Henderson daily dispatch., 1939-12-02

:, etll llllId IldtlOIl-
allst. However, the formers interest
is particularly Inter" The latter's is
especially 'in1ra."
In short, Secretary Hull's prime
OBJECT is to knock down tariff bar
rlers between the worlds countries;
Secretary Hopkins is to knock 'em
down between our home states.
Such barriers between countries
are an old story.
Within our domestic United States,
comparatively, they're a new thing.
Secretary HulI's Thesis.
Secretary Hulls argument is that
no one country can be prosperous I'M
less most Of the rest Of the world
is And the world, he insists, can't
be prosperous without pretty free
interchange Of trade So he went to
work in behalf of a network of COM
pactS between Uncle Sam and other
nations, one after another, abolish
ing mutual commercial restrictions
as far as possible.
He's made about twenty 'of these
diCkers and is after more.
A lot OF our Yankee producers OBJ
ject violently to them, though. For
instance:
Our farmers don't want foreign
agricultural stuff encouraged to
come into the u. S. A. in COMPETITION
with ours. Montana prefers none of
Chiles copper. Oklahoma and Texas
get up no enthusiasm over Vene-
zuela's oil. Sugar isn't welcomed by
our beet folk. There are numerous
other commodities.
Nevertheless, Secretary Hull has
gone ahead with his deals. He has
done it under an act Of Congress per-
hitting him to do so. Early in Jan
uary this authority will expire. Its
opponents want it chOked off then,
on the ground that the State Depart
ment can't constitutionally conclude
treaties without senatorial sanction.
Secretary Hull has been doing it,
but was it constitutional?
Between the States?
There's no question as to Secretary
Hopkins.
There's no constitutional dispute
that the states are a unit
They try to set up division,
though.
State No. l, let's say, slaps up an
4llIpOSC against dOJOlIll1IS StdlG mo. 4.
To be sure, it isn't called a tariff
State No. l, we'll assume, has a
sales tax. State No. 2 hasn't. Con-
sequently prices are a trifle higher
in No. l than in No. 2. The result is
that No. Is residents tend to do their
shopping in No. 2 and bring their
purchases back with them, into No.
l by auto or otherwise.
So No. Is legislature, inspired by
the businessmen who elect it, hits on
a scheme to levy on these imports at
the state line.
AS a protective tariff the federal
courts would knock such a law out
in short order But the pretense is
that incoming commodities need to be
inspected and there's a charge for it. |
Or maybe there's some sort of a
sanitary embargo. Or auto tags have
to be changed at the state line, with
a fee for doing it. Many states have
regular ports Of entry" with what
amount to custom houses.
This sort of thing has played
smash with our interstate flow of
business.
Strengthening Matters Out.
AS secretary OF commerce, Harry
Hopkins thinks it's up to him to de-
molish this system as soon as pos
sible. To that end, he's creating a
commission to investigate the situa-
ton and hit on a method Of giving
us internal free trade, regardless Of
our relations with foreign countries.
It's rather complicated for it !
threatens to bring the Federal gov
eminent into conflict with numerous
state governments.
Nevertheless, Hopkins problem
icn,t as nIzzling as Secretary HUBS. |