Evening star., 1938-09-04
Hull
Continued From First Page.)

AAoo
ments program and its administration
need no Defense" the white haired
Tennessean declared:
The greater part of your letter con-
sists OF an ill-concealed attempt to
divert attention from the misleading
use of trade statistics by your wing
OF the Republican National Commit
tee and its allies, by trying to make
1t appear that this department Is
guilty Of the same practice"
Prior to 1898. Mr.. Hull said, "your
committee factions and others were
using the abnormal trade figures re-
sulting from drought to stir up preju-
dice against the program"
Although the direction Of agri-
cultural trade in 1887 changed in favor
Of exports. the cabinet officer remarked
evidently the newly-found zeal of
your factonal group for truth in such
matters does not run very deep, for
understand that it is still having circu-
lated throughout the farming regions
the same misleading 1887 import
figures for certain farm products, COM
pairing them with 1882"
Silent on Income, Prices.
The circular, Hull said, ''is as silent
as julius Caesar concerning farm in
come and farm prices in 1887 COM
pared with completely collapsed farm
income and farm prices in 1882. BY
such hocus-pocus it asks the public
to conclude that farmers are being
sold down the river" He added:
This new resolution of your COM
mittee group to deal virtuously with
the truth would be more convincing If
you would promptly discontinue and
repudiate these unfair attacks on the
program and thus make your actions
conform with your precepts"
Replying to Mr.. Hamilton's assertion
that there was an "irreconcilable con-
f1ict' between the trade agreements
program and the farm program of the
administration, Secretary Hull re-
torted:
1T is quite evident that you do not
like either program. What you con-
ceal, however. is the fact that the
embargo tariff policy pursued during
the years Immediately prior to 1882
was in large measure responsible for
emergency farm conditions which
forced emergency remedies. That
policy Of extreme protectionism reached
its climax in the notorious Hawley-
Smoot Act"
Basked by Some in G. O. p.
Implying throughout his letter that
Mr. Hamilton was speaking for only
portion of the Republican party, Sec
retary Hull said the Smoot- Hawley Act
lis evidently still supported by you and
segment of your party organization
IN spite of the more enlightened atti-
tude being taken by many of the
ablest leaders and vast numbers of the
rank and file of your party faith"
Mr.. Hull rejected Mr. Hamilton's
contention that farm price COMPARE
sons should be on the basis Of old gold
dollars.
What concerns the farmers" he
said. lis the amount of money they
receive in current dollars and the
amount of goods or services that they
can buy with their dollars. The III
come of American farmers (this year,
in terms of what they can buy with
their money will be far above 1882"
The secretary admitted one error in !
department statement as to tobacco
exports Of 446.000 pounds to Cuba in
1887, but said the figure was furnished |
by the Department of Commerce and
was later corrected.
Advocating the trade agreements as
a way to peaace he said that economic
armaments built up behind trade bar
riers result In lowering of living
standards throughout the entire world;
foment internal strife; and offer con-
stant temptation to use force, or threat
Of force, as means Of obtaining from
other nations what could have been
procured through the normal processes
Of trade"
Regardles of political alignment, he
said, a vast proportion of the Ameri-
can people is already agreed:
THAT people driven to desperation
by want and misery is a constant
threat of disorder and chaos, both in
ternal and external.
That, to the extent that we can
make it easier for ourselves and every
one else to live. we diminish the pres
sure OF any country to seek economic
betterment through war"