Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1934-04-03
To the Editor OF The Star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
The action of the House in voting
to give the President the power to
negotiate reciprocal trade agreements
is, according to my way of thinking,
one of the most encouraging pieces OF
legislation that has come from either
branch of the Congress during this
administration. I hope 1t makes the
grade in the Senate.
Now, I am quite familiar with the
stock argument as to the delegation
of legislative power to the Executive.
And, frankly, it is a delegation of the
legislative function to the Executive
However, the history of the exercise of
| that function on the part Of the Con-
gress has been such as to convince the
average man that it is useless TO ex-
pect any sensible legislation on the
subject from the Congess. 1t is known
of all that tariff legislation has long
since been reduced to the low level
Of a mere housekeeping perform
ance, with the outcome depending
upon the trading instinct plus the
political power of the interest affected
But there Is much to be said now
for the delegation Of such power that
could not be said heretofore. Since
the United States saw fit to enact its
present tariff law over the protests
Of practically all of the trading ma
lions of the earth there has been de-
veloped a radical change in the ma
chinery for handling tariff matters
There has been a general delegation
of the power to make trade agree
ments to the executive departments
in response to the new nationalistic
idea that every nation has to 60 it
alone. This change in the general
tariff making machinery on the part
of other countries makes it 1mpera-
tive that like machinery be set up In
this country. otherwise We are likely
to see the trade areas of the earth
pre-empted by the countries possess
ing the more facile and flexible ma
chinery. Hence it is now q matter
of practical necessity that the Presi-
dent be given the trade-treaty- making
power.
However, I am not primarily inter-
ested in the mechanics of the situa-
ton. Quite to the contrary. I am
more interested in giving nature q
chance to overcome mans follies.
Furthermore. am tremendously in
terested in making it unnecessary for
this Government to follow In the
! wake of the tottering and crumbling
European democracies. which becomes
the more unavoidable and inevitable
in the degree and to the extent that
1.-The spiritual and physical forces of the
American people are cramped and re-
| Stricted. A free people and a con-
trolled economy are contradictory in
| thought and mutually exclusive in
fact. I am unwilling to surrender the
former for the latter until I am con-
WINGED by actual trial that natures
economy Is not superior to any man.
made. artificial economy. know that
the American people can do hundreds
of things more enciently and more
cheaply than any other people on
| earth. I want to major those activi-
ties and ease out of the inefficient and
the comparatively more costly activi-
ties.
For instance, I can't see any sense
in our going counter to nature in try
ing to produce sugar in this country
Nature gave Cpba and the Philippines
the moisture. the soil and atmosphere
! or climate in which to grow sugal
cane. We had better buy the land
involved here In the growth Of beets
and cane from which sugar Is made