Evening star., 1940-02-29
RUSHING Aid to Finland

Rushing Aid to Finland
Exactly eight weeks after intro
duction of the first bill for Finnish
relief, the House yesterday. by a
vote of one hundred and sixty-eight
to f1fty-one, finally adopted a Senate
approved measure which will enable
the Export-Import Bank, if it so
desires, to lend Red-ravaged Finland
up to twenty millions of dollars for
ron-military purposes.
Finland, with reputation for
scrupulous promptness in paying her
debts, has good reason to be disillu-
stoned by Americas amazing lack of
promptness in responding to her
desperate appeals for immediate,
practical aid. The legislative record
, on the Finnish loan question is not
one of which Americans should be
especially proud. While wave after
wave of Russian bombing planes
were blasting Finnish cities, killing
civilians and soldiers indiscrimi-
nately, and while valiant Finnish
troops miraculously were standing
off repeated onSlaughts of relentless
Red divisions, here is what the
American Government was doing on
the Finnish aid matter:
January 3-Representative Hook,
Democrat, Of Michigan introduced
bill for sixty-million- dollar unre-
stricted loan to Finland.
January 83Senator Brown, Demo-
crat, of Michigan introduced similar
bill in Senate.
January 12-President Roosevelt
said the responsibility for deciding
the loan question rested with
Congress.
January 13-Congressional leaders
said the responsibility rested with
the President.
January 16-President sent letter
advising Congress that non-military
loan would not violate neutrality,
but indicating disapproval of mill
tary aid.
January Ex-senator Brown agreed
to revise his bill 50 as to provide for
restricted twenty million dollar loan
through Reconstruction Finance Cor
poration.
January 24-Senate Committee on
Banking and Currency, after pro-
tracted hearings, approved revised
Brown bill
January 25-Brown bill was re-
ferred to Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, which began hearing
many of the witnesses previously
heard by the Senate Banking
Committee.
February 2-Senate Foreign Rela-
tions Committee took under ad-
visement" voluminous testimony by
departmental officials.
February 7-Senate Foreign Rela-
tions Committee approved the
Brown bill.
February 9-Senate opened debate
on Brown bill.
February 13-Senate passed Brown
bill, forty-nine to twenty-seven.
February 16-House Committee on
Banking and Currency opened hear
ings on companion bill
February 23-House Committee on
Banking and Currency approved
companion bill.
February 27-House began debate
on loan bill.
February 2S-House passed re-
stricted loan bill.
Thus, two months of mighty labor
by both Houses of Congress have
produced a modified, almost mutt
lated, measure which, when finally
enacted into law (there are adjust
ments" yet to be hurdled before
House and Senate send the bill to
the President) will, in effect, say to
a friendly nation with a Bolshevist
bayonet at its throat: Here is that
loan we have been talking about
with such tantalizing deliberation.
Buy yourself some food or clothing
with the money-but do not use a
dollar Of 1t against the rufflan who
is threatening to cut you to pieces!"
All In all, it has been a rather sober
ing demonstration Of how one pow
erful democracy rushes first aid to
bleeding but still unbowed sister
L.