The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1941-03-20

Happenings That Affect the Dinner
Pals, Dividend Checks and Tax
Bills of Every Individual. National
and international Problems lnsep-
arabic from Local Welfare.

Weeks ago opponents Of the lease
lend bill admitted that their cause
was lost. From the beginning, it was
a certainty that the bill would go
through. And so, when an irritable,
debateweary Senate finally voted on
.he bill on the evening of March s,
it came almost as an anti-climaX:
There was no filibuster. There was
no excitement. Congress simply gave
its formal approval to a fateful, far
reaching policy which had been es-
tablished and decided in all basic es-
sentials long ago.
The bill passed with comparatively
little change. It gives the President
powers which can be compared only
TO those conferred on Wilson during
the World War. He is, in short, en-
powered to sell, transfer title to,
lease, lend or otherwise dispose Of any
and all war materials to any powers
whose defense he considers vital to
The defense of the United States. The
Senate added three more or less i'm
.portant amendments, all of them ap-
proved by the White House. One ends
the authority of the President to en-
ter into contracts, on June 80, 1913,
and stipulates that all contracts must
be fulfilled by July /, 1916. Another
limits orders for war materials to
|amounts which will later be author
lied by Congress, and adds a stipu-
lation that not more than $1,30O,00O,-
IOOO worth of war supplies now
possessed by our Army and Navy can
be transferred. The third requires
the President to report to Congress
ION the progress Of the program each
i90 days.
Too much publicized proposed
were beaten. One would
have forbidden the President to al
low the U. S. Navy to convoy sup
Iply ships abroad. AS White House
Ispokesmen pointed out, this meant
little or nothing, inasmuch as the
Constitution gives the President, as
Communicating Of all the mill
Itary forces, almost unlimited au-
Ithority over naval actions and policy,
land it would take a Constitutional
amendment to change that. The other
amendment would have forbidden
sending an A. f. +. to foreign lands
without explicit Congressional ap-
Iproval. Administration leaders said
this would weaken our foreign policy,
particularly in The Far East, by as
Isuring our possible enemies that we
would be unable to back up our talk
with action. Islisless concurred.
The vote did not divide strictly on
party lines. The Democrats held their
forces well in line--49 voted for the
bill, and but 13 against The Repub-
Iicans split. Seventeen said no. Ten
voted yes-including the party's Sen
ate leader, McNary of Oregon.
1t has been widely reported that
Mr.. Roosevelt was just waiting for
Congress to finish its wrangling be-
fore taking drastic steps to iron out
arms production difficulties. 1t is one
thing to pass law providing all-aid
TO EngIand--it is a very different
thing to produce and ship the arms
the bcllgerents so desperately need
The defense high command has al
Ircady been shaken up, but there is
Istill considerable division of rcspon-
Isibility. No one man has been given
Isuprcme command, as was Bernard
Baruch in the 1917 War Industries
Board. The feeling persists that the
President will be forced to do this
before long. And reports are also
Igong around that some Of the mer
high in defense councils have not
proven to be such production wizards
as their buiId-ups Indicated
In the meantime, it is next to i'm.
possible to find out exactly how wei
or badly the defense drive is going
Some say it is in fearfulIy bad shape
Iothers say that it is progressing as
Well IS can be expected What may
proVc to have been an important dec
Iaration was lately made by cx
Il Ambassador Bullitt in a speech be
fore the Overseas Press Club Mr.
BuIijtt said that eve could double Oul
IpIauncd output Of airplanes and tanks
Iand merchant hips and guns in 1914:
if we would buckle to the task now.
He indicated that a declaration o,
r. 'Gulj emergency" may be necessary t,
awaken and prod the country. AnC
Mr. EuIlitt has often reflected tht
Presidential direction Of thinking il
the past.
' 1t is true, howevcr, that the physica
- effects Of the arms drive can be seer
-hn great quantity now. Manufactur
fling towns ava mushrooming. Ship
/ yards are bringing up. Close t,
10000 drafted men are under arm
and training. Airplane production i
undoubtedly rising. In other words
progress is icing made--but many al
expert think it is far slower thai
Y the nation has a right to expect.
+ It was the cver-eloquent Winston
e. Churchill who, months back, spolk
T. Of the nov ties which are bindinj
Il 't,t - l.,