House Crushes "Irish Rebellion": Aid so Britain Restored

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23219, 3 April 1950, Page 7

House Crushes "Irish Rebellion ": Aid so Britain Restored

(N.Z.P.A. —Reuter— Copyright.) WASHINGTON, March 31. The House of Representatives today crushed an “Irish rebellion” among its members and restored Marshall Aid to Britain, The House, by a standing vote of 226 to 60, reversed the tentative snap vote of last Wednesday, which would have withheld aid from Britain until the partition of Ireland was ended.

The Administration leaders mobilised their forces today to defeat the Irish unity condition amendment which was carried by 99 votes to 6G on Wednesday.

The large Irish-Amcrican bloc of Congressmen from both sides of the House had then forced the tentative approval of the amendment which threatened to deal a major blow to the Administration’s foreign aid programme. The defeat of the amendment today followed strong condemnation by the Administration leaders and large sections of the American press of the House action on Wednesday.

They regarded the amendment as an “unfortunate practical joke.” The amendment was regarded in Congressional circles as a bid for election support from millions of IrishAmericans in the key constituencies throughout the United States. The House earlier today tentatively approved President Truman’s fourpoint programme for extending aid to under-developed countries, but it cut the first year’s funds from 45,000,000 dollars to 25.000,000. In the final vote, the House approved the foreign aid programme of 3.102.450.000 dollars for 12 months beginning on July 1. The amount was 270.000,000 dollars short of the total asked for by President Truman, but otherwise was fairly well in line with his wishes.

One of the last votes today reversed the amendment earmarking 1,000,000,000 dollars for the compulsory supply of United States farm surpluses to the Marshall Plan nations. The Bill now goes to the Senate.