Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-08
Owners of Distilled Liquor in
Bond Would Receive Cost,
Plus Ten Per Cent.
BEER AND WINE TRIUMPH;
NO SPIRITS AS BEVERAGE
Revised Liquor Section Of the Food
Control Bill Adopted; Move for
Cloture on Measure.

Beer and wine were triumphant in
the Senate yesterday. when that body
finally adopted the so-called prohibi-
tion section of the administration
food control bill, leaving those bever-
ages out of the measure.
Whisky ard ottes distilled spirits.
with. In the first place, the prohibi-
tion section forbids the use of food
stuffs during the war for the manu-
facture of distilled spirits. The Senate
added an amendment offered by Sena-
tor Cummins Of Iowa which forbids
their importation during the same Pc
riod. and an amendment by Senator
Smoot of Utah which directs the Pres
ident to take over all the distilled spir-
its now in bond and to pay the owners
thereof the cost of production plus not
more than 10 per cent as profits.
Use for War Purposes.
If the food control law is finally en-
acted with these provisions as to dis
titled spirits. whisky will soon be-
come rarity as a beverage The gov
ernment will have a huge quantity on
its hands, but 1t is we'll understood
that the government will not permit its
use for beverage purposes. but will
redistill 1t for manufacturing war mu-
nitions and other supplies.
When the Senate had finally passed
upon the Smoot amendment, Senator
Simmons. chairman of the finance COM
mittee. asked and obtained permission
from the Senate to withdraw the war
revenue bill which he had reported
early last week. Senator Simmons ex-
planned that IL the Smoot amendment
is to stand it will mean a loss in
revenue to the government OF approx
mately $500, ,000.0 900 which would be re-
ceived in taxes upon the distilled spirits
which it is proposed to commander
and that it will cost the government In
the neighborhood Of 5000, ,0O0, 600 to pur-
chase the liquor, perhaps an even larger
sum.
Some Other Form Of. Taxation.
That being the case. he said. 1t would
be necessary to raise by some other
form Of taxation an additional $780,
0ov.0O0 Of revenue next year. His COM
m:ttee he continued, would have to re-
draft the bill in that event.
Later he explained that he did not
intend to ask the committee to begin
work on the measure again until Con-
gress had finally disposed of the food
control bill with its prohibition section.
If the Smoot amendment should be lost
in conference, then there would be no
necessity for reopening the war revenue
bill in committee.
Smoot amendment will have. II 1t is
enacted into law, 1t was pointed out, is
to increase very greatly the taxes on
beer and wines. Those liquors will
finance committeeman feel that II
would be only right to increase the
taxes upon them.
Attacks Legality Of Amendment.
| That the Smoot amendment will not
stand the test in the courts was a pre-
diction made during the debate by SEN
ator Stone of Missouri. who insisted
| that to take the whisky at cost and
| pay for 1t, adding only 10 per cent to
the cost price. was no more nor less
than taking private property for public
| use without due process of law.
Another Cummins amendment adopted
| Friday in the Senate. which would
| have prohibited the withdrawal of any
of the distilled spirits from bond for
beverage purposes during the period
| of the war. without making any pro-
| vision for compensating the owners OF
| these spirits. was finally defeated yes
| terday.
Senator Hoke Smith of Georgia, an
| nouncing that he had reached the con-
clusion that the food control bill was
not the proper place for prohibition
| legislation. II 1t threatened to delay the
| passage Of tho BILL moved to recon
| slider the vote by which the Cummins
| amendment was adopted. This was
| carried by forty-four to thirty-nfne
| and then the Senate rejected the Cum
| Minis amendment. forty.three to- thirty
nine.
Five Switch Their Votes,
| Five senator's switched their votes
| from Friday, Senators McCumher
! Phelan. Ransdell. Smith of Georgia and
! TiHman. All had voted previously for
the Cummins amendment
| Senator Pittman of Nevada made an
/ effort to have added to the Senate com
| promise substitute for the house pro
| hibition section that part of tho amend
ment proposed by the COMMITTEES on
agriculture. which would have au.
CONTINUED on Fifth Page.)
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