Evening star., 1941-10-17
Earlier Motion
To Recommit
Lost, ,257-136
Many Republicans
Support Measure,
Which Goes to Senate
.(Story n,Poge A-l).
By ]. A. O'LEARY.

1Ile UllI W dI III AIIltI ICdIl Illtl
chant ships passed the House
this afternoon by vote Of nearly
two to one, and went to the Sem
ate, where isolatiOniSts will make
another effort to block it.
The vote on final passage was
259 to 1873, after an effort by Rep
reSentative Tinkham, Republic
an, of Massachusetts,, to send it
back to committee for further
hearings had failed, 257 to 1876.
Thirty-nine Republicans and one ~
American-Laborite, Marcantonio of
New York, joined with 219 Demo-
Gratis to give the bill its large ma -
jority. Only 81 Democrats went
along with the 113 Republicans. 3
Progressives and l Farmer-Laborite =
against the bill
Republican Floor Leader Martin
Of Massachusetts, who had re- y
Trained from indicating his opposi-
ton in advance, voted against the
bill, but a substantial number of y
his colleagues, including Represent
atlVe Fish of New York, Joined the
heavy Democratic majority for the
measure
1t took the House just one week
to get the bill through the FOREIGN
Affairs Committee and TO a final
vote. Senate rules will make the
tight a longer one in that body, but
the result is expected to be the
same
Senate Hearings Monday.
The Senate Foreign Relations
committee is scheduled to meet q.
Monday TO make plans for immedi-
ate hearings.
News OF the attack on the Amer =
lean destroyer Kearny in the North
Atlantic this morning, enlivened the,
hnal hours of House debate. and ~
brought Majority Leader Mccormack
10 his feet to denounce Hitler'S
/ efforts to restrict the freedom of the =
seas.
Answering a claim by Mr.. Fish.
that the destroyer was not in neutral Y
waters, Mr.. Mccormack asked what
olf1erence that made.
If we are to follow that reason-
ing we might as well haul down the
Stars and Stripes all over the
world" Mr.. Mccormack shouted.
We would have to pull our ships
into the navy yards and tie them.
up at the docks"
Mr.. Mccormack said in his opin-
ion the American flag has a right IN.
go wherever this Government deems
II necessary on the seas to safe
guard American interests.
Held Undeclared War.
Mr.. Fish said he was ready To
support the President in keeping a
supply line open from the United
States to Iceland, but that when
American warships move from that
lane into war zone it is euuiva-
lent to undeclared war.
Contending that the DESTROYER
was several hundred miles out be-
tween Iceland and England, Mr..
Fish declared that If American war; i
ships hunt submarines off the coast
OF England of course there will be
! incidents"
! Mr.. Mccormack also denounced
lsoIatlonlSt post card polls on the
question OF peace or war. The ma
| Jorlty leader said that every one
prefers peace to war, but 1 wonder
what the answers would be if the }
post card asked, Are you for or
against Hitler?' or Are you for the
Monroe Doctrine?'"
Mr.. Fish accused Mr.. Mccormick
OF drawing a red herring across
the trail" The post card question:
naires, he said, did not ask the
recipients if they were for war or
peace, but whether they believed the >
United States should enter this wa
now. He said a schoolboy could
make up his mind on that question.
Neutrality Law Criticized.
Representative Faddis, Demo-
crat. of Pennsylvania, said in the
final stages of debate that in the
neutrality legislation of the last j
few years, this country was seek
ing an Elusive security that did not
exist"
He urged this Government to fur
niSh whatever is needed both In Eu-.
rope and Asia to turn the scales inS
favor of the democracies. If Japan
attempts to move against Russia
while that nation is crippled, Mr.
| FaddiS said, I'VE must stop them,'
and expressed the belief it could be
done by imposing economic restric-
tions on Japan.
Closing debate for the opposition,
Representative Vorys, Republican, u
of Ohio contended arming merchant
ships is not the way to protect them
or the crews" -
International law, he said, has
fallen into disrepute and is ttir
reed to rely on in the present situsis :
ton.
Mr.. Vorys said this bill is being
put forward by the administrator
as a trial balloon" to be followed
by other changes in the neutrality
law, depending on how the vote goes@
today.
In the Senate the leaders arg
confident of the votes to pass tbs
bill, but in that body they face ths
prospect q a much longer oattls
(see MENTALITY. Page a-xJ =