The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1941-01-02
NV Staff Writer)


Washington. 1t seems newt.
able that the new Congress will
meet in the stormiest sessions
since the days of the first World
War. ~ -'-....e....
Taxation, labor, industry, Will
all be debated holly on the floor
of both Houses, but the major Is
sue confronting the Congress as
It meets will be the question o.
=, aid. to Britain and the form tha'
It will take. Proponents ana oP,
nositionists to the plan suggested
bv President Roosevelt are nnin NM
~, ~ without regard to party lines.
The President stated ne was Is
considering a plan which woulo
a;,,e Britain ornaments ana mu-
e;t;ons ON a loan basis - tnese
a-ros to be returned after the "ai
if they are still serviceaoie, ,o o. "
~ - Icy ren,aced in kind. He sugees-
- That the United States pay TUT
the production OF arms ioi
'aT Tbe basic argument that will be
MT forward by proponents OF 'ii &c
plan is that the United o'a'e S;o ~
5of;n;telv committed to poncy
If aiding Britain; that the oel &c y
of Germany is essential to the
s 90 and we'll being of the UNI
ted States; that the idea OF lenu-
inc arms and ornaments on ths
basis of repayment in KIND wiz
80 the dollar sign out OF our
dealings with a country wnicn Is
ue1d;ne our first line of defense
Circumvents johnson Act
onnosition developed almost I'm.
mediately. Representative Everee'
M Dirksen, Republican, Illinois a?,s
~, denounced the proposal as an IN.
senous and transparent metnoo .,
e;rc,1mventing the johnson Act.
There seems no doubt howev az,
that the Presidents proposal WIN
- few minor changes, and the o.
e,;1s If its execution ironed OUT
w s be put into effect - unless
+here is a sudden and violent pro
test made throughout the coun-
nv In view of the lack Oh piT
test against the destroyer aeaii
th;s seems unlikely to o11lciai
washington circles who are say
;ns that if what we have Done
already has not put us lnto Vic
war this plan certainly WONT.
"T There NAV be some discussion
too about the new set up u 'l ~
nofense Commission; but here az
least in principle, all parties are re
agreed. The President met crlt,oS
of the lack of authority OF the oe-
tense Board with a proposal u q
fo,1r-man council composed u
Secretaries e Stimson and Knox,
William S. Knudsen, industrial
,,oember of the Defense ADVISORY
Commission, and Sidney Hlllman'
labor member of the COMMISSION
Vested With Authority
This new supreme council Will
he charged with getting the re-
armament program into full
swing and will be vested with
sufficient authority to see that It's
orders are carried out. MIR. knuo-
sen will continue his position with
the Advisory Commission, but
will. for all practical purposes
assume the duties Of chairman.
The President will remain as the
nations chief defense executive
with veto power over the rulings
of the committee, but the day to
dav work of armament will be
done by the committee itself.
This is strictly an administra-
ton move, which came in the
face of various Congressional
nroposals to vest more authority
with the Defense Commission. 1t
is thought here that Congressional
proposals will be stymied by the
Presidents move.
In the meantime, many propos-
ais for speeding our efforts to aid
Britain are being talked over.
Some of them are practical, some
fantastic, some simply out OF the
question.
Representative Bloom, Demo
crat. of New York and chairman
of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, is proposing that the
frozen assets of countries occu-
pied by Germany be released to
the British. Then, too, there is a
proposal to turn over the Danish
ships in this country to the Brl-
fish merchant marine, and some
are suggesting that all merchant