Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-02-22
Congressman Fess viii intro
luce Resolution to Ac-
compEsh This
THESE ARE NOT RIOTS
BUT CRIES FOR RELIEF
Greed Has Closed the Char
neIs Of Distribution"
His Assertion

Washington, Feb. 2.-Determined to
force some action from congress that
will at least temporarily relieve the
serious food shortage that has caused
bread riots in New York and which the
federal trade commission prophesies
will spread to every large city, Repre-
sentative Foss, Ohio, today informed
Representative Meyer London he viii
introduce a resolution providing at least
temporary food control.
London, explaining that he believes
congress should Immediately enact Il
permanent government food control law,
announced he would support such a
measure as absolutely necessary to get
over the present emergency,
Fess intimated he would introduce his
resolution today, despite apparent dis
interestedness shown by many mem
bers Of congress.
Such a resolution will have the sup
port Of Representative Boland who an
nouneed he would press his provision
appropriating 100000 for a federal
trade commission investigation of the
food shortage by taeking an amendment
on the sundry civil bill when it reaches
the house floor.
In the meantime, the federal trade
commission, the interstate commerce
commission, the department of agricul-
ture and the commerce department have
been called in to aid in affording some
kind of temporary relief.
Due to Food Spectators
The American Railways association
will work with the interstate commerce
commission in an effort to do what ~
can to remedy any condition car short
age may have caused.
Discussing the situation today, Repre-
sentative London bitterly assailed food
spectators as the chief cause.
II call on the house to take up the
food control question now,'' London
said. "We are giving hundreds Of mil
lions of dollars for preparedness and
preparedness programs for the future,
bu we are disregarding an exigeney
already created by the European war.
eff these starving people in New
York have any fault, it is not that they
do not work, but because they work
too hard = beyond human endurance
and cannot make living.
"Prices of food have risen so high
as to become Inaccessible to the masses.
These are not riots, but outcrics
to heaven for relief
"These people want bread-not in
Berlin or Petrograd, or Vienna, or Lon
don, or Paris, but in New York, the
richest city in the country, enjoying the
highest degree of prosperity.
More Gold Than Bread.
'fThis country is surfeited with Euro
pean gold, but shows lack Of bread
for its workers. Having given so much
time to leak investigation, it is time
congress gave some attention to the
leak in the country Is prosperity"
! Representative Borland today blamed
the appropriations committee for smoth,
cring the 100000 appropriation resolu,
tion. which would afford the federal
trade commission money to carry on a
nationwide probe.
tThe president is behind the plan, y
said Borand. "fThe trade commission
has sufficient facts now to warrant
such an investigation; but the appro-
priations committee still says no.
/ = 1t is imperative for congress to APP
propriate the full amount at once. Grim
inal prosecutions are merely temporary
although they may be useful in the
1 present emergency.
/ " However, the real remedy is TO find
the basic causes. This country has un
limited facilities for food production
We can feed all of our millions and
more. | am one of those that believe
that greed has closed the channels o1
/ distribution.
/ "It is. a lasting disgrace to think Of
food riots in this time OF peace and
great prosperity in the metropolis Of the
richest and most productive country Oh
the globe.