Evening star., 1940-04-06

y
policies.
The Republic David Lawrence.
an vote in the Senate was solidly
against the proposal just as it was
preponderantly negative in the
House, so that for campaign pur-
poses the issue remains what it
always has been-a tariff contro-
versy that will make its local ap-
peal,
Defections from the Democratic
side can be attributed in no small
part to local tariff considerations.
Senators from Western States pro-
ducing wool, metals, sugar and meat
products felt that they had to
desert the administration. This
was particularly true of those up
for reelection this year.
Revives Tariff Arguments.
The fight was devoid of acrimony
and, while the decision in the Sem
ate was close and at one time too
close for the administrators COM
fort, the argument was entirely of
the sort that has been heard wien
tariff bills in the past were up for
consideration.
incidentally, substantial part of
the help which came to the adminis-
tration was from Senators who
represent States that benefit from
the trade agreements The Southern
cotton farmers are eager, of course,
for more markets abroad through
trade agreements and this influenced
the Democrats from the South. In
the North the automobile industry,
for instance, favored the pacts be-
cause the trade agreements have
been used to help increase automo-
bile exports. The State Department
has not hesitated to make known the
benefits that have accrued to certain
sections of the country.
The real Importance of the extern
sion of the trade agreement power
Is, however, not at all in the domain
of tariff changes for the present, be-
cause with the war on in Europe the
making of new trade agreements is
perhaps at standstill anyway. But
the fact that the President and
Secretary of State were supported
on what they consider an interna-
tional issue is of real consequence
abroad.
Upheld Value of Agreements.
The best way to measure the
meaning of the trade agreement
triumph Is to imagine what would
have been said in the chancelleries
of Europe if the bill had lost. Exist
ing agreements might have been
considered vaiueless and there might
have been tendency to impose new
quotas and new restrictions on
American exports on the theory that
the existing agreements would soon
lapse.
The most effective argument for
the retention of the trade agreement
power was the desire of the adminis-
tration to retain authority to deal
with the uncertain situation arising
In trade throughout the world. The
present law gives the executive
branch of the Government bargain
ing power and leverage which is of
paramount Importance when it is
considered that foreign governments
can act overnight to make abrupt
changes in trade arrangements af-
fectlng American commerce.
The whole trade agreement pro-
gram originated with Secretary Hull.
For a while, the President was luke
warm, about it, but gradually he
began to grow more sympathetic,
until his ardent championship of the
cause by message to Congress early
this year revealed him as whole
heartedly for the idea of reduction
of trade barriers. Reciprocity was
at one time a Republican policy, but
President Taft's efforts to consum-
mate trade agreement program
with Canada in 1911 was defeated in
the Senate by members of his own
party.
Frank Wanted Ratification.
The Republican Platform Com
mittee, headed by Glenn Frank,
recognized the principle of trade
agreements of reciprocal charac-
ter, but declared that the agree
ments should be approved by both
houses of Congress. The opposition
centered on the proposal to make
the agreements subject to Senate
ratification, but the administration
successfully fought this line of at
tack by pointing to the many pro-
visions of the tariff law which the
Republicans themselves had en-
acted whereby the Executive was
delegated to proclaim duties within
prescribed limits without congress
sional approval. AS for the so-called
favorednation clause treatment
which the State Department has
been giving to countries which dc
not discriminate against the United
States, the Hoover administration
supported that principle very force
fully, too.
On the whole the vote on the
trade agreement controversy has
been q straight Republican anC
Democratic issue, with some high
protection Democrats veering to the
Republican side. But the Repub-
1icans will gain very little from the
issue politically because in the very
States where they had expected to
gain votes by their attitude will
be found Democrats in Congress
who voted as did the Republican
members.
The victory will tend to enhance
the prestige of the Secretary o1
State, who has put his energies into
the trade agreement program be-
cause of a fundamental belief that
1t will be helpful in the restoration
and maintenance of peace and that
it represents an effective way o1
con1batino eronoy,,;c natjonalisYn