Evening star., 1939-10-25
BY ]. A. O'LEARY.

Charging that the cash and
carry neutrality bill in its present
form "is a blank check to the Pres
ident" to fix the foreign policy of
this country. Senator Johnson, DEM
ocrat, Of Colorado, moved in the
Senate this afternoon to make all
of its provisions mandatory when
ever the President finds a state of
war existing.
The Colorado Senator moved to
strike out language which required
the President TO invoke the neutral
ity law when he finds state of war
to exist land hat it is necessary to
promote the security or preserve
the peace of the United States or
to protect the lives of citizens of
he United States" BY eliminating
these several conditions the John
son amendment would leave the
mere existence of a state of war
between two countries as the only
factor necessary to bring the law
into operation.
La Toilette Favors Referendum.
Meanwhile Senator La Toilette,
Progressive. of Wisconsin, gave no.
tice he will propose an amendment
calling for national advisory ref
erendum before this country could
60 to war, except in case of an in
vasion.
The Senate, pushing ahead to-
ward final vote on repeal of the
arms embargo and passage of the
cash -and-carry bill by Friday,
began the day considering an
amendment by Senator Clark, DEM
ocrat, of Missouri to treat armed
merchant ships as naval vessels,
which would limit them to "a
hours in an American port.
After Chairman Pittman of the
Foreign Relations Committee had
opposed this in a statement OFF
the floor as provision that would
virtually bar belligerents from
trading with this country under the
cash-and-carry plan, Senator Clark
withdrew it temporarily to give
right of way to the johnson amend
ment.
Senator johnson said he wants to
vote for the pending bill and there
fore is anxious Ito make it the best
bill possible"
Sees Unpremeditated Joker.
MY amendment will correct what
I believe to be an unprecedented
joker in it," the Colorado Senator
continued, because my amendment
will make nearly all of the bills pro-
visions mandatory when foreign ma
tions 60 to war and does not dele
gate discretionary authority to the
President to arbitrarily set aside its
important provisions by his failure
to act.'
Senator johnson argued that the
discretion the President would have
in determining when to issue the
neutrality proclamation under the
bill and the fact that the bill re-
peals the existing neutrality Law
permits international law to pre-.
vail as the foreign policy of the
United States when two or more
foreign nations 60 to war, without
the compulsory imposition Of one
specific legislative restraint upon
citizens Of the United States which
is not now found in internationa.
law
In its present form, the pend
ing bill is complete surrender by
the Congress to the Executive o1
the whole foreign policy of the
United States" he added.
Purely Advisory in Scope.
Senator La Toilette, an opponent
of embargo repeal, described his sug-
gested election as purely advisory
and not binding on Congress.
He told newsmen the only cast
in which such an advisory test Of
public sentiment would not be re.
quired would be in the event of 8
threatened attack on this country
or by American country or
any nation in this hemisphere.
At the last session of Congress
Senator La Toilette was joined by
10 other Senators in unsuccessfully
proposing a constitutional amend
ment which would require similar
referenda and make them binding.
The proposed constitutional amend
ment was similar to one previously
introduced by Representative Lud-
low, Democrat, of Indiana, which
(See NEUTRALITY PAGE A-5)