Evening star., 1940-02-21

Spokesmen Lacking
As House Interest Lags
On Trade Pact Issue
Leaders Ask Members
To Take Floor; Voting
To Begin Friday
BACKGROUND
In 1887 Congress extended to
June H., 1910, administrators
authority to negotiate reciprocal
trade agreements without con-
gressional ratification. Opposi-
tton to the lo,D-tarif aspects of
the agreements began to groU
last summer, chiefly in agricul-
tural centers in West. In his
message to Congress, President
Roosevelt emphasized need for
program as fundamental part OF
foundation OF any tDorld peace.
| BY the Associated Press
House leaders found themselves
today in the peculiar position OF
having to beg members to talk about
one Of the sessions biggest issues
extending the reciprocal trade pro-
gram.
Apathy reached the point yester-
day where only Is lawmakers were
in the chamber. No one wanted
the floor so the House adjourned in
midafternoon.
The debate had to continue today,
however, for an advance agreement
among proponents and foes of the
bill called for IL hours discussion
before any amendments could be
considered. With . five hours re-
naming, the House was called into
session at II am.
Voting to Begin Friday.
Tomorrow's session will be de-
voted to George Washingtons
birthday exercises, so that voting
will not begin until Friday.
Sounding for the most part like
Mondays speeches, debate yesterday
developed this prediction from Rep
resentative August H. Andersen, Re-
publican, of Minnesota:
Unless we change our foreign
trade policy, we are headed for a
major depression which may be the
last roundup for American democ-
racy."
On the other side of the argu-
ment, Representative Anderson,
Democrat. of Missouri contended
that the trade program had opened
new foreign markets and expanded
old ones.
Congressional activities as whole
were as quiet as the reciprocal trade
debate. The Senate still was in re-
cess, and few committees were busy.
Asks Senate Ratification.
Representative Coffee, Democrat,
OF Nebraska took a leading position
IN the movement to alter the bill
yesterday with the submission of
an amendment which would make
all future reciprocal tariff treaties
subject to Senate ratification.
Delivering the first Democratic
speech criticizing the program, Mr..
Coffee asserted that his amendment
would assure American agriculture,
labor and industry an adequate op-
portunity to be heard" on all future
trade pacts.
Despite Mr.. Coffffee's s move, Demo-
cratic leaders looked forward with
confidence to the stage of voting.
After a poll they reported that a
maximum OF Is Democrats would
desert them, leaving comfortable
majority Cor the bill in its present
form, even though the whole Repub-
lican membership should vote in op-
position.
The nominal leader of the op-
position, Representative Treadway,
Republican. of Massachusetts was
at home i'll, but he sent to the
House statement minimizing Dem
ocratic claims that the program was
an instrument for world peace. The
program. he said, would neither be
eff1cacious nor desirable in dealing
with the chaotic conditions that
undoubtedly will exist when peace
comes"
Refuses Harbor Bill Limit.
Meanwhile, the Senate Commerce
Committee refused yesterday to
place a $5,0O0,000 cost limit on
projects to be authorized in the
omnibus rivers and harbors bill
Instead, it voted to break the
$407. 100000 authorization measure
into four separate bills.
In closed session, the committee
rejected resolution by Senator Ma
loney, Democrat, of Connecticut to
limit the omnibus measure to prof.
ects costing less than $5,000,00O
On suggestion of Chairman Bailey,
Democrat, of North Carolina, the
Senate group then instructed a sub
committee to write four bills-one
for navigation improvements, one
for power developments, one for
flood control, and one for combina-
tions of the other three.
Senator Bailey said this would be
a means of preventing the big pro-
posals from riding" with the little
ones for which the demand was
widespread.