New Britain herald., 1917-07-12
CLEAR THE MIDDLE.

Food Control Bill to make it more sensible. The agreement to vote upon this bill on the twenty first day of this sent has been given by some of the Democratic Senators to a plan where by the stringent prohibition amend ment would be modified. This is the rider that has held up the bill all this time, when the nation is crying for action. It is the straw which broke the cameIs back and made of the Food Control bill hopeless muddle, as admitted by a prominent Senator.
 There are many reasons why the Food Control Bill is being held back. Every interest in the country that has something to lose by the enactment of such a law is playing the game of the Prohibitionists in Washington. A concerted effort to destroy the whole scheme of legislation has been made, and is succeeding to some degree. This effort has been expended against other provisions of the bill other than that which specifies prohibition. Thus Is the bill nailed to the cross coming and going. The food speculators, the pro- Germans, the anti-Allies, the ex- porters who hope to reap harvests of wealth by shipping foodstuffs out of the country, the men who are trying to bleed the American public are all as guilty as the ''cranks" fostering the cause of Prohibition at this time when the country is not prepared for a division of sentiment one way or another This is not time for such petty dickering. The food supply of the country must be controlled while the war lasts.
 The Senate now has more than nine days in which to debate before the vote on the bill. When that vote is taken the Bill must be so perfected 1 as to warrant adoption by the major | ity of the chamber. Herbert C. Hoov- CTS letter to President Wilson should have some weight in this action The l national food administrator has sol | emnly declared, and he should know, that further delay in enacting food | legislation threatens serious losses to 1 both farmers and consumers. This l may hasten action by the agricultural committee which is perfecting the Gore substitute for the Food Control bill now under consideration. This substitute is somewhat similar to the original bill with the exception that
 power to control other commodities besides food and fuel has been striken
 out While prohibiting the manufac- 1 ture of distilled liquors, the substitute
 bill does not provide for the purchase of stocks now held in bond. The 1 President, should this substitute be adopted would be given the power to
 decide in his discretion whether pro- hibition should extend to beer an light wines. Since the President has al- | ready declared himself on this subject,
 in his now celebrated letter to the
 Anti-Saloon League, there is little | doubt that light wines and beer would
 be allowed to be manufactured and
 sold.
 1 President Wilson is undoubtedly
 disappointed at the action of Congress
 in the matter of providing food con-
 trol legislation. MT. Hoover's letter, | issued from the White House without
 comment, is proof sufficent of this. Nor is he the only one disappointed
 The whole business has been fraught
 with disappointments. The people of
 the nation are anxiously awaiting the
 day when something will be done to protect them against the price-boOst- | CTS and eXtOrtionists who have held the center of the stage ever since the
 war began. Instead of hoping that
 even something might come of the
 vote scheduled to take place on July T the chances are now that the en- tire efforts expended on the bill are
 wasted and that this measur may be
 sent back to both houses for consid-