Evening star., 1937-04-02

that unless such an agreement was
made, under Senate rules Byrnes
would get nowhere with his resolu-
tion.'
Vice President Garner took a hand
in the dispute to point out that ''the
Senate can take up any matter by a
majority vote at any time"
Meanwhile, prominent Senators Of
both parties joined in urging that the
Senate avoid a vote either condoning
or condemning sit-down strikes.
Presentation of the Byrnes amend
ment late yesterday evoked some OF
the most heated debate heard in the
Senate this session.
Senator Vandenberg, Republican, Of
Michigan, voiced deep regret" over
the manner in which the sit-down
issue had come to head.
IT this measure comes to q vote
and Is defeated" he said, "the in
evitable conclusion will be that the
Senate has refused to condemn sit
down strikes.
This Senate can't afford to have
any one. rightly or wrongly, say that
it condones such methods"
White House Challenged.
The Michigan Senator denounced
administration silence and called for
a firm announcement" from the
White House to clear up this sit
down trouble"
Robinson attacked Byrnes proposal
as an unwarranted attempt to extend
Federal powers beyond their present
scope.
He repeatedly has asserted in dis
cussions OF sit-downs that the Gov
ernment has no power, under pre-
vailtng Supreme Court decisions, to
interfere in such local affairs"
The House, which will consider sew
eral Senate amendments to the CUT
fey act after Senate passage, also de-
bated sit-down strikes yesterday.
Representative Bradley, Democrat,
of Pennsylvania, called on the body
to thank God" that the President and
Gov. Murphy of Michigan would not
permit "bayonets and bullets" to be
used in settling the issue.
TT is better to spill little blood"
replied Representative Short, Republic
can, of Missouri than to coddle and
encourage this form of lawless violence
that will lead to the spilling Of much
blood"
The recent assertion Of Senator
Wagner, Democrat, Of New York,
that sit-down strikes resulted from
"the organized and calculated and
-blooded sit-down Of few great
vested interests" against the national
labor relations act brought a reply
from the National Association Of
Manufacturers
In giving approval by inference to
the sit-down seizures Of industrial
plants he (Wagner) takes the position
that the end justifies the means" the
association said.
He dif1erentiates between laws that
have governed mankind since the be-
ginning Of civilization making illegal
the seizure Of private property and .
single act OF which he Is the author
an act that even organized labor lead
ers declined to invoke during the Gen.
eral Motors strike"
Holds President Has Power.
In the Senate, the discussion fire.
quently turned to how much power
the Federal Government or Congress
has to deal with the question, as dis
tinguished from State governments.
The debate reached climax with
Senator johnson, Republican, Of Cali
fornia, contending the President has q
means Of dealing with the problem
through section Of the Federal code
relating to "insurrection, domestic
violence or combinations"
Senator Vandenberg joined in to
declare that, aside from the power Of
the Federal Government, there Is .
moral responsibility resting on the
White House as well as the Senate to
exercise persuasive spokesmanship."
Caution on Hasty Action.
Most Of those who entered yester-
days debate cautioned against hasty
action on the amendment. Even
johnson Of California, who vehe-
mently denounced sit-down strikes
and promised to stand by Byrnes,
urged the South Carolinian to make
the issue plain by referring spe-
cidcally to sit-down strikes in the
amendment. Then, he added, Sen
ators may vote Is they see at on the
direct issue.
In offering the amendment Byrnes
declared he favored the declarations
Of labor policy already In the bill on