The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-05-12
DENOUNCES LOBBY
 OF FOOD SHARKS AT THE CAPITOL
Assistant Secretary of Agri culture Brands Specula-
 tors Unpatriotic.

Washington, May 12-Sensational gamblers, some of them men of inn mense wealth. already is at work in Washington seeking to defeat the ad- ministration food control bills, were ant Secretary Vrooman of the depart ment of agriculture.
 Allies of the Kaiser-unpatriotic and disloyal-who should be made to feel the 1oathing and contempt of every patriotic American" are some of the characterizations applied by MT. Vrooman to food speculators. food cornerers and food gamblers, who, he promises, will in time be touched by appropriate legislation.
 Secretary Vrooman's statement fol- lows:
 Never in the history of the world have business men shown as much patriotism and unse1fshness as have been manifested since the war began by the business men of America. AZ overwhelming majority of them have been as ready to place their business organization and their personal serv- ices and their wealth at the disposal of the federal government in this crisis as the young men have been to do the actual fighting.
 However, this attitude has not been universal. There are food spec- ulators, food cornerers and food gamblers, some of them men of im- mense wealth and others of very | small means, who are today taking advantage of war conditions to ex. ploit their fellow citizens to the full l extent of their ability. These men | are allies of the Kaiser, and are do- | ing their utmost to defeat the patrt- otic purposes of the nation. Wherever they are seen. in high places or in low, l they should be condemned and made to feel the loathfng and contempt of every patriotic American These men l will be taken care of in due time by national, state and municipal legisla- ton. but until such legislation can be l enacted, the only effective power that can be brought against them is the power of an outraged public sentiment 1 and that should be used vigorously 1 and mercflessly.
 T am told that some of these men
 are actually in Washington today,
 conducting a lobby against the re-
 quest of President Wilson that Con-
 gress empower him and his cabinet
 to take the necessary means to mob- ilize the agricultural resources of this nation for victory. They are urging
 every spacious, theoretical and i'm
 aginary argument against the grant
 ing of war powers to the President
 and his cabinet and they are at pres
 ent directing their principal attacl
 against the laws which have been in
 troduced by the agricultural commit tee of the House, with view to put
 ting the department of agriculture ol
 a war basis. The step should hav
 been taken several weeks ago.
 'The bills now before Congres
 were drawn after tfe department o agriculture had consulted with ever : agricultural college in the Unite,
 States, with every state department o
 agriculture, with every agriculturua
 paper CT magazine and with expert
 familiar with the experience of Flu
 rope during the past three yeers, Tn additional powers asked for are pow l. CTS which are possessed and exercise by the governments of every Euro Dean nation now at war. They hay been demonstrated to be absolutel
 essential war powers.
 t t'The unpatriotic and dis1oyaI Iobb 5 that is trying to defeat the dete, t imitation of Congress and of the pee 3 pie of this country to put the agr
 cultural resources of the nation 0 [ an efficiency basis in this crisis shoul 6 be nade te feel the condemnation ( Q every real American"