Evening star., 1939-06-11
Leaders Set 10 Start
Neutrality Push
In Both Houses
Relief, Tax Revision
And Senote Bloc May
Bor Passage, However
By BLAIR BOLLES.

SlEIl pOllCN SpOkeSfllpll LOT lIle aO-
ministration yesterday made ready
for this weeks big push for positive
action on a revised neutrality bill
which would turn into law Secre-
tary Of State Hull's six points and
scrap the arms embargo.
Acting Chairman Bloom of the
House Foreign Affairs Committee
said he is confident he and his COL
leagues may present a reported bill
to the House tomorrow or Tuesday.
On Wednesday the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee Will hear di-
rectly from the State Department
the administration views on neu-
trality law needs.
However. time and the Well-knoWn
Senate isolationist opposition to do
ing away with the embargo still Of
fered prominent barriers to final
action.
An announcement by Speaker
Bankhead that the highly contro-
Terslal subjects of relief and tax
revision Will be considered ahead
of neutrality indicated that even
the House may not pass this year
on the question of how we should
act in the event Of war abroad.
Adjournment May Figure.
BY the time the House votes a
revenue bill up or down the question
of adjournment will loom so large
that neutrality may be lost in the
congressional rush to get out of
town, unless the administration
wants the changes in the existing
neutrality law so badly that it is
willing to press for an adjournment
postpOnement that would keep Con-
gress in session far into the hot
months
Senate isolationiSt opposition to
the administration proposals, which
widen the scope of the presidential
discretion in putting the neutrality
machinery into operation. was TO-
cused yesterday by the roundrrobin
campaign threatening prolonged de-
bate in the Senate if neutrality re-
vision is presented to that body for
action.
The Senate oppositionistS have
seized on reports of the Presidents
desire to attend the San Francisco
Worlds Fair in July as indicative
of some lukewarmneSs. even in the
heart of the administration on the
question of immediate neutrality &C
ton.
House to Act First.
Senator Barkley of Kentucky, the
majority leader, repeated yesterday
what has been known all along
that no steps will be taken in the
Senate on the neutrality issue until
the House has acted The House
was chosen to move first because it
harbors no such impressive, deter
mined antagonism to the Hull pro-
posals as the Senate
Representative Bloom remains
confident that he can get a rule for
neutrality debate in the House and
that the House Will pass the COM
mittee bill. Judging from votes
taken on the three sections approved
in committee so far, this measure
will fit Secretary Hulls ideas as eX-
pressed a fortnight ago in identical
letters to Mr. Bloom and Chairman
Pittman of the Senate Foreign Re-
tons Committee.
The House Foreign Affairs Com
mittee has voted for the embargo
elimination and approved the sec
tions giving the President wide dis
cretion in deciding when he shall
proclaim the existence Of war. BAN
ming American travel on ships of
the warning states and empowering
the President to designate combat
areas" and proclaim it unlawful for
American citizens or American ships
to proceed through those areas.
Unsettled Matters Not Issues.
The chief points which the COM
nllttee has yet to approve are essen
TALLY repetitions of provisions in the
existing law. The committee has
covered the most controversial sub
iects. Among the remaining sec
tlons which probably will get speedy
approval are those outlaWing loans
to bellieerent States and providing
that goods sold to nations at war
must be paid for in advance.
When the committee has approved
bhe WnOle OIL, 1t Will frame 1IS re-
port, on the basis of which Repre-
sentative Bloom will 60 after the
larger plum of action by the whole
House.
1t will be MI Blooms problem to
overcome the apathy for his cause
attendant on the growing attitude
that holds there now is little imme-
diate danger of war and so no need
for immediate neutrality legislation.
He is arming himself with ammuni-
ton now to convince the House that
II had better prepare the country
for anything that might come by
passing new neutrality law.
After he has done this, he will
have the difficult job of demon
strating TO the iSolationistS that
elimina ton of the mandatory en-
barge on arms shipments to bellig-
erent nations will help keep us out
of war He intends to sustain his
point by quoting from Washington's
Farewell Address which is docu-
nnent dear to the isolationists.