Milford chronicle., 1941-05-02


Problems maspaEAhIs From Local Welfare
--l aiew0i -
Weeks ago opponents Of the
lease-lend bill admitted that their
cause was lost. From the begin
ming, 1t was a certainty that the
bill would go through. And so,
when an irritable, debate weary
Senate finally voted on the bill on
the evening of March 3, it came al
most as an anti-clima& There was
no filibuster. There was no excite
ment. Congress simply gave its
formal approval to a fateful, far
reaching policy which had been
established and decided in all basic
essentials long ago. ts
The bill passed with compare
lively little change. it gives the
President powers which can be
compared only to those conferred
on Wilson during the World War.
He is. in short, empowered to sell,
transfer title to, lease, lend or
otherwise dispose Of any and all
war materials to any powers whose
defense he considers vital to the
defense of the United States. The
Senate added three more or less
important amendments, all of them
approved by the White House. One
ends the authority of the President
to enter into contracts, on June
80, 1913, and stipulates that all
contracts must be fulfilled by July
l, 1916. Another limits orders for
war materials to amounts which
will later be authorized by Con-
gress. and adds a stipulation that
not more than $1,000, 100000 worth
of war supplies now possessed by
our Army and Navy can be trans
ferred. The third requires the
President to report to Congress- on
the progress of the program each
80 days. ~ rss's'
TWO mueh-publicized proposed
amendments were beaten One
would have forbidden the President
to allow the U. S. Navy to convoy
supply ships abroad, AS White
House spokesmen pointed out, this
meant little or nothing, Iinasmuch
as the Constitution gives the Pres
ident, as Comman1er-in4C Chief of
all the military forces, almost un-
limited authority over naval ac-
tions and policy, and 1t would take
a Constitutional amendment to
change that. The other amendment
would have forbidden sending an
A. E. f. to foreign lands without
explicit Congressional approval.
Administration leaders said this
would weaken our foreign policy,
particularly in the Far East, by
assuring our possible enemies that
we would be unable to back up our
talk with action. Congress con-
Cured
The vote did not divide strictly
on party lines. The Democrats
held their forces well in line-49
voted for the bill, and but 13
against. The Republican split
Seventeen said no. Ten voted yes
Including the party's Senate
leader, McNary of Oregon.
1t has been widely reported that
Mr. Roosevelt was Just waiting for
Congress TO finish it's wrangling
before taking drastic steps to iron
out arms production difficulties.
II is one thing to pass law pro-
vfding all-aid to England--ita is a
very different thing to produce and
ship the arms the belligerents so
desperately need. The defense
high command has already been
shaken up, but there is still con-
siderable division of responsible
4twr hAc erse
supreme command, as was Bernard
Baruch in the 1917 War Industries
Board. The feeling persists that
the President will be forced to do
this before long. And reports are
also going around that some of the
men high in defense councils have
not proven to be such production
wizards as their build-ups indicat-
ed. 4t3bA erT
In the meantime, it is next to i'm
possible to find out exactly how
well or badly the defense drive is
going. Some say it is, in, ,fearfully
bad shape; others say that it is
progressing well as, can, be ex-
pected. What may prove to have
been an important declaration was
lately made by ex-Amba Bull
litt in a speech before the Overseas
Press Club. Mr.. Bullitt said that
1--WE could double our planned out
put of airplanes and tanks and
merchant ships and guns!in 1912 il
we would buckle to the task now"
He indicated. that "a declaration of
full emergency" may nbe4 neces-
sary to awaken and prod the coun-
try. And Mr.. Bullitt has often re-
fieeted the Presidential direction of
thinking in the past goe
1t is true, however, that the
physical effects of, the arms drive
can be seen in great quantity now.
Manufacturing towns are mush-
rooming. Shipyards are springing
UP. Close to 10000 drafted men |
are under arms and training. Air
plane production is undoubtedly |
rising. In other words, progress is
being made-but many an expert
thinks it is far slower than the ma
ton has right to expect.
II was the ever-eloquent Winston
Churchill who, months back. spoke
OF the new ties which are binding
England and the United States to-
gether and in magnificent nhrasea