New-York tribune., 1918-06-06
Senate to Kill
Dry Bill at
Hoover'sPlea
Orgy of Drunkenness
Would Follow Closing of
Breweries, He Warns
Especial Dispatch to The Tribune J

Especial Dispatch to The Tribume)
WASHINGTON, June 5.-"An orgy
Of drunkenness" will follow the clos
ing of the breweries, as desired by the
radical prohibition element in Con-
gress, Food Administrator Hoover
warned the country in public state
ment tonight.
IF the American people want pro-
hibition it should prohibit by legisla-
tion to that end and not force the
food administration to the RESPONSE
bility for an orgy Of drunkenness"
Mr.. Hoover declares. "It is mighty
difficult to get drunk on IN per cent
beer; it will be easy enough if we force
substitution Of distilled drinks for
it,"
Mr.. Hoover and the President have
both rebuked the radical prohibition
element in the House for attempting
to force the Presidents hands on clos
ing the breweries and dismantling the
wine presses.
Promises to Kill Bill
Not content with the Presidential
order suspending distilling for the
period Of the war, the prohibitionists
induced the House Of Representatives
to adopt an amendment, fathered by
Representative Randall, of California,
which withholds the appropriations in
the agricultural bill until the Presi-
dent has issued an executive order for
bidding the making of wine and beer
as we'll as distilled liquors.
In view of the opposition of the
President and Mr.. Hoover, Senator
Sheppard, of Texas, stated that the
Senate would kill the House amend
mcnt. Senator Smith, of South Caro-
lima, chairman of the Agriculture Com
mittee, expressed opposition to the
amendmentH< because of the small!
amount of grain used in the manufact-
ure of alcoholic liquors.
While stating that from the strictly
food conservation view he would favor
suspension of brewing, Food Admin
istrator Hoover predicted that such
legislative action would place the coun-
try on "whiskey basis" and there
fore defeat the temperance aim of it's
proponents.
Hoover's Statement
Mr.. Hoover's statement reads:
"As to the discussion over the sup
preston of brewing, wish to say en-
phatically that from strictly food
conservation point of view I should
like to see the use of foodstuffs sup
pressed in all drinks, hard and soft.
"This is not, however, the whole
story. We stopped distillation year
ago. There is long supply of whs
key, gin and other 20 per cent to 40
per cent distilled drinks in the coun-
try. We have reduced the consump-
ton of foodstuffs in brewing by 80
per cent and reduced the alcohol con-
tent of beer to 2% per cent. If S&e
stop brewing, the saloons of the coun.
trv will still be open, but confined
practically to whiskey and gin basis.
Any true advocate of temperance and
of national efficiency in these times
will shrink from this situation, for the
national danger in it is greater than
the use of some 100000 bushels OF
grain monthly in the brewerles.
Fears Orgy of Drunkenness
eff the American people want prohi-
bition it should prohibit by legislation
to that end and not force the food ad-
ministration to the responsibility for
an orgy of drunkenness. 1t is mighty
difficult to get drunk on "a per cent
beer. 1t will be easy enough if we
force substitution of distilled drinks
for it.
"The food administration has gone
as far as it can toward temperance
without precipitating worse situation.
If the American people or Congress will
stop the sale of distilled liquors. the
Administration will find no difficulty in
stopping brewing"
Mr.. Hoover explained that no effort
had been made to prohibit the manu-
facture of wine, because "the wines
produced in this country are from
grapes, of which a very small proper
tion are available as table or raisin
grapes, and therefore the stoppage of
vine making would add no consequen-
tial amount of food to our national
supplies. The conversion of grapes to
grapejuice instead OF, wine, as suggest
Id. would add nothing to our national