Evening star., 1941-02-18
Debate
Continued From First Page)

additional powers to send our boys
overseas" Senator Ellender said.
I'm not doing this to delay because
I am willing to vote for the bill to-
day"
Senate opponents of the lease
lend bill in its present form ex-
pressed the opinion the Ellender
amendment would carry consider
able force.
Meanwhile, the opponents of the
bill were having their troubles lin
ing up Senators to keep the debate
moving in the Senate. They were
informed by administration leaders
supporting the measure that there
were few Senators on that side of
the issue who wished to address
the Senate, and almost none who
desired to speak at length. This
puts sQuarely up to the opponents
of the bill the task of maintaining
the general debate
Expects Week of Debate.
AS soon as no Senator rises to
speak for or against the bill, it is
the plan of the administration
leaders to go right ahead with the
consideration of amendments. In
other words, they have put the
opposition on notice that the con-
sideration of the bill is to move
forward as rapidly as possible, and
that If talk is exhausted voting on
the measure will be begun.
Nevertheless, Senator Taft, Re-
publican, of Ohio, who is taking part
in n1arshaling the opposition, said
today he believed general debate
would run for more than a week be-
fore consideration Of amendments
was begun.
Senator Vandenberg, without
mentioning Wendell L. Willkie, the
1910 Republican presidential nomi-
nee by name, criticized Mr.. Wilkes
recent recommendation that this
Government turn over to the British
five to 10 destroyers a month. He
insisted that the United States
should conserve its own war mate
rials for its own defense.
Matter of Judgment.
Every one admits" he said, that
it's a matter of all controlled judg-
ment how much of our defense
equipment-our ships, our guns, our
planes-shall go abroad and how
much shall stay at home. l believe
the President once said, for example,
that the division of planes should
be on a $3.50 basis. I believe, how
ever, that our recent division has
been running more nearly 90-10 for
us.
"Spokesmen for the Navy Depart
ment said last June they could not
spare destroyers. A month later
so destroyers were traded for naval
base leases.
Last week one Of our very able
Clipper ambaSSadors-and l speak
of him with great respect-suggeSte
that our immediate contribution to
Britain should be from to 10 de-
stroyers month. He intimated he
had the highest authority for the
feasibility of his suggestion. But he
was followed within "a hours by a
sharp statement from our Secretary
of the Navy that no destroyers what
ever can be spared. Then his state
ment was swiftly followed by a
White House luncheon concerning
the outcome of which we have not
been advised"
Admits Isolation Impossible.
"I have never faced an issue which
has disturbed me in mind and soul
more than this one" Senator VAN
denberg declared of the pending bill.
'I freely concede that isolation
that much-brandied and abused
words impossible in this fore
shortened world. We cannot escape
world repercuSSionS, though we can
be more nearly self contained than
any other nation on earth.
Il would face these world facts
candidly. So far as possible, I would
make the Monroe Doctrine a Spir-
itual and an economic as well as a
political reality, emphatically in
cluding Canada. I would fully recog-
nize-since this is our chosen course
that victory for Britain and her
allies is to our immense advantage,
and would contribute to it, through
direct congressional action, within
the limits have prescribed. But I
would not proceed on the theory
that II England falls, we fall, too."