Evening star., 1939-11-02
Repea|ists Hold
Edge as House
Nears Vote
Neutrality Bill Rushed
For Adjournment
By Saturday
BY ]. A. OLEARY.

t1ons cash-and-carry neutrality bill
appeared to be holding the margin
Of victory for repeal of the arms
embmargo as the House approached
the crucial vote on the issue ghis
afternoon.
The vote will come on the all.
important matter of whether the
House conferees are to receive any
instructions concerning acceptance
or rejection Of the Senate action in
repeating the arms embargo. Three
opposition proposals are before the
House In this connection.
Quick adjournment Seen.
Meanwhile Speaker Bankhead
predicted Republican efforts to keep
the special session going after the
neutrality bill is disposed Of will
be defeated and said he expects ad-
journment by Saturday night.
Meeting at II am. the opposing
sides in the embargo fight began a
final barrage of oratory scheduled
to continue until pm, but with all
indications that the administration
would poll majority for repeal.
Some Democratic spokesmen esti-
mated the majority at 20 votes, while
Chairman Bloom of the Foreign AZ
fairs Committee predicted it would
reach 80.
Fitting its schedule into plans to
speed the bill along, the Senate met
briefly at noon, then adjourned until
& ~ ohNvyt thu tivraA hA
may have finished with the bill In its
present stage. The routine action
then up to the Senate will be to
authorize q conference with the
House to work out the final form
of the bill.
Chairman Pittman of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee told
reporters the joint Conference Com
mittee would meet at 1890 am.
tomorrow. Majority Leader Barkley
said these Foreign Relations Com
mittee members would be the Sen
ate conferees: Pittman, George,
Democrat, Of Georgia; Wagner, DEM
ocrat, of New York; Connally, Dem
ocrat. Of Texas; Borah, Republican,
of Idaho, and johnson, Republican,
of California.
Rayburn Sounds Warning.
With nearly the entire member
ship of the House listening, Majority
Leader Rayburn of Texas sounded a
warning that to tie the hands Of
the conferees by instructing them
against embargo repeal might kill
the legislation and leave American
shipping exposed to war-provoking
incidents on the high seas.
Pointing out that the Senate
voted, 2 to l. to repeat the embargo.
Representative Rayburn asked the
House to consider the practical re-
suits Of voting instructions to House
conferees that might result In .
deadlock.
THAT is q serious responsibility
to take. and one that I refuse to
take" he said.
The Democratic leader stressed
this argument because the isolation
lists are basing their opposition to
the bill on the three moves to in.
struct the House conferees. The
vote will come first on the Woolcott
amendment. which is intended to
tighten the ban on Government
credits to belligerents, and, there
fore, Is not test vote on the en-
barge.
The second roll call will be on the
Vorys amendment, which seeks to
retain the embargo on all lethal
weapons. This will be the first test
on the embargo issue, but the de-
cision will rest finally on the vote
on the Stanley motion, which seeks
to instruct the conferees to insist
on the present mandatory embargo.
Representative Rayburn belittled
the argument that this country
should not change its rules after
the game has started"
"A question has been raised here,
but 1t does not appeal to me, Of
changing some rule in some game"
said the Democratic leader. Whose
game? It certainly is no game in
which we are sitting, and every
country on earth was put on notice
early this year that q revision of our
neutrality law was In process. The
House acted last summer, and the
Senate voted only to put it of until
January"
Mr.. Rayburn said he had heard no
one advocate that We refuse to sell
arms to Russia and Italy, countries
that are still classed as neutrals.
II think we know now where the
great neutral Russia stands in this
conflict" he added.
In his adjournment prediction
Speaker Rankhead disclosed that he
be put into final form by the con-
ferees tomorrow or Saturday.
Then, despite Republican insist