Press Flays Mouse For Vote To Stop Aid To Britain “Till Irish Partition Ends”

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23217, 31 March 1950, Page 5

Press Flays Mouse For Vote To Stop Aid To Britain “Till Irish Partition Ends”

(N.Z.P.A. —Eauter—Copyright.)

(11 a.m.)

WASHINGTON, March 30

“Americans should hang their heads in shame,” said the Washington Post today in condemning the House of Representatives’ vote to cut off Marshall Plan funds to Britain until the partition of Ireland was ended.

Describing the debate and vote as “outrageous hamacting en masse and an unedifying spectacle,” the Washington Post said, in an editorial, that the House would be lost to all sense of elementary duty if such a decision was allowed to stand.

Legislative drafting experts today questioned whether the amendment on which the vote was taken was enforceable.

lose the cold war when there are budding signs it is being won. “It was a black day in the House yesterday for Ireland, the Western world and us." The New York Times said the House Democratic managers were caught napping because they refused to take the amendment seriously. The paper’s Washington correspondent said the House was in a mood to “kick over the traces” and “in the circumstances even neutral members by the score responded to Irish wit and eloquence. The Republicans, glad of the opportunity to embarrass the Adiministration lined up with the friends of Ireland united.” “This will make glad news in Moscow,” said Mr. Harold. Cooley, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, when an amendment recommending that Marshall Plan dollars be denied to Britain until the partition of Ireland was ended, had been carried by 99 votes to 66 in the House of Representatives this evening.

Move to Kill Amendment Likely

Administration leaders made no immediate comment on the vote but it is learned that they plan action to kill the amendment. They will move for a final roll call vote after mustering their forces.

The tentative vote adopting the amendment was 99 to 66. The House was sitting as a committee of whole in which 100 of the House’s 435 members constitutes a quorum.. Any action of the committee of whole is subject to a roll-call vote if requested by the full House. The general feeling in Congress was that the amendment would be rejected on a roll-call vote and even if the House finally approved the amendment, it would later be rejected in a SenateHouse conference. “Recklessness Of Lunatic”

• Mr. John Fogarty (Democrat), wno introduced the amendment, told the House that Irishmen had played a very important part in the United States War of Independence. He said that if Britain reversed her policy on Ireland, the Senate could eliminate the amendment and “nobody wall be hurt.” Mr. Eugene Cox (Democrat) said the ivote was a “terrible blow” to the E.C.A programme. He predicted the amendment would be eliminated later, but added: “The overnight effect will be tragic. It makes the House look ridiculous." Purchase of Farm Products The House earlier today tentatively earmarked 100,000,000 dollars of Marshall Aid funds for the purchase of American farm products. The amendment, which the House accepted by 119 votes to 107, would make it mandatory on the E.C.A. to buy farm supplies on the open market. The House yesterday had rejected another amendment which woud have cut European funds by 1,000,000,000 dollars and substituted the equivalent amount of surplus Government-owned farm produce. , , . ~ The amendment accepted today would not cut the E.C.A’s funds but would force the spending of that amount on farm produce.

The Washington Star said: “The Congressmen who voted for the amendment displayed all the recklessness of a lunatic playing with T.N.T. Their votes, if sustained, would kill the Marshall Plan not only for Britain but for Europe. They would ignominiously