expected that Senator Reed, Of Mis-
.,r,i will take IN good deal of time
.r,in tomorrow, probably supplement
-, his two-hour speech of Saturday
9TH a personal attack on Herbert c.
Hoover.
T, Is said that Senator Reed has man.
tested the greatest industry during
,ss time the food bill was in conference
!, gathering material bearing on Mr.
uoover's career. The Missouri Senator
ala mot use this material Saturday, but
!, is not thought he will permit vote
=, ,he measure until he has had his
say in this connection. Although there
~, been some talk of invoking the
modified cloture to shut off Senator
Reed. If his remarks become too pro-
.,sctsd. there is small likelihood that
this will be necessary. ;,
Senator Reeds opposition to the food
h;ll now is only formal. he has talked
volumes on the measure already, and II
l. heyond even his powers Of glibness
end lung capacity to last longer than
,o.morrow in maintaining an effective
blorkade of the bill. Moreover, SEN
stor Reed is too good a politician not
IN see that he is beaten. 1t is only
oysstion of a day or two of delay now,
and this will not add to the zest of his
opposition.
May Gain Some Support
To be sure, he may gain some small
spnport from Senators Hardwick, of
Georgia, who is opposed to the sweep
ing grant Of powers carried in the bill;
Hollis, of New Hampshire, who con-
tends that the measure repeats sec
lions Of the Clayton antitrust act and
is a threat to labor, and Gronna, OF
North Dakota, who maintains That one
Of the amendments written into the
bill in conference permits unrestricted
food gambling by produce exchanges
and boards of trade. Senator Gronna
has already served notice that he will
make a point Of order against this lat
ter provision of the bill under the IL
censing section on the ground that 1t
is new legislation inserted in confer
enee.
But even with a measurably vigor-
Gus opposition from these Senators
and from Senator'S Penrose, of Penn
sylvania; Sutherland, of Utah; Sher-
man, Of Illinois, and France, of Mary
land. all Of whom voted against the
bill when il passed the Senate by the
overwhelming majority Of 81 10 6, the
chance Of a further protracted delay
in its passage is at minimum.
The two features of the bill which
promised to give trouble in obtaining
adoption of the conference report
were the two Senate amendments, one
providing for board of three, instead
Of a single food administrator, and the
other the Weeks proposal for a JOINT
Congressional committee to supervise
the expenditure of war appropriations.
Senate to Reverse Itself
The President has taken such an un--
compromising blti4lN ~. SA4N 4A'N.AA
control that there is little doubt that
the Senate will repeal its vote of 90 TO
% in favor of the food board admin
istration. The board of three pro-
possl submitted by Senator Gore re-
eeived the strong approval Of the Sen
ate before. because many Democratic
regulars thought the President would
accept such a change in the measure
without strong objection. This err
roneous report was carried to the Sem
ate, it is competently stated, by.
Cabinet officer whose chief avocation
in Washington is teaching Congress
how 10 legislate. If there is sepa-
rate vote on this feature of the bill, as
seems practically assured, there VIII
be a marked shift in the vote, 1t Is
predicted.
Regarding the weeks plan for a
Joint Congressional committee on the
conduct OF the war, the other amend
msnt in contention, the Massachusetts
Senator has said he will do nothing
more than to ask for a record vote on
his amendment. He has no intention OF
delaying the bill by precipitating a
fight for its adoption as part Of the
food bill. He will, however, he states,
reintroduce the proposal as an amend
ment 70 the revenue bill and TO every
succeeding war measure.