The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1917-07-17
ROAD IS VERY ROUGH
FORFOOD CONTROL BILL
NOT YET CERTAIN THAT COT
TON AND OTHER PRODUCTS
WILL BE EXCLUDED.
AGREEMENT REACHED TO
VOTE ON MEASURE JULY Il
Senator Chamberlain, in Charge of
the Measure, Insists No Compro-
mise Was Intended by Administra-
tion Forces. Much Opposition.

| w AOnINGI ON, u. CA recur-
renee of opposition to prohibition
legislation written into the food con-
troll bill, together with stubborn pro-
tests against the proposals for gov
eminent regulation of the iron, steel.
cotton and other industries. complete
ly upset the plans of senate leaders
and promises to force important re-
vision of the measure.
Failing again to secure unanimous
consent for limiting debate or setting
a time for a vote, the leaders sub
mitted the motion, held in reserve
for several days, to invoke for the
first time the senate's cloture rule.
Convinced that the bill is loaded
down" and that the liquor provision
for government purchase of all dis
titled spirits is unconstitutional and
either must be amended or stricken
out, senate leaders held conferences
while the debate proceeded on the
floor in an effort to devise amend
ments to pave the way for final
passage
An agreement was finally reached
to vote on the bill July p, FIVE weeks
after its submission to congress as
an urgent war measure.
Democratic senators secured the
agreement for vote only after they
had consented to strip the bill of
some of its more drastic features, in
Guiding the stringent prohibition pro-
visions and the cotton control plan.
So far-reaching was the revision de-
manded, in fact, that all-day confer
ences of the democratic steering com
mittee and the agriculture committee
resulted in presentation of a substi-
tute for the entire measure.
There was a strong belief that a
compromise measure would be
brought out of the agricultural com
mittee to eliminate from the list of
controlled articles all but foodstuffs
and fuel. Senator Chamberlain, in
charge of the measure, however, in
sisted that no compromise was in
tended by the administration forces
and that such commodities as steel,
cotton, wool, lumber, hemp and cop
per would remain in the measure.
There are many assertions from
! N 1 ct ENyya,,
ator Cummins, chairman of the fl
nance committee, has proclaimed his
opposition to the bill in its present
form. He takes the view that it has
been so amended as to be no longer
an administration measure and that
it would injure business far more
than it would help conserve and slim
ulate the production of foodstuffs.
Opposition Grows to Measure.
If President Wilson takes a hand
in the fight again and forces the res
toration of the bill to its original
form it can be passed, although there
would be some opposition. 1t started
out to be food control bill; now it
controls practically every important
commodity in the American market
Each commodity added to it has car
ried with it a proportionate amount
of opposition.
In open debate and many private
conferences during the day opposi-
ton grew against the measure. Crit
cism was directed particularly against
Senator Shoots amendment provid-
ing for government purchase of all
distilled spirits in bonded warehous-
es, but many other sections of the
bill came in for attack.
Anticipating a reopening of the
whole wet and dry fight, Senator
McCumber, of North Dakota, took
the floor and declared that under the
unanimous consent agreement could
be considered as part of the food
bill He insisted that Senators were
bound to regard the issue as finally
disposed of.
The committee is also struggling
with the problem of a minimum price
for wheat. Sentiment in the senate
is strongly against passing the re-
sponsibility for fixing wheat prices to
the executive department, and favors
establishing the minimum price to the
farmer at not less than $3.50.
1t begins to appear that the prohi-
bition issue, including the disposition
of the ''hard liquor" now in bond
will have to be fought out in confer
ence. Senator Smoot has given up
the idea of offering a substitute for
his whisky Communicating amend
ment, which his colleagues now de-
clare unconstitutional 1t is the view
of many senators that the unanimous
agreement which brought the prohibi-
ton question to a showdown pre-
cludes the offering of any further
"dry" amendments in the senate.
Manning to Exclude Cotton.
| Senator Smith, of South Carolina,
joined in the attack on the bill. He
protested aaginst the placing of cot
ton under government control
''The high price of cotton is due
simply to the fact that the demand
has exceeded the supply" he de-
! clared. .'The supply dropped from