Connecticut western news., 1917-06-28
BONE DRY NATION
 UP TO PRESIDENT
Senate Committee StlffenS
 House Food BlIl.
FOR COMPLETE PROHIBITION

New Section Strictly Forbids Use of
 Grains or Foodstuffs For Making AL
 eoholic Liquors of Any Description,
 but Executive Can Permit Manufae-
 ture of Beers or Light Wines In Ger
 tain Contingencies - Fight on Bill
 May Start Today.
 The senate agricultural committee has passed the prohibition buck to the president. It included in the food con- trol bill n section prohibiting the man. ufncture of either whisky, wine or beer. But 1t left to the president to determine certain contingencies in which he might allow the making of wine or beer-not whisky.
 The action of the committee was mandatory. Any move by the presl- dent in determining whether wine making is necessary to conserve per ishable products" or whether beer making Is necessary in order that "tlre public interest shall be subserved' must be purely affirmative. In fact, the responsibility as set forth by the committee rests squarely upon the presidential shoulders.
 Action Within Thirty Days.
 The new section as placed in the bill reads:
 (A) From and after thirty days from the late of the approval of this act 1t shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corpora I'm fl,,s tF N.. .oxicatinE liquors for beverage purposes any perishable or nonperishahle feeds foods or food material.
 (B) Whenever the president shall find it necessary to conserve the pershabl prod ucts referred to in the preceding para graph he is empowered to permit the ure pf such products in the manufacturing of ti"ous liquors and when the question lrises as to whether q particular product s perlshable or nonperlshahle ar is smit- able for foods or feeds the president is authorized to determine that question and his determination shall be conclusive for the purpose of this act.
 co Whenever. in the judgment of the president, the public interest shall be sub- served thereby he is empowered to per- init the limited use of the materials mem toned in paragraph "A" of this section in the manufacture of malt or fermented liquors and to prescribe the alcoholic con- tent thereof.
 The redistillation section is included In the bill The president is author. iZed and directed" to commanders dis titled spirits in bond for redistillation for munitions, military and hospital supplies "or in so far as such redistil. 'ation would dispense with the neces- sity of utilizing products and materials suitable for foods and feeds in the fu- ture manufacture of distilled spirits for the purposes herein enumerated"
 Thus the president is directed to take all existing whisky and hard spirits in bond and redistill them. He shall pay for the spirits. If the owner is dissat. isfcd by the price set by the govern ment he can accept this and sue for the remainder It is estimated there are some 229,000.000 gallons of spirits in bond The taxes upon this which the government expected to derive for the war revenue bill would bring the total close to S5O0,0OO,000.
 Only Two Against It.
 "The sentiment of the subcommittee was overwhelmingly in favor of pro hibition," said Senator Gore, the chair man. "There were but two against if. The committee seemed unwilling to prohibit the manufacture of spirits and allowed the president to make eXcep- ton of the others. as had been pro- posed at times. This exception would have concerned the limitation of food stufrs in the manufacture of wine and beer"
 Two influences are expected to work against the prohibition section placed n the bin. One of these is the sentl. ment of various men that the law abiding man who takes n drink" shall not be mterfered with in that privilege. The other is the loss of immense reve. nue. Senator Simmons. chairman of the senate finance committee, was told of the committees action, but he made no comment.
 It Is expected that the bill will be taken to the floor of the senate today.