Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-25
FOOD CONTROL MEASURE
MEETS FURTHER DELAY
Republican Leader Mann Blocks
Plans to Hurry Important Bill
to Conference.
UPROAR IN HOUSE FOLLOWS
Leaders Prepared to Bring in Special
Rule To-Day to Force Action and
to Instruct Disagreement to All
Senate Amendments.
y PROAR IN HOUSE FOLLOWS
tIsy Associated press.l

tBy Associated Pressl
"ASHINGTON. July 24.-The admin
istrations program of food legislation
encountered another delay to-day. when
Republican Leader Mann blocked plans
to hurry the food control bill to con-
ference.
The proposal to create a Joint COM
mittee of Congress on expenditures Of
the war. written into the bill in the
Senate and objected TO by President
Wilson as signifying lack of conf
dence in him. was the feature which
started the trouble. The Republican
leader rallied many members OF his
party about him. and tonight the sit
uation had taken on the aspect of a
partisan fight virtually for the first
time since the war session met.
TO BRING IN SPECIAL RULE
AND FORCE CONFERENCE
Administration leaders. despairing Of
sending the bill TO conference under a
unaninous-consent agreement. are pre-
pared to bring in a special rule to-
morrow under which they expect to
force a conference. and In addition TO
instruct the. conferees to disagree to
all Senate amendments.
Taking the administration managers
by surprise. Mr.. Mann served notice
when the bill came up to-day that he
would not give unanimous consent for
the bill TO go to conference unless a
separate vote we're permitted on the
war committee proposal. a hasty can
vass of those present convinced the
administration men that they could not
be certain of maiorifv apaInSt tho
proposal. and adjournment was taken.
Unanimous consent again will be
asked tomorrow before the special rule
is invoked. but the Republican leaders
have summoned the entire membership
here for a vote. and bipartisan division
seems certain. In preparation for It
the Democrats frightened up their lines
tonight to insure the presence Of a
Democratic majority. 1t was thought
possible that a few Democrats would
vote with the Republicans.
Adoption OF the rule virtually will
preclude separate votes also on the So
minimum for wheat and prohibition
amendments. strongly desired by sew
eral House Democrats.
WILL DO THEIR UTMOST
TO FORCE ACCEPTANCE
Throughout debate to-day Chairman
Lever. in charge Of the bill, promised
that the House Democratic conferees
would do their utmost to force accep-
tance of the original provisions of the
House bill. In that form there was no
provision for either a war expenditures
committee. a food board of three mem
bers or So wheat, and the prohibition
sections contemplated a bone-dry coun-
try.
Insistcnce by Mr.. Lever that the
House do nothing to delay final pas
sage of the bill went far toward in
ducing bone-dry advocates and others
to agree to sending the measure to
conference with only general disagree
ment instructions.
II particularly urge that you do not
tie the hands of the House conferees."
he said THE House thus far has not
been guilty of delay in the passage
Of this bill, and the delay on 1t now
amounts almost to a national scandal"
The Democratic leaders had UNDER
stood that Mr.. Mann was willing 20 see
the bill so to conference with instruc-
tions that the conferees disagree to
all Senate amendments, and proceeding
on the assumption Mr.. Lever had sue
ceeded In silencing the demands OF
those who favor the s2 amendment and
all Of the prohibition leaders, for sepa-
rate votes on their proposals.
The war expenditures committee
amendment not having been mentor
in almost an hours debate. the mea-
sure appeared to have clear sailing
when Mr.. Mann announced he would
object.
OF MANN
FOLLOWED BY UPRoAR
An uproar followed. Part of the
members began shouting for an ad-
journment. while others loudly demand
ed that rule be brought in mme-
diately. In the midst of the turmoil
Democratic Leader Kitchin moved an
adjournment, and then. wh:e Spea..er
Clark was counting the Totes. Chair
man Garrett, OF the Rules Committee,
arrived upon the floor and announced
that he was ready to submit special
rule to force action. He had induced
Mr. kitchin to withdraw his adjourn
ment motion, and had taken the fio9r
to introduce the rule when other Demo-
cratic leaders prevailed upon him to
walt until to morrow. ~ NJ, u Z s $50 i !;