Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-05-08
Peace Bloc Acts
To Restrict
Ship Seizures
BY ROBERT A. McGILL
IntI News Service Stan Correspondent

WASHINGTON, May s.-The
Senate nonintervention bloc or
ganized today to place drastic
restrictions and attach an anti
convoy resolution to legislation
authorizing President Roosevelt to
requisition idle foreign ships in
United States ports.
Senator Charles Tobey (R) of
New Hampshire, a leader of the
nonintervention bloc, announced
he will offer his anticonvoy reso-
luton when the HouSe-approved
measure is reported to the Senate
from the Senate commerce COM
mittee.
There was a possibility, mean
while, that some members Of the
commerce committee will offer a
similar anticonvoy ban when the
committee begins consideration of
legislation today. The move may
come from Senators Bennett Clark
CD of Missouri, Arthur Vanden-
berg (R) of Michigan or Hiram
johnson (R) of California. They
charge that requisition of the ships
would be an act of war.
HOPE TO STOP TRANSFER
These three senators are also
considering offering committee
amendments which would prohibit
any of the ships from being trans
ferred to Great Britain or any
other belligerent nation, and con-
| fine their use to coastal waters.
Senate administration leaders
conceded that such moves, If sue
cesSful, would practically destroy
President Roosevelt's desire to OBJ
tain the ships, through purchase,
for additional facilities to carry
war materials to Britain and the
other countries fighting aggresSor
nations.
Senator Bailey CD of North
Carolina, chairman of the COM
merce committee, predicted that
efforts will lbe made in the COM
mittee to eurtaii the Use of the
ships. Administration senators,
however, are confident that they
have enough strength to vote
down any attempts to tie the
Presidents hands. either in COM
mittee or in the Senate.
4
ALL LOST IN HOUSE
They expect the Senate to fol-
low the House in rejecting all
moves to curtail the program.
Tobey will offer his resolution
with the full backing of the House
nonintervention group, which re-
Trained from raising an anticon-
voy resolution because of the
inability" to obtain clear cut"
vote due to parliamentary proce-
dure.
Tobey said he has little hope
Of the Senate adopting his resolu-
ton as an amendment to the bill,
but emphasized that the noninter-
VentionistS are determined to
obtain an expression from the
Senate on the go to war" issue
through a record vote.
Tobey adopted this procedure
after the Senate foreign relations
committee refused to report his
resolution to the Senate for
debate.
PASSED 266 TO 100
The House ship requisition bill,
passed 266 to 100, would author
ize the President to purchase,
requiSition, or take title to any
idle foreign merchant vessel
deemed necessary to national de-
tense. President Roosevelt would
have unlimited disposition of the
ships.
The powers granted the Presi-
dent would apply to SO foreign
ships, including % Italian and
two German, and would continue
until June 80, 1912. unless the
present emergency ends earlier.
President Roosevelt, meanwhile,
signed into law a record naval
supply bill, appropriating S3415,-
521,7 $50 for use during the fiscal
year beginning July l, in driving
toward a two ocean navy and
ctray,utbopino IF tho nptiro naval