The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1919-09-05
HOUSE ADOPTS
FOOD PLAN
Control Act Amended in Record
Time So That Small Dealers
Are Open to Prosecution.
LANDLORDS JUST ESCAPED.
House Reverses Itself After Adopting
Measure to Punish Landlords Who
squeeze-cIothing Under
United States Control.

NaSnlnSl ION. - heLt. pIOulSclS CO
capped by a narrow margin being
brought under the power of the anti
bill which passed the
house of representatives. After de-
Gliding first to include them in the bill
the house reversed its action. The
final vote of II to 132 on the amend
ment found the Republicans lined up
solidly against the inclusion and the
Democrats solidly in favor of it.
This action was taken after the
house, sitting as Committee OF the
Whole, had adopted the amendment by
a vote of 70 to 63. In both instances
the Democrats lined up solidly in sup
port of the amendment, while in the
Committee of the Whole the Republic
ans broke ranks. The reversal came
after the majority whips had rallied
the Republicans back into line.
AS it passed, the bill was in the form
IN which it emerged from the Agricul-
tural Committee, with retail profiteers
in food, clothing and other necessaries
brought within reach Of federal prose
cution. Final action by the house on
the measure marks the first definite
legislative step by Congress in re-
sponse to President Wilson's demand
for measures to aid the government in
it's fight on the high cost of living.
Debate on the bill lasted all day,
and the occasion was taken by the Re
publicans for a general onslaught on
the administration, Democrats rising
now and again to the defense of the
President and charging the majority
with playing politics.
Rural members on both sides of the
aisle rallied to oppose bringing the
farmer within reach of the profiteer-
ing and boarding penalties, and an at
tempt to include raw cotton with
wearing apparel in the list of neces
saries to be regulated was ruled out
OH a point of order. Adverse votes
prevented the inclusion of coal oil and
gasolene under the head of fuel neces-
saries.
With action completed by the house,
interest centers as to the senate's re-
ception of the drastic measure. Oppo-
sition in the senate Agriculture Com
mittee, which will consider the bill in
the upper branch, is very strong ami
many senators on the floor are said
to feel that the legislation goes too
far. Republicans there will make the
same charge as was made in the house,
that the President for two years pos
sessed all the needed authority with
out exercising it against the prohteers.
Advocates Of the bill /have justified
it's extreme provisions on the ground
that the emergency conditions existing
with respect to living costs call
for emergency measures, and attention
has been called by them to the fact
that the new bill, which amends the
food control act, becomes imperative
at the same time that measure does
when peace is finally proclaimed
Permanent legislation to meet the
profiteering evil in normal times is
now under consideration by the house
D AAAASS ~
forth in the Presidents cost of living
message. 1t is expected that 1t will
b4 some time before this is shaped up
for passage.
The Democratic drive for the rent
profiteers appeared to take the Repub-
lican majority more or less by surprise.
In the form in which it was offered
the Huddleston amendment included
dwellings and dwelling rooms let for
hire" Immediately it was offered, Ma
iority Leader Mondelf began rallying
opposition on the Republican side on
the ground that adoption of the
amendment would open the doors to
score Of other additions, the combined
weight of which would make admin
istration of the law impracticable. The
deciding action was taken while the
house was sitting as a committee OF
the whole.
"Rent," declared Mr.. Huddleston, "fs
certainly one of the necessaries of life,
and rents have been ballooned to the
skies all over the country, The dis
content, especially among labor, is due
in large part TO the fact that man
scarcely can pay sufficient rent to in
sure his family shelter"
Landlords Of the national capital
were made the targets for special
abuse and the debate yielded de-
mand that if the bill became law the
government should proceed forthwith
to make of the rent profiteers Of this
city a sober lesson to landlords every
where.