The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-07-10
Massachusetts Senator Directs
Bitter Attack on Bill.
Vardaman Suggests 1t Be Sent
Back for Redrafting.
DESTROYS WHEAT MARKET
Punish Spectators but Go Slow
on Trade and Economics.
Bill Further From Decision
Than Two Weeks Ago.

Washington, July 1O.-Warning
that the food bill may bring the
United States to the edge of financial
ruin within three MONTHS and cause
failure in the war, Senator Lodge
today launched direct attack On fed
eral control.
Attack on the food control DILL in
the senate grew SO bitter today that
Senator Vardaman suggested the mea-
sure be sent back to the agriculture
committee to be entirely ref-amed.
NO business can prosper" Lodge
said, with the governments hand
hanging over it, ready to descend at
any time and fix prices
Govt Management Incompetent.
He denounced government man
agement of business as mos tincom-
petent," asserting the government was
forced to turn to private enterprise
for rifles after the Springfield and
Rock Island arsenals failed to supply
the army.
TT makes no difference whether the
privately made goods cost a. dollar or
two more than those made under gov
eminent supervision-our soldiers
must be armed
War loans must come from sur
plus profits, we ought to go slowly be-
fore wiping out this surplus" Lodge
added.
The prohibition feature in the food
bill would necessitate 5 0O,00O,0OO ad-
| ditional wartaxes, Lodge said
| Business Walk in Terror.
| He especially opposed the Iicens-
! ing clause which he pointed out would
put all business under the govern
ments thumb.
american business he asserted,
/ will walk interior day and night I'M
! der such a system
/ He spoke in commentator of Her
( bert c. Hoover's work in Belgium,
! but declared that the running of the
business OF this country was an en-
/ tirely different matter land beyond
| the power of any one man."
| Senators from wheat producing
| states and the great centerS of wheat
! distribution, the Massachusetts sena-
| tor declared, had told him that the
mere threat of this bill had for the
moment destroyed the wheat market
and disarranged the great machinery
| of distribution.
Il am told" he added, that a
/ proposition has already been made to
| fix the price of sugar which would
make it impossible for the beet sugar
manufacturers to make any profit
| Senator Lodge opposed forcing cop
per producers to sell at abnormally
low prices.
Authorizes, Not Directs.
1--WE may save something" he said
| but we will lose more, closing small
mines that are producing the surplus
vitality necessary"
When Senator Chamberlain suggest
] ed that the bill does not direct but
merely authorizes the president to
take control of various products, SEN
ator said the mere possibility had al
ready greatly disturbed commerce. He
declared congress would freely give
any legislation needed to cope with
food SpeculatOrS
"Such men are nothing more thar
criminals" he said, land should be
punished to the utmost extent But
that is not all that this bill proposes
1t goes far beyond that and we should
go extremely slow in distributing
ordinary laws of trade and econ
omics."
I'VE are farther from a decision or
this important bill today than we were
two weeks ago." Vardaman declared
Can't Pass Bill This Week
Recognizing the Impossibility OF
passing the bill this week as planned
Senator Chamberlain late today pre-
sented a new request for an agree
nent to vote finally Saturday, July 81
with debate limited in the meantime