Evening star., 1941-02-18
Clark Says Aid Bill Stakes
u. S. Safety on British Victory
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"go along" when the British-aid
legislation reaches a vote in the
Senate He had not discussed his
amendment with leaders in charge
of the legislation. he said.
Summing up his objections to the
bill. Senator Johnson asserted that
there is no need now for additional
aid to Britain. Britain is receiving
and will continue to receive-all aid
necessary that can, with a due re-
gard for our safety, be accorded
War Making Powers Seen.
Declaring that the measure was
mot a bill for aiding Britain nor a
bill for the national defense of our
own country" Senator Johnson as
serted that it proposed to grant
powers to the President never before
given to a Chief Executive.
1T makes the Chief Executive a
dictator and worse. a dictator with
power 10 take us into war he said.
War me- king powers would be trans
ferred from Congress to the Presi-
dent. Senator Johnson's report went
on. and the President would have
the authority to designate aggressor
nations and determine what
punishment shall be meted out to
them"
BY its terms. Senator johnson con-
tended, the bill would commit the
country to support of any policy the
President chose to put in effect.
AT one point in the minority re-
port, Senator Johnson said that he
was informed that Great Britain
had received 1884 of the 1884 mill
tary planes he said were produced
in the United States in 1910.
Other foreign nations got 374
ships. the United States Navy, 1872,
and the Army, 364, Senator johnson
said.
Should Please 3ackers."
"Cerieiniy." ic Said, these figures
ought to please tie advocates Of this
bill, if they contend it is a bill to
aid Britain.
He asserted that it Was simply
ridiculous" to contend, as he said
supporters OF the bill had, that it
was necessary to have some other
nation providing defense for US"
The bill, Senator Johnson's report
continued. would serve as "an invi-
tation to the President to take a
hand in the game of power politics
in every far-flung region Of the
earth"
The California Senator outlined
steps taken since 1889 to preserve
this country's neutrality and de-
clared that the bill would reverse
this policy and turn our backs upon
international law
Senator Johnson quoted. Without
giving the source. statement that
it was not more unneu-ral for the
United States TO do the things pro-
posed under the bill than for SWe-
den. Russia and other nations to
send war materials into Germany
every DAY.
President Roosevelt in his
fireSide chat of December %
made such a statement, speaking
of the sending of steel and ore
and oil and other war materials"
into Germany by Sweden. Rus
Sia and other nations near Ger
manyD
Think of the irony of this" Sem
ator johnson wrote. Russia fixes
our standards today.
Plain Violation of Law"
Under this bill We not only lay
our ports open for the repair of
belligerent warships, but We'll i'm
plement them, arm them, not pri-
vately. but through the resources
and man power Of our Nation. This
is a plain violation of the law in
voked by the President and no
subterfuge, no preteXt can justify
this course.
Senator johnson said that Secre-
tary of State Hull had painted the
terrible picture of the aggreSSor. ma
tions-terrible. because true. But in
this picture he carefully refrains
from mentioning Russia, and the ink
was scarcely dry upon his written
paper submitted to the committee
when he withdrew the moral en-
barge that had rested upon Russia
and apparently Russia was white as
snow and her sins were forgotten
and forgiven-RusSia, whose attack
upon little Finland shocked the
world and whose rape of half of
Poland plainly demonstrated that
she was one of the axis powers. and
her more recent appropriation OF
the little nations on her borders
has aroused the indignation of all
right thinking people.
But now. Russia is no longer in
the category of aggressor nations
no longer within the category OF
predatory nations, ready and willing
unjustly to pounce upon smaller and
weaker countries. If anything were
wanting to show the hollowness and
the preteXt of this bill it is found
in the recent Russian incident where
the United States condoned every
Russian crime, and forgave her every
unrighteous grab of weaker neigh
borS."
AS the first speaker against the
bill in the Senate debate. Senator
Clark urged that there be no name.
calling" and that members give
faith and credenss" 70 the argu.