Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-03-12
How EIIender
AEF Ban
Was Blocked
Collected Enough Votes.
Then Hull Got Busy
By PAUL MALL0N

w What frequently happens
TO strong new senators who
come TO Washington with a de-
termination TO do things for the
public veal is illustrated by the
decline and fall of the famous
Ellender amendment. The cir
cumstances surrou ding its
evaporation into thin air can
now be told on unquestionable
authority
Senator Allen Ellender OF
Houma. La. was determined to
nail down the Presidents Brit
ish aid policy with a firm ban
on the use of American soldiers
abroad. He had a lot of en-
couraging mail and worked hard
among the senators to gain sup
port for his way of making the
lend-lease bill acceptable.
So successful were his labors
that he counted So votes sure,
majority of at least eight, a few
days before the vote. Then
State Secretary Hull got busy
among friends in the Senate.
Next day Mr.. Ellender had 81.
The third day he had as. But
he still thought he could win as
there were sure to be some
absentees.
THEN he was approached by
l. the foreign relations chair
man. Walter George, in charge
of the administration forces.
One of Senator Georges cleo
ton campaign speeches saying
he would cut off his right arm
before he would vote TO send
boys to Europe again. had been
brought up in the debate. But
George held with the administra-
ton that the Japanese would
interpret as a sign of weakness
any~effort to impose BLENDERS
policy on the President.
He sought compromise which
would not tie the Presidents
hands against defense of our Far
Eastern possessions. Administra-
ton leaders Barley. Byrnes
and Harrison worked on Mr.. FL
lender for certain modifying lam
guage. Ellender consulted the
legislative counsel who indicated
the new language would not
emasculate his purpose. A friend,
Senator Overton, also said this.
So he took the compromise.
But instead of changing the
amendment so it would not APP
ply to the Far East, the compro-
mise said the lease-lend bill did
not change existing law except
in the ways it changed existing
law. Most senators and outside
observers agreed it was mean
ingless.
SPEAKER Sam Rayburn was
~ not fooling when he said
this Congress would wiring
81 ,500.000.000 more out of you
in taxes for next year than you
are paying now.
A check of the House ways
and means committee shows the
authors there know fairly we'll
what they intend TO write.
About half the increase. $780,
100000. will be squeezed out of
mid-bracket incomes of $1,000 to
$4,000. Where $4,000 now pays
about one-quarter of its income,
it may pay nearly half. The
other S750.000 will come out of
corporations through increase in
the present "a per cent normal
tax and in addition excess prof
its taxes.
For good measure all those
nuisance taxes which were aban-
doned few years ago, will be
revived and hiked (levies as on
checks, etc.
MR.. ROOSEVELTS European
1'1 watchmen have not been
able TO make out clearly what
Russia is up to either. OF one
thing they are positive.
The anti-Hitler turn indicated
in Stains note to Bulgaria was
phoney. BY telling Bulgaria.
after she let the Nazis in, that
she should not have done it, the
tricky Reds accomplished two
detectives: The strong Bull
garian Communist element was
kept in line with Moscow for the
future. and the Soviets escaped
their pledges to the Bulgarians
by blaming it all on them.
MATSUOKA'S trip to Berlin is
'A being advertised as fra
ternity get-together of two old
Axis pie biters. Actually he was
summoned.
II is known at the top here
that Hitler is trying to induce
his Far Eastern Mortimer Snurd
to create diversion against
the United States in the SOUTH
ern Pacific. But Matsuoka will
not move until he gets an anti
aggression pact with Russia. and
the Red price is high. sStalin
wants the Chinese Eastern Rail-
way and the Sakhalin Islands oil
sources. Hitler might buy a
pact from Russia with a piece
of Turkey but he has not much
else 10 sell.
Betting here is running even
money that MatSuoka is wasting
the fare.
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