The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1917-06-22
CONGRESS NEAR |
REVOLT OVER ]
FOOD C0NTR0D
President Told by Friends
Drastic Amendment of
Bill Is Necessary.
TOO MUCH 'READYMADE'
Senators Particularly Re.
sent What They Term
White House DictatiOn.
CHANGES ARE CERTAIN
Arbitrary Powers Asked In
Original Draft Likely to
Be Much Restricted.
TOO MUCH 'READYMADE'
CHANGES ARE CERTAIN

WASHINGTON, June 2l.--President
Wilson's closest Congressional advisers
have informed him that the enactment
Of any regulatory legislation regarding
| food production and food distribution
depends on drastic and summary alters4
tion Of the pending bill now before both
houses.
The President has been assured BY
| mon In his own party that the light
against the food control is only the SUR
face indication Of a general warfare
against the present tendency displayed
by the executive branch of the Gov
ernment looking to the assumption Of
| the prerogatives of the legislative
branch. He has been told that the SEN
| timent in Senate and House, more par
| ticularly In the former, has become
aroused against what is described -
ready made legislation. The espionage
bill and the food control bill are cited
! as examples A large element is now
calling for Congress to adhere moro
closely to the constitutional programmes
| and make laws.
Opposed to DictatiOn.
| The Senate is not opposed to the -.
lection Of Mr.. Hoover as food controller.
but large element in the Senate u
registering vigorous objection to the
method Of picking men for Offices and
| then directing the Congress Of the
United States to write law around the
personality Of the Presidents particular
choice for the Office which Congress =
by him directed to create.
The President has been told that SEN.
ators like Reed Of Missouri, Smith 0f
South Carolina. Smith of Georgia,
Hardwick Of Georgia, Vardaman Of Mis-
sissippi and others are aligned now
with the opposition to the Administra-
ton because they are sincerely fearful
that the exercise OF the present ten
dency Of the Administration toward the
creation OF new executive powers gov
| ernng the conduct Of civilian affairs
| will prove dangerous, unwise and un-
democratic policy in the final analysis.
Regarding chances for the speedy en-
actment OF the food control bill. Senator
| Lewis. Illinois. Democratic WHIP said
| tonight: Il have been advocating
that the President be given power in
such an emergency as now faces the
country to seize the food of the nation
and as war necessity to distribute II.
pay the owner just compensation, and
4 "
owper Of the seized produce to a Jury to
plead his cause.
Dill VIII Re Amended.
"In addition to that the President
should be authorized to submit offenders
guilty of monopolzlng food to the de-
gree Of hungering the people by demand
! ing excessive high prices to a court
martial as military offenders and there
a%@ L.,
legislation or Of going into details.
This bill will be amended to prevent
the farm being made the subject of seis-
ure and confiscation merely because the
midd,eman Is able b. conspiracy 10 swim
die both the farmer and the consumer
With provision assuring the farmer
exemption from interference in produc-
tion. reserving the right of the Govern
ment to the first appropriation OF its
products at fair value and then penal
izing heavily any agency that attempts
to get possession of these products for
| the purpose of holding up the Govern
ment and the people for cXtortionate
prices. the bill will pass, All other de-
tails are burdensome and useless"
House Amendments Likely.
/ Recognition by Chairman Lever and
| the House Agriculture Committee that
the Administration food control bill 10
! imperfectly drawn and confers powers
! not intended by the committee promises
/ to result in elimination by the House of
several features against which the sreat-
| est opposition is concentrated. Mr.. Lee
| yer reached agreements with Represen-
tative Lenroot and other Republican
| leaders to-day by which section 3. Gre
ating a Government control and per-
hitting the broadest voluntary arrange
| Ant hot h1 Ilr.H don't nd
agricultural industries. will be charged,
| The arbitrary powers conferred in the
| first part of the section will be divorced
from the authority to enter into volun-
! tary arrangements with the latter part.
This is in line with the original intent OF
the committee and meets much Of the
| objections to the section.
II has been further agreed that the
committee will accede 10 the striking out
from the licensing section OF the pro-
vision which permits the President to
prevent "uneconomical manufacture"
While this will not entirely meet the
widespread objection to the license sec
tion. friends of the bill believe il will
prevent the elimination Of the section In
| Its entirety.
Restriction Of Commodities.
| A third important change was an
nounced by Chairman Lever with re-
spect 10 section IL, which permits the
fixing OF a minimum price, the purchase
and storage by the Government or other
mea asures 70 stimulate production. As
the section is now drawn this protection
Is extended to ANY n-pershable agri-
cultural products produced within the
United States,' which broad term In
| cludes cotton, tobacco and number of
agricultural products which are neither
food. feed nor fuel. the only products
over which under other sections Of the
bill the President is given regulatory
powers. Mr.. Lever announced that such
a construction would be justified though
1t was not the intent of the committee 10
extend such guarantees except to arti-
cles classified as necessarie in the dput