Evening star., 1940-02-20

industries mere ana there which
feel they have been adversely af-
fected by the reciprocity pacts. All
these disatfected businesses have
made their protests vocal through
members of Congress. and the Re-
publicans hope in the coming elec-
tions to corral all the vote arising
from this particular group of pro-
ducers and shippers.
The contention that the only
thing wrong with the reciprocity
idea Is that the agreements should
be ratified by the Senate has been
regarded as merely camouf1aging the
real objection which is that the ad-
ministration through the trade
agreement power has actually re-
duced certain tariffs. Everybody
knows that to require a two-thirds
vote of the Senate is to kill any
tariff proposal that might be
made. AS for the recommendation
made in the proposed Republican
platform promulgated by Glenn
Frank, namely, that the reciprocity
agreements should be approved by
a ma ajority vote of both houses, this
is eminently much the fairer of the
two propositions from the stand
point of actually wanting to see
tariffs reduced.
Battles Long Drawn Out.
But the Congress has discovered,
even under Republican administra-
tons. that tariff making is never
possible except after long-drawn-
out battles and delays unless there
is some delegation of power to
tariff board or commission with
power to change the duties within
certain prescribed limits.
The grievance in the present situa-
ton is that the administration has
actually reduced some of the tariffs
in the famous Smoot- -Hawley tariff
law of 1882. which was one of the
highest in Americas tariff history.
Naturally the high protectionists do
not like what has been done and
have centered their attack not only
on the reductions. but on the method
used in agreeing to the rates.
The idea of using tariff rates to
bargain with foreign countries is not
novel. In fact it has become estab-
lished practice throughout the world.
The United States Government
under the present administration
does not believe in direct barter so
much as it does a general leveling
down of rates so that whatever ad-
vantages are subsequently given to
any third power by country
negotiating with America will auto
matically accrue to America.
The statisticians have been bat
ting on the advantages and disad-
vantages of the reciprocal trade
agreement policy and there can be
no doubt that certain producing
interests have been injured while
others have been aided, which is
pretty much the case with every
tariff law. The cry that the dele
grafton of power to an interdepart-
mental committee to reduce tariff
rates is unconstitutional is simply
one of many arguments raised
against the method used when, of
course, the actual objection is to re-
ducing the tariff at all.
The Democrats have had disaf-
fection within their own ranks on
the matter of tariff reductions and
some of the Western Senators will
be found voting against extension
Of the reciprocal trading power.
From the standpoint of constitu-
tionality, there is little doubt that
the statute can be written so as to
make it conform to other delegations
of power within prescribed limits.
Thus the Supreme Court has upheld
the authority of Congress to delegate
to a tariff commission the right to
make flexible tariffs and likewise
the right of the Treasury to make
certain tariff changes conditioned
upon possible action by foreign
countries.
The opponents of the trade agree
ment program have a point in their
insistence that secret tariff making
machinery Is not justified, though
the answer made to this is that any
other kind would mean no op-
portunity for negotiating with
foreign governments. The solution