Evening star., 1941-09-08
Senate Fight Mapped
On Big Project Bill,
Attacked as Pork
cIork Rops Proposal
For 675 Millions for
Rivers and Hurbors
~ tt; Associated Press.

Ey tte Associated Press.
A Senate fight against a big new
rivers and harbors bill was in the
making today even before the meas
ure cleared HOUSE COMMITTEES Sem
ator Clark, Democrat. of Missouri
called the legislation "the most
colossal pork barrel proposition in
history"
The bill, which now contains au-
thorization for ITS projects totaling
S675,000,000 is pending before the
House Rivers and Harbors Commit
tee The committee will consider an
additional so projects when hearings
resume September %.
The Senate had only routine busi-
ness on It's calendar today and the
House convened for another nominal
session to satisfy parliamentary re-
ouirements. On the COMMITTEES front,
the Senate Committee investigating
the Eastern petroleum situation had
the stage to itself, but tomorrow
another Senate group will open an
inquiry into accusations that the
motion pictures and the radio have
been used for propaganda favoring
entry of the United States into the
war.
Senators to Testify First.
Senator Clark, of Idaho, chair
man of the f1ve-man investigating
group said the first witnesses would
be Senators Nye, Republican, Of
North Dakota and Clark of Missouri,
bitter critics of administration for
eign policy. Senators Nye and Clark
are authors of a resolution asking
the inquiry.
The two Senators will be followed
by leaders of the film industry, in
Guiding Nicholas Schenck, Harry
Warner, Barney Balaban, Daryl
Zanuck and Alexander Korda.
Chairman Clark said he had no i'm
mediate plans to call any motion
picture actors or actresses, but added
that this might be necessary If any
films were found to contain war
propaganda.
In New York, Fight for Freedom.
Inc, charged in an open letter to
Congress that the subcommittee was
about to engage 'in the most bare
faced attempt at censorship and
racial prosecution which has ever
been tried in this country" The
group announced the protest was
signed by So prominent persons, in
Guiding Helen Hayes and Melvyn
Douglas of the stage and screen.
Fight for Freedom contended the
subcommittee was never authorized
by a vote of the Senate and was
"packed" with extreme isolation
lists"
Tax Conferees to Meet.
~Any attempt to stir Americas
patriotism in defense OF its free
dom, any attempt to portray the
very degradation and baseness of
Nazi-isn1, as Haunted by Hitler and
his cohorts" the statement said,
"will be attacked by this group as
swarmongering and silenced by
racial and religious attacks on the
groups or individuals responsible" :"
House and Senate conferees will
get together Wednesday on the task
of ironing out the differences be-
tween the House and Senate ver-
sions of the huge new defense tax
bill. LAS passed by the Senate Fr-
day the tax bill calls for $685.
900 900 in new revenue-$367 .5OO,0 600
more than provided in the House
version. The House conferees Will
not be appointed oficially until next
Monday when the chamber ends It's
legislative vacation, but Speaker
Rayburn, who is in Texas, notified
them to 20 ahead with the work
as though they had been appointed.
Discussing the rivers and harbors
bill in advance, Senator Clark told
reporters that he considered 1t mot
only pork, but foul and putrid pork"
and he condemned the presentation
of many of It's provisions while we
are confronted with a national
emergency"
Projects Called Fantastic"
Saving that the bill consisted
largely OF items either previously
rejected by Congress or vetoed by
the President, Senator Clark men
toned the st. Lawrence waterway,
estimated to involve 100000, 600
American contribution; the Florida
ship canal, involving q $l95 ,000, 600
expenditure, and the Tombigbee
project In Mississippi and Alabama,
which would cost an estimated s6s,-
100000.
'By tying In these fantastic ideas
with many meritorious projects"
the Missourian continued, they
hope to rally enough votes to pass
this pork barrel graft. But despite
the merits of many projects, I shall
vote against any such raid on the
Treasury"
President Roosevelt recommended
the st. Lawrence seaway and power
project in q special message last
June and Senator Pepper, Demo-
crat, Of Florida has announced he
would make a fight for the Florida
ship canal.