The Washington herald., 1918-03-29
BREAD CARDS
COMING IN U. s.,
STATES SOLON
Representative Lever Tells
Congress Food Situation
Is Serious.
REP. BAER ATTACKED
North Dakota Member Call
ed a Political "Derelict"
in Hot Debate.

Bread cards and bread lines for
America are only a few months
away. Chairman Lever. of the
House Agriculture Committee. de-
cIared yesterday. He asserted fur
ther that President Wilson is gen.
timely worried over the serious
food situation.
The echoes of Levers declara-
lion had scarcely died down when
the Food Administration called off
all wheatless days for households.
Ii was explained. however, that
this is not so much because of a
plentitude Of wheat as it was to
throw more Of the burden Of con-
serving food on public eating
places. MoreoveL though relieved
of the wheatless day restrictions.
private households were asked to
reduce consumption to one and a
half pounds of flour a week.
Would Aid Farmers.
Levers statement came in the midst
of an iInpassioned plea for passage
Of a House bill proposing to loan
ST..C0. 900 TO farmers Of the Northwest
to aid them buy spring wheat seed.
Despite his most vigorous efforts.
Lever was unable to press the bill 70
passage. Conservative Republicans.
led by Representatives Cannon. Of
Illinois: Moore. Of Pennsylvania, and
Stafford. of Wisconsin. Joined with
southern Democrats in savage attacks
on il as SociaIistic and making pau
pers of the farmers" who receive the
loan.
The Non-PartiSan League. Of which
Representative BaeT. Of North Da-
kota. author of the bill, is member,
came In for repeated attacks. and
Baer was assailed as political ''maver-
ick'' and ''derelict.'
II think members do not realize
how serious the food situation Is or
they would cease their pctiy person.
aIities and jibes at this bill. - declared
Lever. "Our last wheat crop was a
failure and the one now coming
through the ground is very far from
promising.
Demands Pressing.
With the demands of our allies be-
coming more and more pressing.
fear the day of bread cards and pos
sibIy bread lines in America is not far
distant.
This bill should have been passed
Immediately. and if the political as
saults and insinuations against it con-
tinuc. | shall be able to answer them
with a letter of support from the
President HIMSELF
Lever said the bill was declared
necessary BY both Food Administrator
Hoover and Secretary of Agriculture
Houston.
Asserting the measure. Representa-
tive Moore charged that it was a po-
IiticaI sop Ito an organization on the
prairie States which is growing like
.wiIdfre, and which has frightened into
line several hitherto Independent ano
unterrifed members of Congress-"
Representative Campbell demanded
OF Moore why it was all right for the
government to loan railroads ant
business corporations 5000 10000 un'
der the war finance bill. but socialistic
TO aid the farmers plant wheat.
Makes Urgent Plea.
Moore's reply that the businesses
we're more directly concerned with the
war was met with a chorus of dissent
Later in the debate. Chairman Lever
declared he thought the bill would in
crease the wheat-planted area b,
100000 acres. He said that grair
promised to be so precious that III
would support the bill IL it seemed
likely merely to increase the croI
1000. 900 bushels.
when the bread lines call for fooC
and our allies and soldiers need whea
TO sustain them" he cried. you mel
who vote to defeat this bill will fall or
your knees and pray God for forgive
ness
Representative Clark, Of Florida
made two attempts at prohibition
legislation. the first to prevent the dis
tiIling or mailing of further grain, and
the second to prevent any farmer from
selling grain raised by aid of the pend
ing bill for the manufacture of intoxi
cants. Both were declared not german,
to the bill
Final action on the bill is expecte,