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Show TTTTTTii IN Washington The isolationists in the Senate begin their big drive for outright defeat or serious modification of the controversial lend-lease proposal pro-posal with the offering of a resolution reso-lution by Senators Wheeler and Nye calling on President Roosevelt Roose-velt to ascertain the war aims of all belligerents, their peace conditions, con-ditions, and any secret treaties of which the President may have knowledge, which call for disposition dispo-sition of territorial spoils. A joint statement issued by these two leaders of the isolationists isola-tionists bloc said: "The threat of American involvement in a foreign for-eign war is imminent today and before this nation plunges from the brink into the holocaust of war, the people of the United States are entitled to know the war aims and peace conditions of England, of Germany, of Greece, of China, of Japan, and any other warring powers. "Most historians and students agree that the Treaty of Versailles provoked the present war. Before the United States goes any farther far-ther along the road to war we should have assurances from our potential allies that American boys will not be plowed under European Eu-ropean soil every twenty - five years. "The lesson of the last World War should not be forgotten. We learned at tremendous cost the utter and complete futility of that war. We made our sacrifices in blood, in tears and in dollars to make the world safe for democracy demo-cracy and to end all war less than twenty-five years ago." Opportunity for Debate This resolution is affording an opportunity for floor debate in the Senate in the hope that such airing of views may influence the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs Af-fairs which opened hearings at the beginning of the week. Virtually the same parade of witnesses which appeared before the House Committee has been called before the Senate group without any startling change in testimony. Secretaries Hull, Mor-genthau, Mor-genthau, Stimson and Knox were under much sharper examination due to the unusual proportion of be made. Approves Four Bills While the Senate awaited the report from the Foreign Affairs Committee and argued the Wheeler-Nye resolution, it took time out to approve four bills which authorize au-thorize more than $1,350,000,000 for vessels of all types, their armament and personnel to man them. This is the largest ship construction program in the history his-tory of the country, and, if it were not for the debate on the lend-lease lend-lease bill, would be front page news. At least 253,000 additional workers will be employed in Navy yards between now and June, 651 new midshipmen will be admitted to the United States Naval Academy, Acad-emy, 200 cargo ships and 400 small navy fighting ships will be on the construction line and 58 of the Navy's fighting ships will have additional armor plate added to them. With the whole nation stirring to its greatest defense effort in its history, the attitude of labor is assuming increasing importance here. Encouragement was found in the statement of Joseph S. McDonagh, secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Labor, La-bor, who voiced his approval of a six-day week for labor. Industrial leaders close to the defense commission were a little disturbed by the clause in the proposal pro-posal which provided for overtime pay on the six days, but on the whole were much gratified by the whole attitude of the Federation, which was expressed by William Green, president, when he said: "We have enlisted for the duration dura-tion of the emergency." isolationist members on the Senate Sen-ate Committee, but remained unshaken. un-shaken. In the meantime, debate in the House has been going on. The House Committee wound up its hearings in executive session and heard testimony of three military and naval chiefs. House debate is being watched sharply in the Senate, Sen-ate, and especially the disposition made of Representative Hamilton Fish's seven proposed amendments which, Mr. Fish said, have the following fol-lowing purposes: "To prohibit the President from giving away any part of the Navy. "To prohibit the use of American Ameri-can Navy vessels to convoy American Am-erican or British ships into the war zone. "To limit the value of war materials ma-terials to be lent to Britain to $2,000,000,000. "To require that Britain put up some kind of collateral for any war materials received. "To strike out the provision of the bill permitting belligerent warships war-ships to base upon or enter American Am-erican ports for repairs or outfitting. outfit-ting. V "To limit the life of the bill, preferably to one year. "To define the section which repeals any provision of existing law when the President deems such provision stands in the way of national defense." Cloture Talk Ceases The House will soon be through with the bill, but it is not expected expect-ed to emerge from the Senate Foreign For-eign Affairs Committee for at least another two weeks and then will be subjected to unlimited debate de-bate on the Senate floor. All talk of a cloture in the Senate, which would set a time limit on debate, has ceased, and Washington is awaiting the most bitter and acrimonious debating since World War I. Yet there has been no change here in official quarters in the belief be-lief that the bill will pass without too many curbs and that in its final shape, President Roosevelt will have just about what he wanted when he first sent the bill for consideration. It is to be noted that in the past, the administration administra-tion has sent bills which called for far more than was actually wanted want-ed just so that there would be room for compromise, and while the lend-lease bill would undoubtedly un-doubtedly be welcomed in its entirety, en-tirety, compromises can readily |