The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-12-18
HOUSE DEBATE
IS STARTED ON
DEBT MEASURE
Might Session Is Likely,
in Effort to Hasten
Ratification.
PLEA MADE BY HOOVER
Congress Group Invited to
Breakfast for Appeal
by President.
PLEA MADE BY HOOVER
BY THOMAS L. STOKES


WASHINGTON, Dec. Io.-The
house TO-DAY took up ratification Oh
the Hoover DEBT moratorium, WITH
Democratic Leader Ralney determ-
med TO hold ii IN session all night
II necessary to pass the measure.
PresidenU hoover, before the house
took personal leadership
in the ratification fight.
He called a group OF Republican
and Democratic congressional lead
erS and others to breakfast at the
White House and urged co-opera-
ton in passage of his program. The
President pleaded that the Demo-
Gratis join Republicans in nom
partisan action.
Speaker John N. Garner of the
house, Undersecretary o. Treasury
Ogden Mills (RepD, Strong (Rep.,
KAN, and about ten others were at
the breakfast.
Given Some Hope
Leaving the White House those
who attended were noncommittal as
to the exact outcome of the meet
ing. 1t was learned, however, that
the President had been given some
in his requests for
unified action.
The chief points upon which the
President asked cooperation were
the moratorium, extension of the
federal farm loan bank system, and
formation of the reconstruction
finance corporation.
The house began consideration of
the measure at 1890 p. m. Debate
was limited to eight hours. The
for ratification was di-
rected by Chairman Collier of the
way and means committee. Repre-
sentative Sanders, Dem, Tex), led
the opposition for minority of the
Tries to Eliminate Speeches
Formal debate under the time
limit will not be finished until 9
p. m. or thereafter, as Interruptions
occur. Five-minute
speeches then will be in order, but
Rainey attempted to eliminate these
as far as possible.
BY passing the debt bill-thiS
is expected after some delay and a
shower of critical debate-congres
will give President Hoover authority
to postpone for one year the debt
that already have been
waived, but emphatically will serve
notice that it will tolerate nothing
further.
The Stinger in the bill, constitut-
ing a rebuke for the Presidents ne
gotiationS looking toward war debt
revision, was inserted by the ways
and means committee before it
formally approved the measure
Thursday night and dispatched it
to the house for action. This reser-
offered by Representative
Ragon Dem, Ark, reads:
1T hereby is declared expressly
to be against the policy of congress
that any of the Indebtedness of for
eign countries to the United States
should be in any manner Cancelled
or reduced, and nothing in this
Joint resolution shall be construed
as indicating a contrary policy, or
as implying that favorable consid-
Grafton will be given at any time
to change in the policy hereby de-
clared."
Democrats Back Clause
This reservation was adopted, Is
to 9, over the protests of Secretary
of State Stimson and Undersecre-
tary of the Treasury Ogden l.. Mills,
who were cloSeted with the commit
tee for a part of the five-hour
secret session.
The fifteen Democrats on the
committee and one Republican,
Representative Crowther IN ",
it, with nine Republicans
against. The resolution then was
favorably reported by re-
port of 81 to 4. The four who voted
NO were all Democrats.
The reservation was the out
growth of rapidly crystallizing opin-
ion in congress, whether justified
or not, that President Hoover
planned to reopen the whole war
debt question.
This opinion was strengthened
when he recently recommended re-
creation of the World war debt
funding commission.