Evening star., 1939-07-08
Purge Targets
Hold Neutrality
Whip Hand
George and Gillette
In Key Position
To Block Legislation

WaVerlng support Tor the New Deal
led to strenuous but unsuccessful
administration efforts to unseat
them in 1888 appeared to be hold
ing the balance of power today in
the fight over the arms embargo
provision of the Neutrality Act.
The two strategically powerful
members are Senators Gillette of
Iowa and George of Georgia.
In opposition to the former, Sec
retary of Commerce Hopkins, then
w. P. A. administrator, extended
open support to former Representa-
tive Wearin for the party's sena-
torial nomination in Iowa in 1898.
President Roosevelt personally in
tervened to ask defeat of Senator
George in the Democratic primary.
In the present critical situation,
both are members of the Senate For
eign Relations Committee, before
which is an administration request
that the arms embargo be repealed in
favor of giving greater foreign pol
Icy discretion to the President.
only III Votes Safe.
Polls of the committee have in
dicated, some Senators on both sides
of the controversy said, that the
administration could safely count
on only II of the % committee votes
for motion TO strike out the modi-
fed arms embargo which the House
incorporated recently in legislation
to change the Neutrality Act.
Without committee approval these
Senators said. there was little chance
of the Senate reversing the House
stand, lnasmuch as foes of the ad-
mlnlstration's proposal to repeal the
embargo provision said Yesterday
that "a Senators had subscribed to
statement opposing any change in
the neutrality law at this time.
Neither Senator Gillette nor Sem
ator George would say how he in
tended to vote when the issue was
brought before the committee at
meeting scheduled for next Tuesday.
Meets Cabinet Officers.
Gillette disclosed, however. that
he had conferred late Yesterday with
three cabinet officers, including Sec
retary of State Hull. He declined to
identify the other two, but newsmen
noted that both Attorney General
Murphy and Postmaster General
Farley visited the Capitol yesterday.
Senator Gillette said the cabinet
members had been asked by Presi-
dent Roosevelt to urge him to sup
port the administration in the neu-
trality controversy. He declined fur
ther comment, except to say:
I am unwittingly in a very
strategical position, it seems"
Senator George said he had not
made up his mind yet how he would
vote. Secretary Hull, friend of
long standing, was reported to have
urged the Georgian to support the
administrations request for repeal
OF the present arms embargo pro-
vision, which directs the. President
to forbid arms sales to warning
nations.
Repeal Opponents Jubilant.
Opponents of the repeal proposal
were jubilant at the delay involved
when the Foreign Relations Com
mittee postponed consideration of
the House-approved measure from
today until next Tuesday.
I think we've got this thing beat"
said Senator Clark, Democrat, OF
Missouri, one of the opposition
leaders. That's why they post
poned the meeting until Tuesday"
Senator Clark said he had OBJ
served signs that administration
pressure" was being brought to
bear on some of the Senators. An
other Senator who asked that his
name not be published, said he had
definite knowledge that an admin
istration proposal for compromise
had been rejected, inasmuch as the
Presidents supporters were unwill-
ing to give up their efforts to obtain
repeal of the arms embargo.
Senator Nye, Republican, of North
Dakota, also of the opposition block.
said l3 Democrats were among the
group of "a who subscribed to a
statement opposing any change in
the embargo section of the present
law.
Long Debate Forecast.
Although Senator Nye and others
denied they had any intention to
prevent Senate action by prolonged
debate, in event the administration
succeeded in getting the legislation
out OF committee, most Senators
agreed that the resulting debate
would extend for weeks.
At the same time, House members
appeared divided on the question
OF whether the House would reverse
its previous stand, even if the SEN
ate voted to permit the sale of arms
to warning nations.
Representative Luther A. johnson.
Democrat, of Texas, a member of
the House Foreign Affairs Commit
tee, said he believed it would reverse
itself ''in view of world conditions"
Administration leaders have argued
for repeal of the embargo on the
ground that the knowledge that
England and France could obtain
ga hAAo 3lSlS WOAlO oSU 40 a lCSIl dill.
ing influence on aggressor nations.
Bloom Gives Concurrence.
Representative Bloom, Democrat,
Of New York, who introduced the
neutrality bill which the House
passed recently in greatly altered
form, concurred with Mr. Johnson's
view.
On the other hand, Representative
Vorys, Republican, of Ohio, author
Of the amendment modifying but re-
tanning the arms embargo, and Rep
resentative Fish. Republican, of New
York. said they were just as sure
the House would stand pat.
1T is unthinkable to me that the
House would reverse ITSELF" Repre-
sentative Vorys said. More than so
Democrats voted for an arms en-
barge in spite of the most power