Evening star., 1933-03-26
Gives and Takes Between President and
Congress in Second Period of Legislation
BY WILLIAM HARD.

BY WILLIAM HARD.
Pretty soon now, as Washington sees
1t. We shall begin to have q slightly
different sort Of Franklin Delano
Roosevelt.
The discussions of the farm bill in
the Senate may be said to constitute
the start Of the change. For the first
time since Mr.. Roosevelt became Presi-
dent q bill with administration back
ing Is getting vivisected in the sena-
torial laboratory almost as coolly and
unflinchingly as II 1t were an ordinary
legislative guinea pig in ordinary
times.
Two motives actuate the Senate.
In the first place, there is the natural
reluctance Of Senators to confer sub
stantiaIy dictatorial powers upon a
Secretary Of Agriculture-or any other
administrative official. In the second
place. and more Importantly. the in
ternational program of the Democratic
party begins to revive itself against the
purely nationalistic ideas TO which the
farm bill is dedicated.
This revival has been expressed
peculiarly competently in the House
Of Representatives by Mr. Biermann Of
Iowa. Mr.. Biermann, discussing the
farm bill, said:
II shall vote against the bill. From
my Interpretation of the Democratic
platform of last year, we were elected
on principles directly in controvention
Of the principles upon which this Dill
has been drawn. The platform said:
We condemn the unsound policy OF
restricting agricultural products to the
demands Of the domestic market: 1t
said: We condemn the Hawley- -Smoot
tariff law and the prohibitive tariff
rates which have robbed the American
farmer Of his foreign markets This
bill sits on the foundation Of high pro-
tective tariff. I shall vote against 1t"
Mr.. Biermann's remarks were clearly
logically justified They exposed the
profound contradiction between farm
relief as conceived by Secretary OF
Agriculture Wallace and 'the restora-
ton Of international trade" as con-
ceived by the Democratic platform OF
last year and by Secretary OF State
Hull.
The farm bill attempts to erect for
American agriculture an artificial price
structure well above the level OF the
flow Of international trade. 1t attempts
to make American agriculture into an
economic island on stills. That Is an
ideal which can be copiously and even
convincingly defended from certain
point of view. The trouble Is that the
point Of view necessary for that sort
of defense of it Is not the traditional
Democratic point of view, but the point
- CT
tectionist Republicans. The fact IS
abundantly evident in the very text Of
the farm bill itself. The bill empowers
the Secretary of Agriculture to levy a
processing tax" upon nine American
basic agricultural commodities and then
says:
During any period for which pro-
cessing tax IS in effect with respect to
any commodity there shall be levied
upon the importation Of any goods
manufactured from such commodity
duty equal to the amount Of the tax.
Such duty shall be in addition to any
other duty imposed by law"
On butter, for instance, therefore.
there would be the ordinary tariff duty
already imposed upon butter and then,
posed by act of the Secretary Of Agrt-
Republican. The present proposed farm
bill thereupon confronts us with the
proposed astounding spectacle Of tariff
system consisting of Republican duties
plus Democratic super-dutieS.
X X X X
It Is a spectacle which does not en-
trance such Democrats as Senator Eli
son D. Smith of South Carolina, chair
~ hn "a nY1
culture. Mr.. Smith and many other
Democratic Senators are still at least
formally united in the bonds of political
matrimony with that economic inter-
nationalism" which has always been
the housewife Of the Democratic party,
even If the party sometimes had its
nights out. Such Senators are espe-
cially anxious to make their peace with
economic internationalism" II they
represent Southern States in which the
major cash crop Is cotton.
Cotton Is large1y-and even mostly
for export. The proposed farm bill
would authorize the Secretary Of Agri-
culture to move in the direction Of the
so-called domestic allotment" plan Of
farm relief. That plan would give
benefits s"Lwhich means subsidies-to
farmers on the domestic" proportion
of their output. It would put pre-
MUM on that part of their output which
was destined for domestic" consump-
ton. It would stress the desirability
of an output restricted to domestic"
needs. It Is q direct negation Of the
old Democratic yearning for q lively
and voluminous trade Intercourse be-
tween all the worlds countries.
\ X
This Is the fundamental reason why
the proposed farm bill Is likely to
suffer abridgments and atter1uations in
the Senate. The kolationist tendencies
of the bill are likely to be somewhat
clipped. It's eyes are likely to be-
contrariwise open a bit to
the possibility Of the resumption Of
normal economic relationships between
the United States and foreign lands.
Coincidentally-and extremely In
Department of State,
under Secretary Hull, Is now initiating
its efforts to build q series Of sound
and useful approaches to the Inter-
national Monetary and Economic Con-
ference. The conference is to meet
possibly-in the early Summer. Its
primary purpose, IN Mr. Hull's view, is