Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-05-09
Congress
SIidingDown
Toward War
The House Has Gone Far
Since Lease-Lend
BY PAUL MALL0N

More and more members
of Congress are becoming re-
signed TO war. Deeply signifi-
cant was the House defeat Of
an amendment which would
have forbidden Mr.. Roosevelt to
give the seized Axis ships TO
Britain. The margin on the
first vote was 16l TO 131. Thus,
negatively, the House approved
such an unneutrai and belliger-
cnt act.
a declaration of war today
might not pass by such a mar
gin, but the fataliStic progress
of events in that direction is
evident. This vote clearly
showed how far the House has
gone since lease-lend.
THE treasury tried hard to
prevent Leon Henderson,
the price cudgeler. from taking
out openly against its tax pro-
gram A meeting of treasury
officials and Henderson was
held the night before he was to
appear before the House ways
and means committee.
The price fiXer however. was
adamant and finally two or
three treasury officials came
around in favor of letting him
speak his piece.
As a matter of fact certain
congressman are also beginning
to wonder whether the official
propaganda in behalf of the bill
has been wise. The measure was
sold as a bitter pill the country
must swallow like a man. But
its severity in cutting business
profits in a time of increasing
wages and price restraints
could take the heart out of de-
Tense production. which is the
vital necessity upon which our
security rests. You can't make
a voluntary economic system
work without profits. The
money must be raised, but some
changes may be made in the
ways of doing it.
No ONE is following up seri-
~ ously Mr.. Morgenthau's
hint that a billion dollars could
he saved by economizing At
Mr.. Henderson's elbow while he
testified was the man whose
presence may explain why. He
is Richard Gilbert. head of
Henderson's economic division.
a product of the old Harvard
school of Spenders. Their theory
is that spending should con-
tinue until full production and
employment are reached.
CENATOR PEPPERS demand
~ for a declaration of ma
tional emergency was preceded
by a brief talk along the same
lines "a hours earlier from Rep.
Clyde Ellis of Arkansas. Both
worked closely with downtown
New Dealers.
A meeting Of executive off
Gals at the White House two
weeks ago came to the conclu-
sion that the foreign policy
would have to be sold more
actively. Cabinet officers have
been making a series of speeches
demanding deeper naval par
ticlpation. since then. but some
administration counselorS doubt
that even this has been enough.
Speeches by Mr.. Roosevelt are
demanded. they believe.
Several similar signs point to
the possibility that Coyness is
about to be dropped. and a
frank and vigorous pursuit of
the detectives is about to be
undertaken.
HITLER'S worst shortages
IL noAA-are- IN -ruhhar- and ue,tell
Neither will be obtained in the
Balkans.
4 critical internal problem,
complicated by his Balkan con-
quest, Is transportation. He
will have trouble getting oil up
10 Germany. The British are
planning a new bombing cam
paign against his rail centers.
That is why they negotiated
with Mr. Roosevelt for new big
bomber deliveries.
Distributed b. King Features synd Inc
Reproduction IN whole or IN part
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