The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-03-08
Clapper Advocates
 Congress Showdown
Writer Claims Members Now Should GO on Record
 Regarding International Collaboration After War

Charter and the Four Freedoms are thus far only the declarations of President Roosevelt -,as far as the United states Is concerned, and have not been approved by either House of Congress.
 Senator Bennett Clark of Missouri, Q leading isolatlonist, is In favor of Congress adopting a concurrent resolution to the effect that Con- gress will at the proper time have to pass on international arrange lnents that may be made by the executive branch. He says 1t is only fair that our Allies should know now that the legislative branch can- not ultimately be ignored.
 The adoption of such a resolution would be doing, in more formal and in a more offlcial way, what 30 sem ators who were opposed to the League of Nations did during the Paris peace conference. They signed round robin warning that the Paris conference had better first ate tend to the making of peace and defer the creation of a League of Nations until later. That was signed by more than one-third of the Sen- ate, constituting Q genuine, If un- ofnclal, warning to the peace con- ference that there was trouble ahead. But the warning was ignored because the function of the Senate in ratifying treaties was only vague- ly understood abroad and 1t was generally considered that Woodrow wilson had full power to commit the United States.
 This is recognized now as elemen- tary by all foreign governments. 1n fact they are most keenly conscious of the power of Congress and are now busy trying to size up the pros- poets, and to determine which way Congress will be likely to jump.
 Meantime governments are stalk ing out their territorial demands and are otherwise preparing them selves to go 1t alone in case the United States should refuse again to join with other nations In trying to bring order into world affairs.
 That uncertainty among other nations Is havnig such Q corrosive effect that 1t Is alarming some of our own government people and many outside persons and groups interested in trying to make this next victory stick.
 They have an interest, just as do the iSolationists although for op- posite reasons, in aScertaining over which fork of the road Congress wishes to travel.
 You can't get into details of post war arrangements. The war Is still to be finished. There isn't 0 man alive, no matter how high in the government, who could sit down now and draw a blueprint that would be likely to stand up five years hence. The big thing to know now is which way Congress intends to go-whether 1t intends to pro- ceed along the road back to isola- ticn. Will Congress refuse to make agreements with other nations for the general security and economic stability of ali, or Is 1t ready to try to do something with the hope ot reducing the chances of @ third world war?
 That is a general question. But 6 man knows which side of that general question he is on. He will get no settlement either way that will be 100 per cent to his liking But he knows in which direction he wants to see the efforts of his government directed.
 This is a good time to get every body begged on that general queS" ton. whichever way we are an- clined to go, 1t Is only fair that our Allies know 1t now. We should not leave them under misapprehension'
 Senator Gillette's resolution, to approve the basic principles of the Atlantic Charter offers one method of getting at the question. Or some of the isolationists could move along the line suggested by Bennett Clark. Or some of the senators on the for eicn relations committee could start 1t for that matter. Both houses ought to be in on it.