Evening star., 1940-02-20

As Post War Curative
Is Urged in House
Boehne Calls Policy Hope
For Rebuilding World
Commerce on Sound Busis
BACKGROUND
Under Trade Treaties Act.
tDhich empires June IL unless eT-
tended, State Department has
been negotiating agreements ,cith
other nations for reciprocal re-
duction OF tariffs and other
trade barriers. Such agreements
90 into effect aDithout Senate
ratification.
By the Associated Press.
Representative Boehne, Democrat,
of Indiana, advocating renewal of
the trade pact program, told the
House today that a precious op-
portunity" to restore sound world
economy after the war would be
lost if the United States returned
to Republican tariff "embargoes."
Representative Boehne was lead
off man for administration forces in
the second days debate over con-
tinuing the reciprocal trade system
for three years.
The session was sparsely attend
ed. Less than hundred members,
about evenly divided between Re-
publicans and Democrats, were in
their seats to hear the discussion.
1T is true" Mr.. Boehne said, that
the work of rebuilding international
trade on sound basis has been rem
dered quite difficult by the outbreak
of the new major war.
1T is safe to say that the scope
of operations of a new trade agree
ments program will be restricted by
war conditions, but that is no reason
for abandoning the entire program
Those who take that position
overlook the all-important fact that
the chances for sound economic
restoration after the war will be al
most non-eXistent if we now aban-
don our work in behalf of sound
trade policies"
Along Partisan Lines.
Democratic arguments that the
reciprocal trade program is an anti
dote for the rule of brute force"
contrasted yesterday with Repub-
lican charge that the system tends to
drag down the United States to
''peon" level.
These differing views, offered by
Representative Robertson, Demo-
crat, of Virginia and Representative
knutson, Republican, of Minnesota,
were among the opening shots fired
in week of House debate on reso-
luton to continue the trade pro-
gram for three years.
Cleavage in the discussion, begun
yesterday, was generally along par
tisan lines despite a contention by
Chairman Doughton of the Ways
and Means Committee that the issue
"lacks any element of partisanship,"
and his claim that President Will
liam Mckinley advocated mutually
advantageous trade treaties"
To this argument Representative
Gearhart, Republican, of California
retorted with other Mckinley quota
tions, which he asserted would show
McKinley's idea was different from
the present program.
Few Members Present.
Such exchanges as this, and
charges and countercharges of "log-
rolling" failed to draw a crowd yes
terday also. -..-
Thirty-eight Democrats and as
many Republicans out of a total
House membership of 425 listened to
Mr.. Doughton. AS the afternoon
wore on, less than 20 were on each
side of the middle aisle which
divides the two parties. Galleries
thinned out to a sprinkling.
Despite contention of Democratic
leaders that the House fight already
is won. opposition forces hoped to
make important amendments.
Log rolling!" shouted Mr.. Knut-
son, pushing his glasses up on his
forehead. In all my years I've
never seen so much pressure and
log rolling as there has been on
this legislation"
Mr.. Doughton contendd that there
had been no such "log rolling
the practice of members voting for
each others pet projects-as pre-
vailed in Republican tariff writing
days.
G. O. p. Revenues Held Lost.
Mr.. Doughton said that the thing
Stearing the very heart strings" out
of the Republicans is seeing "the
main source of their campaign reve-
hue lost"
"The best possible government"
he said, 'is one whose primary con-
sideration is the best interest and
general welfare of its people as
whole.
However, it is notorious that, in
the consideration of the Hawley-