Daily Kennebec journal., 1917-07-10
Who Is Saving" Beer?

Who Is Saving" Beer?
a Washington special to the Boston
Globe says:
While the final chapter in the bitter
fight over prohibition has yet to be writ
ten. Congressional agitation over it will
cease for the time being
The one concrete fact that stands out,
as the smoke of the exciting Senatorial
battle clears up is that no more whiskey
will be manufactured, from food products
during the continuance of the war and
perhaps never again in the history OF the
country
The radical dry" element In and out
Of Congress is celebrating a victory in
this respect and the hard stuff" people
are apparently reconcled TO the new
der Of things.
Beer and wines. with a lot of beverages
closely approximating distilled spirits,
seem 10 have been finally saved for the
present This is conceded by even the
What remains to be determined before
the embargo against whskey actually
goes into effect Is the disposition to be
made of the accumulated stores OF the
stimulant, how far Congress will direct
or authorize the President to go in with
drawing i from public consumption and
how much or little money must be sacri-
need in the way Of revenue.
Rather than sanction any nl-advisel
legislation that would DESTROY the unity
Of the PEOPLE. il il the opinion Of the
more conservative Congressional leaders
that the President would not hesitate to
veto the bill The prohibition element
probably realize this is much as do their
growing that the Conference committee
OF the two Houses Till practically rewrite
the entire liquor section of the food bill
and produce compromise that will sound
the death knel Of whiskey, and leave It
for the President to determine whether
the Government shall seize the more than
$4,000 900 gallons already stored and ex-
tend the embargo on that, form of bev-
erage to include beers and wine.
The Presidents interference to save
beer has proven a staggering blow to
the prestige which his war messages
had established in the minds Of the
thinking element Of the American
people. The fight is not ended, al
though the power of the beer trust
shown in the Senate, and the Presi-
dents determination now seems to as
sure a booze victory.
IF ALL THE GODS WEEP AT THE
SPECTACLE, THE KAISER MUST
SMILE AT AMERICAN "CONSERvA-
TON" OF FOOD-THE GOVERN
MENT. FROM PRESIDENT DOWN.
SWEATING BLOOD IN AN EFFORT
TO DRIVE THE WOMEN OF THE
COUNTRY INTO SHORTENING THE
FOOD SUPPLY OF THEIR Chill
DREN, WHILE THE GOVERNMENT
AUTHORIZES THE BREWERS TO
DESTROY A LOAF OF BREAD A
DAY FOR EVERY FAMILY IN THE
COUNTRY,
Clarence True Wilson, DID,, writes
from Washington:
The food bill. with the prohibition
sections in it, passed the House in
seven hours. No delay was caused
by the dry amendments. In the Sem
ate the drys offered to vote on the
sections absolutely without debate to
show that they would be responsible
for no delay. And the vets refused,
continuing their plans for a filibuster.
The charge that the drys have OBJ
structed legislation is not only false
but UNANIMOUSLY false.
Washington has been fairly stormed
with beer lobbyists. begging, threat
'pestiferous' dry lobby. Senator
Chamberlain, in open Senate, de-
nounced a news story alleging that
the so-called dry pbbyists have been
obnoxious. The fact is that the drys
have consistently and studously shown
their profound respect for the Con-
gress, have approached Congressman
with due Difference, and have made q
point OF not approaching them except
when and where necessary. There is
no group Of Congressman who accept,
orders from the drys. and no dry
Congressman who would not resent
any attempt 10 give orders with a very
near approach TO violence.
The President of the United States
has made the most stupendous blum
der Of his brilliant career.
Since II was hopeless to ask the
Frussians Of the beer trade to call off
the'r ilihusfer against the food bill,
he appealed TO the drys to sacrifice
their own convictions, connve at the
continued destruction Of more than
hundred million bushels of grain an
nually and defer their victory.
The hlunder made by the President
was directly due to misunderstand-
ing Of the power of the beer trade
and the temper of the people. In
the closing days Of the last season
he had seen wet Congressman demon
strate their disposition by killing one
OF his pet measures in revenge for
the passage and signing Of the bone
dry law. And in the present instance
they had openly threatened to kill
every important bill If the beer trade
suffered. The Democratic members
OF the group had deserted the Demo-
cratic caucus when IL voted 81 to so
for war prohibition. Threats ap-
preached close to the reasonable