Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-02-08

lease Dill, the scene IN tne hOuSt
of Representatives should be mag.
nificent, IL not down right colos'
sal. As a matter of fact II Is dra'
matte only by implication.
In the play. liberty was beau
tiful red-headed mouse. and the
heroes who tilted a lance and ef'
fected her eventual rescue were
young, handsome and in full pos
session OF their waistlines.
BUT NOT IN CAPITOL
There Is, alas, no beautiful red.
headed mouse in the House of Rep
resentatives. And a composite pic
ture of the congressional heroes
now fitting a lance for liberty In
the House would reveal a middle
aged man who carefully combs his
thinning hair over his bald spot
and who bitches his pants bel,
either above or below his bay win
dow.
But these men. despite the thin
ming hair and the bay windows
CALAMITY rode off in all directions.
They rode off 10 put up a personal
fight for liberty according to their
own lights and their convictions on
the lend-lease bill.
The white knight of Massa-
chusetts. Rep. George H. Tinkham
tR) was fitting a lance for her
when ! arrived in the visitors gall
lery at noontime. Tinkham, who
is opposed to the lend-lease bill
in the name of liberty, huffed and
pulled at Russia, one of the ruff
fans in the funny shirt"
ASKS AMENDMENT
A bald Billiken with a beard,
Tinkham proposed an amendment
to II. r. ITS that would have
prevented the United States from
ever becoming an arsenal for the
USSR. There were probably 100
congressman in their seats when
Tinkham began his speech. But
at the conclusion of the argument
on his proposed amendment, when
Tinkham demanded a teller vote,
Democrats and Republicans almost
poured out of the cracks in the
walls.
A bell. installed in cloak and
committee rooms and in the House
restaurants, had brought them
running. AS the duly elected rep
resentatives of 10000. 900 people
poured into the well of the House.
II looked not little like an ant
heap in eruption.
Now I have read about a teller
vote many times. But l never
knew what one was until now.
II is a cross between London
Bridge Is Falling Down and Tree
Day at Yale.
TWO TRUSTED MEN
One trusted Democratic and one
trusted Republican on such occa.
sions station themselves on oppo-
site sides of the central aisle In
the House. Then all the Republi.
cans parade down the aisle. while
the Republican and Democrat
count them by giving each light
tap on the shoulder as he passes
Then the Democrats have Their
turn.
1t takes up a lot Of precious
time. and a teller vote was de.
manded over and over again ir
the House. But the boys and girls
seem to get so much fun out oi
this game that I suppose II would
be cruel to change the rules and
tell them to play games on theii
own time.
Perhaps I am naive. but l hat
honestly expected TO find the
House of Representatives fraugh'
to coin phrase-with the mag
nitude OF a bill which will affec'
every American now living anC
for generations to come.
BITING NO NAILS
But the House is not sitting or
the edge OF its seat or biting is
nails. In the midst Of final debate
on the lend-lease bill, member,
read their papers. worked on theii
income taxes. and chatted so per
sistenily with each other that III,
speaker repeatedly raped TO
order.
On the Republican side Of the
House. cadaverous Rep. Ham Fisi
of New York, was a lonely
dynamo marshaling his forces
against the bill. On the Demo
cratic side, Rep. Sol Bloom o
New York. chairman Of the Hous'
foreign affairs committee. en-,
Luther Johnson OF Texas proddeC
their preliminary boys.
Twice womanly voice on tn
Republican side asked for recog
milton from the chair and failet
10 ,ket IL. The voice was that o.
Jeahnette Rankin OF Montana
She is part and parcel of the i'm
piled drama in the present scene
The first woman ever elected Il
Congress. she voted agains
Americas entry in the Worlt
War.