The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-06-23
House May Pass It Late Today,
But Senate Must Argue for
Several More
Days.
OPPONENTS STUBBORN
Compromise Appeared Sure to Settle
the Question, When Small
Clique Offers
Battle.
[By Robert ]. Bender, United Press
Staff CORRESPONDENT

[By Robert J. Bender, United Press
Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON. June 23.-Ouly q
Dry fight will prevent passage late
today of the administration food con-
troll bill in the house.
Administration leaders, however,
were confident that the entire liquor
element would not inject its strength
sufnciently long to hold up the meas
ure. At the same time new line OF
cleavage developed in the senate.
Just at q time when 1t appeared
that plans for compromises on dis
2uted points in the upper branch
promised to bring action on the bill
late next week, a very small clique.
headed by Senator Hardwick, Georgia,
has announced it will insist that no
food control measure Is necessary,
that no such department should be
created for Herbert Hoover and thai
nothing but anti-speculation legisla-
ton should 60 through.
This element declares 1t is an out
and out fight and the speakers on
that particular side won't begin un-
til next week-probably late-thus
endangering prospects pf the measure
going to conference by July l..
Hardwick does not think that any
compromise Is satisfactory unless it
eliminates the whole bill with the
exception of the speculation section
and does not think that favorable
compromise can be reported when
the house bill. If passed today, is TAX
en- up for amendment by the senate
agriculture committee Monday and
then reported to the floor as sub
stitute for the present senate bill.
Congress is now being flooded with
letters from frightened elevator men
from different parts of the country
who are afraid to buy wheat lest they
be guilty of boarding. AS result,
prices of wheat in the southwest are
dropping and it is to prevent con-
tinuance of this that grain exchange
officials have been summoned here
and urged to function as usual to pre-
vent the farmer from sacrificing his
crops to spectators.
Lord Rhonda's opinion.
LONDON, June 23.-Lord Rhonda,
England's new food controller. be-
lieves there Is only one way to reduce
prices and control food-end that is
by a state monopoly lodged in one
mans hands.
'T expect reduced prices" he told
the United Press today, "and with the
assistance Of the United States, in
tend to take strong action against ex-
tortionate profits. The only way to
control prices is by state monopoly
in one mans hands. and I hope to be
put in that position-at least as to
some articles.
'T am glad to see that American
housewives are standing firm in, the
interest Of economy. Women have a
tremendous influence in this matter.
This Is really their question"
OIL and Coal Problem.
WASHINGTON. June 23.-Declaring
it a question of very short time be-
fore the government must command
eer all oil and coal in the country,
Secretary Daniels today told the SEN
ate public land committee that the oil
situation is serious.
Daniels said that If the command
eering was not done, negotiations
must be entered into at once by the
government to require the opening up
of oil and coal fields. He said the fuel
supply must be regulated and the
government empowered to fix prices
on both oil and coal.
The navy oil reserves must be saw
ed, he said, for the future which we
cannot forsee."
With 200 oil burning ships now be-
ing hurriedly built, Daniels admitted
he does not know what the available
oil supply Of the country is. He sug-
gested a government survey of all oil
fields to determine where fresh sup
plies might originate. He said the
government was going to get as much
of its oil as possible from outside tho
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