The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1917-06-25
HOUSE VOTES
COUNTRY DRY
FOR THE WAR
Food Control Bill Is Passed by
Vote of 365 to 8 After
Hot Debate.
NOW UP TO the SENATE
Confiscaton by President OF All
Whisky in Country Authorized
Beer and Wine Included In
Prohibitions.

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
$152, 100000 for its enforcement and
administration.
The measure was passed after sweep
ing prohibition for the war had been
written into it.
Only Five Vote Against Bill.
The vote was 365 to 8. Representa-
tives McLemore. Slayden and Young Of
Texas, Democrats, and Meeker, Mis-
souri,, and Ward, New York, Republi-
cans, voted In the negative.
Those voting present were 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.
s. 10 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
food 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 1t is desired
that the law shall become operative
July 1.
Confiscation of Whisky.
BY another amendment, adopted by
a vote SO overwhelming as to be prac-
tically unanimous, all of the whisky
now in bond or in warehouses in the
United States may be confscated by
the presidents order.
The prohibition amendment, adopted
as a substitute for the provision In
the original bill. which authorized the
president to forbid the manufacture of
alcoholic beverages follows:
''NO person shall use any food ma
terials or foods in the production of
alcohol, except for governmental, In
dustrial scientific, medicinal or sacra-
mental purposes, or of alcoholic bev-
erages. Any person who willfully vio-
lates this section shall upon cOnvic-
ton thereof be punished by a fine not
exceeding $4,000 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 90
to the president with this provision for
absolute prohibition in It,
Efforts TO save the beer and wine in
terests met with decisive defeat. 1t
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.
To compensate for the intoxicants
seized Lenroot Of Wisconsin unsuccess
fully tried to increase the appropria
ton.
The prohibition clause was forced
through only after a bitter fight.