Show NEUTRALITY ACT FIGHT SPURRED W WASHINGTON ASHINGTON- Oct ll 11 UP House administration leaders clearing the decks for tor quick acion actio actio ac- ac tio ion on repeal of the prohibition against arming American merchant merchant mer mer- chant ships provoked new Isolationist isolationist isola- isola opposition Saturday Decision by the house foreign affairs committee to restrict Its hearings to two days confine itself Itself it itself it- it self to the one subject that subject that of WASHINGTON Oct 11 UP P- P Utah's congressmen J. J V. W RobInson RobInson Rob Rob- Inson and Walter K Granger both Democrats voted in or fa of the l lend lease bill on final passage merchant ships ships and and conduct the hearings in private touched off protests from Isolationists who called the action outrageous The committees committee's decision Friday Friday Friday Fri Fri- day night followed a show of powerful powerful pow pow- erful administration strength strengthen in inthe U the of-the new the houses house's passage lend lease appropriation which carried to 67 Earlier the house had rejected to 21 an attempt to bar lend-lease lend aid to Russia Passage of the lend-lease lend fund cleared the way for house action next week on neutrality law sion The foreign affairs committee committee com corn went to work promptly on the bill Bloom Initiates Move Iove On motion of Chairman Sol Bloom the committee voted 12 to 7 to restrict the hearings and the scope of the measure in the Interests interests interests inter inter- ests of quick action Bloom ruled recommendations by President Roosevelt for ultimate ultimate ultimate ulti ulti- mate removal of provisions barring American ships from combat zones were not germane to the issue of arming merchant ships which the president specifically requested This was designed to forestall any opposition attempt to raise the Jie more controversial combat zone issue which administration supporters fear would delay authority authority authority au au- au- au to arm ships It was understood administration tion strategy is to jam the ship arming authorization through the house and then add the combat zone repeal by amendment in the senate or by offering it in a separate separate separate sepa sepa- rate measure Group Vows Fight Such ionis s as Representatives Representatives Representatives Rep Rep- Hamilton Fish New NewYork NewYork NewYork York George Holden Tinkham Nourse Rogers Massachusetts Massa Massa- and anu ana John Junn M M. ivi wi Ohio and anu ana John Junn M M. ivi wi Ohio all all Republicans Republicans left left the committee committee com corn room vowing they would redouble their opposition to revision revision sion of the neutrality law Tinkham said th the committees committee's action was outrageous a a. complete complete com corn nullification of democratic processes Fish its ranking Republican member who said Thursday he was inclined to favor arming ships so long as they did not go into combat zones did not indicate whether he had changed his mind Bloom announced four witnesses Secretary of State Cordell Hull Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox Chairman Emory S S. S Land Landof of the maritime commission and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Harold R R. Stark will Stark will be called Will AMU ill Bar Newsmen Each witness he said will be asked to prepare a formal statement statement statement state state- ment for distribution to newsmen who will not be permitted to hear their testimony House Majority Leader John W. W McCormack D D. Mass informed the house it could expect two days of general debate starting Thurs Thurs- day He indicated a vote might be reached late Friday The administration apparently had made every effort to clear the way for the neutrality act fight to obtain the thumping majority majority majority ma ma- by which the supplemental lend-lease lend appropriation passed the house |