The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1917-06-28
U. S. VOTED DRY; |
FOOD CONTROL BILL
PASSED BY HOUSE
Only Five Members of Lower
Body Against Measure.
POWER GIVEN TO PRESIDENT
To Prohibit Distribution of Alcoholic
Beverages, to Regulate TransPorta.
ton, Storage, Distribution and
Sale of Foodstuffs.

Sale of Foodstuffs.
Washington, June 25.-The admins
tration's food control bill was passed
in the house.
1t gives the president power to con-
troll the distribution of food, feed and
fuel for war purposes and appropriates
S152, 100000 for its enforcement and
ADMINISTRATION.
TIE measure was passed after sweep
ing prohibition for the war had been
written into it.
Only Five Vote Against Bill.
The vote was 800 to D. Representa-
tives McLemOre, Slayden and Young of
Texas, Democrats, and Meeker, Mis-
souri,, and Ward New York, Republic
cans, voted in the negative.
Those voting present We're Hubert,
New York; SABBATH, Illinois; Kitchin,
North Carolina; Gallagher, Illinois.
and Esch, Wisconsin.
The bill gives the president power:
/. To regulate transportation, stor-
age, distribution and sale of food
stuffs.
2. To suspend operation on ex-
changes and boards of trade in food
stuffs.
8. To prohibit further distribution of
alcoholic beverages made from grain
and to seize present stored supplies.
4. To prevent willful destruction of
food products or boarding.
5. To prevent withholding of fuel
from the market or boarding.
6. To prevent control for monopoly
of shoes, clothing and other necessities
of life.
Z. To establish a license system to
regulate manufacture and expectation.
s. To commander all storage and
fosd supply plants, and fuel mines, if
necessary.
8. To appoint any agency or person
to make effective the provisions of the
bill.
The bill will be taken up in the SEN
ate early this week and administration
leaders will make every effort to force
it to an early vote, as it Is desired
that the law shall become operative
July l.
Confiscation of Whisky.
BY another amendment, adopted by
a vote SO overwhelming as to he prac-
tically unanimous, all of the whisky
now in bond or in warehouses in the
United States may he cOntiscated by
the presidents order
The prohibition amendment, adopted
as n substitute for the provision in
the original bill. which authorized the
president to forbid the manufacture Of
alcoholic beverages follows:
mo person shall use any food ma
terials or foods in the production of
alcohol, except for governmental, In
dustrial, scientific, medicinal or sacra-
meneal purposes, or of alcoholic bev-
erages. Any person who willfully viO-
lates this section shall upon convic-
exceeding $1,000 or by Imprisonment
for not more than two year. or both"
Passage by Senate Certain.
The strong temperance alignment in
the senate makes it almost certain the
action of the house will be ratified by
the upper body and that the bill will go
to the president with this provision for
absolute prohibition in it,
The temperance forces in the house
were united during the long struggle.
Barley of Kentucky introduced the
prohibition amendment and Webb of
North Carolina introduced the one to
c0nfiscate whisky and other spirits now
in bond.
Political llQes were cast aside, Re-
publicans and Democrats being about
equally divided in support of and in
opposition to the drastic amendments.
Efforts TO save the beer and wine in
tereSts met with decisive defeat. IL
was argued on behalf of continuance
of wine and beer making that unless
these were permitted the nation would
turn to whisky, as that would be the
only drink in existence.
The adoption of the provision for
confiscatiOn nullified this argument, as
the president, with the powers given
him, may decide the whisky now held
in bonded warehouses would serve a
more useful purpose by being convert
ed into alcohol for munition manufac-
ture than to be sold for human con-
sumption.
AT the last moment, by a vote Of 175
TO 1876, La Guardla of New York amend
ed the bill so all employees of the food
controller will come under civil serv-
ice regulations except those who work
without pay.
To compensate for the Intoxicants
seized Lenroot OF Wisconsin unsuccess-
fully tried to increase the appropria-
ton.
curbs Gambling, Hoarding.
The bill was drawn ito stimulate
production, reduce waste, facilitate and
clear the channels of distributors, pre-
vent boarding. assure fair prices, elimi-
nate injurious speculation aud prohibit
evil practices on exchanges"
The prohibition clause was forced
through only after bitter fight.