New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-15
President Gets Sweeping
Powers to Keep Food
from Neutrals
Prohibition Section
Meets with Defeat
House Provision for Press
Muzzle Believed Doomed
If Reported
lfrom The Tribune Bureaul

censorship and prohibition amend
ments, the espionage bill, about which
such bitter fight has gone on for al
most month. was passed by the Sem
ate tonight. n to 6.
The bill covers a multitude OF unre-
lated subjects. among the most i'm
portant being the embargo power given
the President. This would enable the
President TO lay an embargo on arti-
cles going to neutral countries contig-
uous to Germany, not only If it were
desired to keep those articles from
reaching Germany. but to coerce thoss
countries into cutting off exports to
the Teutonic powers.
So broad is this power that Senator
La Toilette feared it might enable tho
President to force neutral nations to
enter the war against Germany.
The friends of free speech and an
unfettered press won a sweeping vic
tory. The Administration made final
effort to reverse the vote of Satur-
day, when the Senate struck out even
the mild form of press gag amendment
which remained. On Saturday the vote
to strike out this amendment was 80
to 3S. To-day the vote was 48 to "a
against reinserting the same section.
Lodge Opposes Press MuLxle
The most spectacular shift was that
made by Senator Lodge, of Massachu-
setts, who en- Saturday voted to retain
the press censorship and to-day voted
against it,
"0n Saturday" said Mr. Lodge, IL
voted TO keep the amendment in be-
cause | felt that some protection was
essential TO prevent the publication OF
military movements and keep that in
formation from the enemy. Since that
time ! have examined with some care
the bulletin issued by the so-called Blu.
reau Of Information. ! am not willing
for board of that sort TO have the
power to exclude information from the
newspapers of the country. | do not
care to leave the public and newspapers
at the mercy Of that kind Of board
Senator Knox, who was absent when
the vote was taken Saturday. took issus
with Senator Borah's contention that
the whole idea Of press censorship
was unconstitutional, but declared hs
did not think the necessity for such
step existed.
Besides Senator Lodge, the following
Senator's. who on Saturday voted to
curb the press and free speech, to-day
voted against censorship: Pittman, OF
Nevada; Shafroth, of Colorado; Smith,
of Arizona; Smith. Of South Carolina,
and Trammell, of Florida.
One Shift to Favoring Side
There WAS only one switch the other
way Senator Martin, Of Virgins,
Democratic leader, voted on Saturday
against the censorship, and to-day in
favor of il.
The following Senator'S. who were
absent on Saturday, to-day voted
against the consorship: Dillingham;,
Fall, Lewis. Phelan and Knox. The
following Senators. who were absent
Saturday. to-day voted IN favor OF the
censorship: Swanson, Wadsworth, Beck
ham and Neylands
Senator Norris, who on Saturday
voted against censorship, was absent
to-day. while Senators Brady. Warren
and Weeks, who on Saturday voted In
favor of censorship, were absent.
Despite to-dty's victory, censorship
is not entirely dead. IL will have at
least a gasp Of breath in the conferences
between the two houses, since the
House bill contains a censorship pro-
vision, infinitely worse, incidentally,
than the text the Senate struck out
Saturday and refused 20 insert to-day.
IL is evident. however, that the real
desire of the House is not TO have any
enforced censorship. The House voted
by good sized majority TO strike out
the censorship amendment which had
been reported by its committee. Then,
with many members thinking the tight
against censorship won, and away from
the lapltOi, the humlulstrdtlOn lee0ero
slipped nilder amendment over. de-
spite the protests of Republican Floor
Leader Mann that it was an act Of bad
faith.
House Against Censorship
So there is little doubt the House,
should the conferrees bring in some
form Of censorship provision in the
conference report, will reject the re-
port. This is very important in view
Of the personal feeling on the sub
ject among the conferrees Of both
Houses. All three Of the Senate con-
ferrees voted to-day with the minority
to insert the censorship provision.
The effort to graft q prohibition
section 10 the espionage bill as en-
bodied in the amendment Of Senator
Cummins. TO bar the use Of wheat fos
liquor, was defeated, after an intense
sub-surface battle, by vote of ~ to
81.
Much of to-dsy's time was spent by
the Senate in discussing an amend
ment offered by Senator Thomas pro-
viding for the abolition Of all ex.
changes on which foodstufs are sold.
Senator Kellogg, of Minnesota, modi.
fed this BY providing that In future
all dealings In foodstuffs on such exs
u L. l.