South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-05-12

WASHINGTON, May I1.-Sen-
sational charges that a lobby of
food gamblers, some of the men of
immense wealth" already is at work
in Washington seeking to defeat the
administration food control bills,
were made Friday night in a formal
statement by Asst. Sec'y VrOOman
Of the department of agriculture.
allies of the kaiser-unpatriot
and dislOyal-who should be made
to feel the loathing and contempt
of every patriotic American" are
some Of the Characterization APP
piled by Mr.. Vrooman TO food
spectators, food cornerers and food
gamblers" who he promised, will in
time be touched by appropriate leg
islation.
Vrooman's Statement.
Sec'y VrOoman's statement fol-
lows:
Never in the history of the world
have business men shown as much
patriotism and unseIfishness as have
been manifested since the war began
by the business men of America.
An overwhelming majority of them
have been very free to place their
business organizations and their per-
sonal services and their wealth at
the disposal of the federal govern
ment in this crisis as the young men
have been to do the actual fighting.
Attitude Not Universal.
However, this attitude has not
been universal. There are food
spectators, food cornerers and food
gamblers, some of them men Of i'm
mense wealth and others Of small
means who today taking advantage
of war conditions to exploit their
fellow citizens TO the full extent Of
their ability. These men are allies
Of the kaiser and are doing their
utmost 10 defeat the patriotic pur-
poses of the nation. Wherever they
are seen, in high places or in low,
they should be condemned and made
20 feel the lOathing and contempt
of every patriotic American. These
men will be taken care of in due
time by national, state, and munic-
ipal legislation, but until such leg
islation can be enacted the only eff
fective power that can be brought
against them is the power Of an out
RACED public sentiment and that
should be used vigorously and
mercilessly.
Lobby in Washington.
81 am told that some of these
men are actually in Washington to-
day, conducting a lobby against the
request Of Pres't Wilson that con-
gress empower him and his cabinet
TO take necessary means TO mobilize
the agricultural resources of this ma
ton for victory. They are urging
every specious, theoretical, and i'm
aginary argument against the grant
ing of war powers TO the president
and his cabinet and they are at pres
ent directing their principal attack
against the laws which have been
introduced by the agriculture COM
mite OF the house with a view TO
putting the department of agricul-
ture on "A war basis. This step
should have been taken several
weeks ago. The bills now before
congress were drawn up after the
department of justice had consulted
with every agriculture college in the
United States, every state depart
ment OF agriculture, with every ag-
ricultural paper and magazine and
with experts familiar with the ex-
perience Of Europe during the past
three years. The additional powers
asked for are powers which are pos
sessed and exercised by the govern
ments Of every European nation
now at war. They have been
demonstrated TO be absolutely es-
sential war powers.
The unpatriotic and disloyal lob
by that is trying to defeat the de-
termination of congress and Of the
people Of this country TO put agri-
cultural resources of the nation on
an efficiency basis in this crisis