The sun., 1917-05-22

'DRY'U.S. .ISNEAR
Prohibition for Nation Will
Come Up in Congress in
Three Weeks.
COST IS A GRAVE ISSUE
Loss Of 1888, ,24O, 900 Annual
Revenue From Liquor
Must Be Made Up.
COST IS A GRAVE ISSUE

WARRINGTON May 21.-wartime pro-
hibition will be fought out in the halls
OF Congress within the next few weeks.
This was assured in the Senate to-day.
when bills and amendments looking to
the conservation of the nations supply
Of cereals through forbiddIng their use
in the manufacture Of potable alcohol
were introduced. A group Of Legislators
is determined to take advantage of the
wartime situation TO bring about virtual
national prohibition.
In the proposed legislation is the
amendment to the pending food control
bill introduced by Senator Cummins,
Iowa, which forblds the use or grain in
the manufacture Of alcoholic beverages
for the period Of the war. Other legisla-
tion looks to the Government seizure Of
whissey and other distilled spirits now
held In bond for redistiilation and their
use as pure alcohol in the manufacture
Of munitions. The Cummlns amendment
Is framed to take care of the manufac-
ture Of rum as we'll as beer and whiskey,
for conservation of sugar syrups Is also
proposed as collateral to the conserva-
tion Of the grain supply.
VIII Block Hasty Action.
Opposition to hasty consideration OF
the question OF prohibition as a part Of
the food control programme was voiced
by Chairman Simmons Of the Committee
on Finance. which now has under con-
sideration the war revenue bill. Sem
ator Simmons served notice to-day that
as fast as amendments which tended to
reduce the production Of taxable alcohol
made their appearance in the course Of
the consideration Of bills from the Com
mlttee on Agriculture ne would move
their reference to the Committee on
Finance.
The sudden elimination OF the revenue
producing power Of alcoholic beverages
will have to be met by the Finance Com
mittee In framing its wartime revenue
legislation.
Under the existing revenue laws the
estimated revenue from drlnkablez OF an
intoxicating character Is 1000. 900
from fermented beverages and $751;
100000 from distilled liquors The
added revenue which the pending bill is
framed TO collect from these combined
sources 10 approximately s150,9O0. 900.
If Congress adopts complete nationwide
prohibition the Ways and Means Com
mittee OF the House and the Senate
Finance Committee will have the tre-
mendous shortage OF s3s9240. 900 in es-
timated revenues TO face. In other
words, a per capita tax OF approximately
f3.Sb for every person in the United
States. whether users of alcoholic bev.
erages or not, will have to be collected.
Cost Falls on Consumer.
The cost OF drinking beer and whiskey
now falls upon the consumer OF these
beverages. The cost OF going without
beer and whiskey will fall upon con-
sumers and non-consumers alike. The
problem now before Congress is: Does
the country want national prohibition
keenly enough to pay for 1t?
Nearly a dozen Senators met repre-
sentatives of the Anti-Saloon League to-
day and discussed plans for curtailing
consumption OF intoxicants during the
war. The general proposition OF enact
ing a complete nationwide prohibition
law was discussed as well as curtail-
ment measures.
The proponents Of all forms OF pro-
hibitory legislation now under considera-
ton hope that as a result Of the elimina-
ton of the supply during the war and
as a result OF what they believe will be
the multiplied efficiency of the nation on
the basis OF enforced abstinence the de-
mand for national prohibition will have
grown to the point where the post st-bellum
campaign viii make the entire country
dry. This Is the aim of a large number
of the present protagonists of restricted
production and restricted consumption.
Plan of Prohibitlonists.
Senator Nelson. Minnesota. warned the
Senate that the movement to prohibit
the use of barley in the manufacture of
beer would force the United States to
become a whisky drinking nation. The
group of Senators who will favor all the
restrictive amendments intend 10 meet
this by proposing the redistillation of
the present bonded warehouse supply
through an Executive order commander
ing II for war uses. With production
stopped and this supply thus disposed of
the country would have nationwide pro-
hibition.
The President thus far has not COM
mitted himself. 1t was said at the White
House to-day that he had not written the
letter alleged to have been received by
Presbyterian church in Chicago which
quoted him as indorsing prohibition res
olutions and expressing the hope that
Congress you'd respond. Before the war
the President was a local optionist
Secretary Daniels sent a letter to
Speaker Clark to-day urging that lezls-
lation prohibiting the sale OF intoxicat
ing beverages to soldiers. Incorporated in
| the army bill. be extended to cover the
navy.