The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-07-02
THREE MONTHS OF
WAR CONGRESS
House Is Idly Tanning Itself
Today, While Senate Sweats
Over Legislative
jam.
WET AND DRY FIGHT
Still Arguing on What to do With
Beer and Wine In Connec-
tion With Food
Bill.
[By Robert j. Bender, United Press
Staff Correspondent

Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, July 2.-The third
| month of the war congress started -
day with the house Idle and the sen
ate In legislative jam.
Food and money bills are cloggIns
the upper branch, while the house
fans itself and thanks the fates fol
rules which curtail debate in boiling
Washington weather.
The senate, for the time being nj
least, is confused by prohibition
| Sharp differences between the drys
threaten again to precipitate acrimin
GUS and more dreary debate.
This forenoon the senate agricul
ture committee met to compromise II
possible on a dry amendment to the
food bill, which despite Legislative
pereginations, is still the regular
business
Senator Chamberlain in charge. OF
the bill wants whiskey prohibited.
and wines.
Senator Gore wants ,whiskey pro.
hibited, with authority lodged with
the president to stop beer and wine
production when necessary"
power 6O SOIhoWucIcs
Gore said today.
Lloyd George cut barley consump-
tion in England's beer production
from 36,O00,0O0 to 100000 bushels
by having control of it. I will fight
for it,
Both sections claim to reflect the
administration viewpoint. However,
as Senator Chamberlain says, lit
looks like floor fight any way you
put it."
If Cham berlain yields to the Gore
plan, some vets will revolt and a
group of drys led by Borah will not
stand for adding the beer control
burden to the presidents RESPONSE
bilities.
"Ill vote bone dry before I'll do
this" Borah said u
And If Gore yields,to the Chamber
lain plan, the radical drys will re.
volt
Over Sunday Herbert Hoover con-
ferred with committee members 1915
tive to changes in the bill and the
measure is now in such shape that
Chamberlain hopes to get vote on
1t this week unless the dry fight gets
beyond control He made an effort
today to get vote by tonight, but
the effort proved unsuccessful. He
will keep trying, however, to curtail
debate and if evidence of a filibuster
develops, friends of the bill are going
to make their first effort to invoke
the new cloture rule on the senate.
"Drys' opposed to eliminating beer
and wines entirely from the 'pre hi
bition" amendment to the food ron-
troll hll, won the first round in the
senate fight today. After long con-
ferences the senate agricultural COM
mittee voted to 3 to reject the
proposed by Senator
Chambo. ain prohibiting manufacture.
Immediately afterward by similar
vote the committee agreed to substi-
tute the amendment drawn by Sena-
tor Gore, prohibiting the manufac-
ture of spirits, placing the fate of
beer and wine manufacture in the
hands.
Chamberlain will accept this, but
there is a group of "drys" led by
Borah, Idaho, who will fight it to the
end. 1t is probable an attempt will
be made to get a vote on a straight
out and out spirits prohibition only"
and If this Is accomplished some ad-
leaders say they can
beat the Gore proposal on the floor.
Chamberlain is disposed to let the
Gore amendment stand to speed up
the bill and has been informed that
the president is willing to accept the
responsibility if 1t is rendered him.
Here is the Gore amendment, upon
which the fight now centers:
That it shall be unlawful for any
person, firm or corporation to use
any foods, food materials, or feeds
in the manufacture of distilled
spirits for beverages purposes. When
ever the president shall find that
regulation or prohibition
of the use of foods, food materials or
feeds in the production of vinuous.
malt or fermented liquors, or that re-
duction of alcoholic content of any
assure an adeuate and continuous
supply of food or feed, he is author.