AID FOR DEMOCRACY

Southland Times, Issue 24356, 10 February 1941, Page 5

AID FOR DEMOCRACY

Measure Passed By Congress MAJORITY OF 95 VOTES (United Press Association —Telegraph Copyright) (Received February 9, 10 p.m.) WASHINGTON, February 8. By 260 votes to 165 the House of Representatives passed the Lend and Lease Bill, and sent it to the Senate. The Bill is substantially in accord with the wishes of the Administration. Before the final vote, the House rejected by 263 votes to 160 an attempt by Mr Hamilton Fish to recommit the Bill to the Foreign Affairs Committee. This would have killed the Bill. The House also rejected by 122 votes to 38 Mr Wadsworth’s amendment to limit aid to 7,000,000,000 dollars. Mr Wadsworth claimed that “a reasonable check on expenditure would make a lot of people feci better.” The House earlier rejected an amendment to limit the programme to 2,000,000,000 dollars for Britain only by 177 votes to 120. Mr Fish made three unsuccessful at-

tempts in the course of the day to defeat or alter the Bill. The House rejected by 147 votes to 70 his amendment to eliminate the provision for the use of American ports and bases for the repair of British ships.

The House on Friday accepted a temporary limitation of 1,300,000,000 dollars on the amount of war materials that can be shipped abroad. The House amended the Bill providing that a maximum of 10 per cent, of tbe defence equipment for the Army and the. Navy from the current year's appropriations may be transferred. Mr Sol Bloom, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House, offered the proposal as a substitute for a Republican amendment placing a limit of 500,000.000 dollars on the material to be sent abroad.

Mr Rayburn later said the amendment was merely "a .friendly limitation on the amount of material that could be transferred from existing equipment or equipment being made. He indicated that the amendment had not been submitted to the executive departments for approval. He said that the 10 per cent., representing 1,300,000.000 dollars worth of equipment thus allowed, was more than what was needed until the appropriations would be started and equipment manufactured under the Bill’s proposed buying programme, which was separate. Hence the amendment does not weaken the effectiveness of the Rill but meets the Republican arguments that the original form of the Bill enabled the President to sell or transfer all army equipment or the entire Navy. On Saturday the House revised the Bill, by perfecting the amendment making 1,300,000,000 dollars the maximum of "on hand or on order” military and naval equipment which Mr Roosevelt could send abroad under the measure. The effect of it was to clarify the meaning of the amendment adopted late on Friday. The amendment applies only to present stocks of army, navy and

marine corps equipment, including that contracted for during the current fiscal year, and does not limit in any way the future appropriations which may be made directly under the Bill, or equipment which may be acquired by the United States armed forces under the 10,800,000,000 dollar appropriations which Mr .Roosevelt seeks for the next fiscal year. The House approved of an amendment which was previously endorsed by the foreign affairs committee of the House declaring that “none of the provisions of the Bill shall alter the Neutrality Act banning American merchantmen from war zones designated by the President.” The House of Representatives defeated the amendment to exclude Russia from receiving aid under the Bill, after the Administration had issued a warning that the proposed, action might drive Russia into the Axis orbit. The House adopted on the voices a committee amendment requiring the President to report to Congress on British aid transactions at least each 90 days. Amendments rejected included proposals to prohibit the President sending American soldiers outside the Western Hemisphere without the consent of Congress, to prevent the President transferring abroad more than onethird of the warplanes on hand or ordered, to permit the President to withhold reports to Congress if he deemed disclosure incompatible with public interest. After the vote was announced the Republican leader, Mr Martin, issued a statement in which he said he regretted that he was unable conscientiously to vote for the Bill. “I fully realize the desirability of a British triumph,” he said “but I believe that in its present form the Bill is the longest step the nation has taken towards direct involvement in wars abroad.” Senator Walter F. George said he expected the Bill to come before the Senate late next week. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee would complete its hearings on Tuesday with Mr Wendell Willkie’s evidence. BILL DENOUNCED Mr Landon testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee denounced the Bill as “a guess and be damned policy,” under which Congress abdicated to give Mr Roosevelt unlimited powers to police the world by force using all the resources and manpower of the United States. Mr Landon urged Congress to keep control of the aid we send to England.” He advocated gifts totalling billions of dollars to assist Britain’s war effort. However, he insisted that the United States’ primary need now was deliberation in Congress and speed in factories. He stressed that the November elections gave Mr Roosevelt no mandate to grant Britain unlimited aid nor did it give unlimited, powers to the Presidency.