Connecticut western news., 1917-07-12
Senate Reaches Agreement
Without ClOture.
new WHISKY AMENDMENT
Big Issue Now Is Question of Giving
Power to President to Fix Prices For
Many Commodities and Manufactures.
General Belief Is That Majority of
These Will Be Eliminated.

An agreement has been reached by
the senate to dispose of the food con-
troll bill Saturday, July 81. Senator
Chamberlain withdrew the big stick of
cloture which he held over the head of
the senate.
Following criticisms that his amend
ment was unconstitutional Senator
Smoot of Utah prepared to draft an
other which would leave to the courts
the task of fixing the price of COM
Wandered liquors. Senator Gore of
Oklahoma offered such an amendment
included in a substitute for the entire
food bill. Many senator's, however.
held that any attempt to NEEDLE again
with prohibition legislation would be a
violation OF the unanimous consent
agreement. Senator Norris of Nebraska
sent in harmless looking amendment
which would actually make prohibition
permanent.
Object to Price Fixing.
With nine days of debate still open
there seems little doubt that the provi.
sions fixing prices of wheat. cotton.
metals, ETC., will he eliminated. There
is great objection to these. 1t appears
likely that the only control exercised
will be over foods and fuel
Both the agriculture committee of
the senate and the steering committee
had prepared to cut other necessities
than food and fuel from the bill. They
feared the measure would never sue
coed, as it was Overloaded" But the
securing of an agreement obviated this
necessity.
The vote will be taken Saturday at
2:3O p. M. From II a. M. on the pre-
ceding Thursday no senator shall speak
more than ten minutes on the bill or
amendments, and no amendments will
be offered after 2 p. m. on Friday, July
20.
The opposition that developed toward
the bill demonstrated how necessary it
was to secure this agreement and with
drew the cloture. For instance, Sena-
tor Lodge, a friend of the principle of
the bill, spoke bitterly against its add
ed control
''The bill is not framed in its proper
FORM said he. eff it were ] would
capable of being very ruinous and at
tempts to set aside all economic law.
1T undertakes to give the president
power to fix prices, to take control of
practically all business, and this is be-
yond the power of any man or men.
We ought to take care in granting
these powers to one man or we will
dissipate the course of business, dis
rupt industry and cut off sources of
revenue. 1t is said the powers granted
are discretionary. There is nothing so
dangerous as trusting unlimited power
to man on the theory that they will
not use it,
Would Tax Unused Lands.
The prohibition question will prob
ably lie unheeded for a time. 1t is
conceded that the Smoot amendment
making the president commander dis
titled spirits in bond and pay for it will
be lost in conference. The new amend
ment directs the president to COM
mandeer distilled spirits in bond for
military purposes and determine a
"just compensation" If the owner is
dissatisfied he must accept 70 per cent
of the offer and sue for what he thinks
due. Thus the courts would fix the
price.
In anticipation that the taxes from
the liquor would be lost under this bill,
Senator Lewis intobduced an amend
ment taxing unused lands. He calcu-