Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-03-01
Wheeler Warns
: Aid Bill Means
Dictatorship
CONTINUED from Page Five)

for other purposes" this Frencl
bill was a defense law.
I The question we are debating
on this floor is fundamental,
whether the same pattern. ne
peated with but little variation II
land after land and only slight.
embellished by the addition O
TRADITIONAL American shibboleths
shall succeed in the United State
as ii had in Germany, Italy ant
Russia
The pattern is simple but seem
ingly irresistible. 1t consists es
sentially in first persuading tn
people they are in grave and i'm
n1inent danger. that all is los
unless they act quickly and in tn,
manner they are told. Then the,
are presented with a bill with ar
anaesthetic title that, instead O
providing for the defense of theil
country. or relieving its distress
or meeting a particular emergenc,
as they had supposed. they have
set up a dictator, concentrating
enormous powers In his hands
that they have been duped into
signing away their charter of lib.
critics and their civil rights for a
mess of pottage and that they nc
longer have control over their
purses, their swords or the lives
} of their sons.
Section 2 defines two terms (a)
defense article" and (b) defense
information" These definitions
stand at the threshold of this bill
and afford fitting introduction to
its bewildering scope. The vast
powers conferred on the President
by later sections extend to and
have to do with all the articles
and the information defined in this
section.
INVENTED TERMS
The term defense article. does
not mean articles ordinarily and
normally associated with armed
: defense or even armed offense: ii
means all articles. s.
The term defense information"
is not really limited to defense
ARTICLES as You and or the public
would use the term in conversa-
fion. 1t means any and all infor-
kmation about any and all articles.
( Neither term has any estab-
lished or ascertainable meaning to
be found in a dictionary or court
decision. They were apparently
invented for the occasion by the
unknown authors of the bill.
Let US not deceive ourselves.
Defense articles" under this bill
sembrace all articles from battle
ships to bath powders, from
bombers to the billions of gold
buried in Kentucky, from cannon
TO Willkie buttons. They embrace
raw materials, manufactured prod.
sucts and agricultural crops.
On the sinister side they include
,crutches and artificial limbs and
books in braille type and identifi-
cation tags and collins and crosses
Tor the countless future victims of
our folly.
AND THAT'S NOT ALL
This is not all there is to the
definition Let me read:
"Such term defense article
includes any article described In
this subsection: Manufactured or
procured pursuant to section 8,
or TO which the United States
or any foreign government has
or hereafter acquires title, DOS
Seession or control"
The language / have lust read
Is intended to insure the extension
OF the definition to include articles
TO which ''the United States or
any foreign government" now has
title, possession or control"
Note that it is not necessary that
either the United States or the for.
eign government have title; pos
session" or control" is sufficient
1t is not necessary that the for
eign government be the govern
ment of a country whose defense
the President deems vital to the
defense of the United States: it is
any foreign government, including
Germany. Italy. Japan and Russia.
II includes all the countries OF
South America; indeed, every
country on the face of the globe.
Thus We see that the definition
OF defense articles" extends to
the merchant vessels of Germany
Italy and Japan. tied up in our
harbors or at Buenos Aires or Rio
de Janeiro. It extends to the