Evening star., 1942-01-27
Senate Vote Nears
On Bill Expanding
Wartime Powers
Floor Fight Develops
On Proposal to
Modify Huteh Act
BY J. A. OLEARY.

The Senate may reach q final vote
late today on the second war powers
bill, which ran into . floor fight Ate
yesterday over q proposal to modify
the Hatch Act to allow members Of
political committees throughout the
country to serve on draft boards,
tire rationing or other part-tinie
defense work.
Senators Gillette, Democrat, Of
Iowa, and Brown, Democrat, Of
Michigan, are leading the move to
prevent weakening during the war
Of Hatch Act barriers against polit-
ical activity by Government officials.
On the other side, Senators
O,Mahoney, Democrat, Of Wyoming;
Austin, Republican, of Vermont. and
Majority Leader Barkley of Ken
lucky are insisting that men who
happen to be members OF their local
or State political committees should
not be barred from joining in
civilian defense functions on part
time basis without compensation or
for nominal sums.
Interpretation Questioned.
Although the Judiciary Committee
took the position the amendment
would not exempt dollar-a-year men
from the Hatch Act. because they
are fuI-tilne officials, Senators
Gillette and Brown questioned this
Interpretation, and said 1t would be
unfair to let dollar-a-year men serve
on political committees while rank
and-file employees are barred from
active participation in politics.
Senator Brown said he would not
object to political committeeman
serving in their communities as air
raid wardens, but did not believe
they should be on draft boards.
Twice during yesterdays debate
Senator O'Mahoney took the floor
to express resentment over the in
| ference that because q man takes
an active part In politics he becomes
unclean. He declared it would be
utterly wrong to say that because
man has accepted a place on a
local, State or n ational political
committee, he shall have no part in
| the war effort at home"
The only other major controversy
that developed over the omnibus bill
containing II new grants Of power
was an unsuccessful effort by
Senator Danaher, Republican, Of
Connecticut, to limit the Govern
ment's power to lease to some one
else a factory or other property
requisitioned from its owner for war
purposes. He was beaten on q roll
call, Al to 80.
Lack Of Limitation Cited.
Senator Danaher favored allowing
the Government to take over any
facility needed to win the war, but
contended the power to make sub
sequent leases of such property was
without limitation and might con-
tinue long beyond the end Of the
war.
Senator OMahoney expressed con-
f1dence there would be no abuse Of
the power, but argued it would be
unwise to place restrictions around it.
On motion Of Senator Vandenberg,
Republican, Of Michigan, the power
to waive navigation laws during the
war was modified to preserve labor
standards and to prevent sending m
unsafe vessel to sea.
The provision eliminating the use
OF nickel from the coinage of the
scent piece, substituting half copper
and half silver, was amended to per.
init variations in the amount o.
these two metals and the inclusion
Of 10 per cent of some other metal
This change was explained as neces.
sary to make the scent piece operat,
in vending machines.