Evening star., 1940-02-22
Senate Approval
0f1rade Program
indicated in Poll
~ Votes Are CIuimed
Against Ratification
Amendment

An administration poll was said
authoritatively today to have in
dicated the Senate would approve
continuation Of the reciprocal trade
program by a close margin.
The poll, conducted quietly by
Senators Barkley of Kentucky, Har-
rtson Of Mississippi and Byrnes of
South Carolina, was described In
administration quarters as disclos-
Ing that If all SO Senators answered
the roll call, 40 would oppose an
amendment to require Senate ratifi-
cation of the trade agreements, Al
would favor it, and the votes OF s
would be in doubt.
Since the opposition is expected
to reach its maximum strength on
the ratification amendment, sup
porters said they were confident of
final approval of the program. The
administration strategists did not
count on any Senate Republicans
to vote for the program.
The House will vote tomorrow on
the legislation, sidetracking busi-
ness today for observance of George
Washington's Birthday anniversary.
Barton Supports Pacts.
House Democratic leaders pre-
dicted that not more than Is Dem
ocrats would vote against the ex-
tension bill. They pointed to q
speech in New York last night by
Representative Barton, Republican,
OF New York In support of the pro-
gram as an indication that Repub-
Ican opposition would not be solid.
1T is matter of common sense
that we should take useful goods
rather than, to us, useless gold-in
exchange for our imports" Mr..
Barton said.
He said the statistics quoted by
both sides in the argument leave
me cold" .
Il appeal from their doubtful
authority" Mr.. Barton added, ito
the guidance of common sense.
Modern science teaches us that
. balanced and healthy diet must
contain vitamins and minerals. In
bulk these ingredients are very
small compared to the total amount
OF food we consume. Yet without
that we cannot maintain bodily
health and vigor.
so it is with foreign trade"
Lemke Calls U. S. Santa"
Attendance at the House debate
reached its low point just before
the discussion was concluded last
night. There were two Democrats
and one Republican in their seats
at the time.
Among Mr.. Barton,s Republican
colleagues opposing the program,
Representative Lemke of North Da-
kota declared that the administra-
ton was trying to play Santa
Claus" to the rest of the world. He
suggested that Secretary Hull keep
his nose out of other peoples
business"
Representative Woodruff, Repub-
Ican, of Michigan said some of the
nations with which this country had
negotiated trade pacts. had entered
into bilateral agreements with 9TH
ers to the discrimination of Ameri-
can commerce. .sJ
Mr.. Barton made known his views
on the trade program in a speech
for the Washington Day dinner of
the Federation of Young. Republican
groups Of Greater. New York at the
National Republican Club. - -
Need to Export Emphasized,
Citing that the United States
holds about two thirds of the worlds
gold, Mr.. Barton said, II cannot
agree with the wisdom of a policy
under which our useful and usable
products would be increasingly ex-
changed, not for products similarly
useful to us, but for a metal of
which we already have too much
and for which other countries will
have desperate need in the future
II they are to continue to be our
good customers. ="
We need to export in order to
keep our economic machine running
at maximum efficiency. It is a mat
ter OF common sense that we should
take useful goods-rather than, to
us, useless gold-in exchange for our
imports. "-
We are creditor nation and wei
can collect the debts owing to us
only II we take goods from abroad.
Yet We behave like a debtor nation,
which must give goods to others in