Evening star., 1940-03-13
Women Democrats
Hear Hull Program
Praised by Speakers
Wallace Points to
'Shrewd Tennesseeonn's
Practical Department


hind him.
Unstinted praise for Secretary
Hull and his reciprocal trade agree
ment program came not only from
Mr.. Wallace, but from an anti-New
Deal Democrat, Senator Tydings of
Maryland; Speaker Bankhead and
DR.. Isaiah Bowman, president of
Johns Hopkins University. Speaker
Bankhead's remarks were read, in
his absence, by his brother, Senator
John Bankhead.
The occasion was a forum spon-
sored by the Woman's National
Democratic Club at the Carlton Ho-
tel for a discussion of "Our Foreign
Policy and Peace"
Except for the moderator" Theo-
dore Crank of the American Fo-
rum of the Air, the speakers made
little mention of the war abroad,
concentrating instead on trade
agreements.
Tydings Sees Arms Savings.
Senator Tydings said Secretary
Hull's plan for IAN orderly ex-
change of surpluses" was mot only
good for prosperity, but permits the
United States to have a smaller
Army, Navy and air force because
of the friends it has made through
its good -neighbor policy"
Speaker Bankhead, through his
brother, declared that part OF the
difficulties faced by the present ad-
ministration were due to the steady
strangulation of foreign trade" IN
former years and added that the
Trade Agreements Act was partly to
he thanked for the fact that the
United States had not been In
volved In the events Of the last
months.
DR.. Bowman held that Secretary
Hulrs trade program was sounoly
developed and termed 1t "funda-
mental truth" that trading is
two-way street"
Secretary Wallace, however, went
the farthest in his defense OF the
trade agreements program. He
blamed "our short-sighted policies
Of the 2Os and early 30s" as con-
tributing factor in the European
war, termed the Smoot-
tariff "blighting influence" and
declared that the American market
is not enough for the American
farmer.
Wallace "Steals" Show.
His vigorous language caused him
to be the center of attention In the
questioning period which followed
the 1O-minute talks. Almost every
question was directed to him and
even when Mr.. Crank diverted the
queries to other speakers, Secretary
Wallace rose to make amendments.
On one occasion, when Senator
Tydings had answered question
and turned to Secretary Wallace to
ask him if he agreed, the Secretary
Of Agriculture voiced a prompt mo"
and rose to voice his views on the
subject.
The questions dealt mainly with
the domestic problems of the farm
ers and high tariffs. Asked by one
woman If he realized the plight Of
the truck farmers in Maryland, Mr..
Wallace replied:
Until the people in the city are
employed at good wages, the farmers
will suffer, but the farmers pro-
ducing for domestic consumption
are better of than those with for
eign markets"
Asked the relationship between
tariffs and wages, he asserted that
tariff protected industries pay lower
wages than other industries.
1t was in discussing the most
favored nations clause" in the trade
program that Mr.. Wallace said that
Secretary Hull was not only the
"idealist with his head In the clouds"
that people thought, but he was also
"a Shrewd Tennessee mountaineer
who has cut his eye teeth in WASH
ington for some years." In its deal
ings with other nations regarding
trade concessions, he added, the
State Department has been hard
headed and practical"
Attracts Programs Foes.
In his vigorous attack on the op-
ponents Of the trade agreement pro-
gram, Secretary Wallace declared,
Carrying out their ideas would
not only stop our exports, but also,
because Of the control over imports
and other international transactions
which they propose to set up, would
force this country to resort to
regimentation of the most drastic
kind"
Senator Tydings, viewing the trade
agreements program as IAN arm Of
national Defense" said, however,
that the United States must increase
the size of its Navy because, other
wise, it would become IAN easy prey
for greedy nations"
DR.. Bowman, who introduced him
self as "the only man on the plat
form who definitely has no aspira-
tions for the presidency" because he
was born in Canada, said he had
found a closer approach to nom
partianship in the State Depart
ment than in any other department
of the Government. He urged that
the United States concentrate on
Latin America to diversity its prod
ucts and raise its standard Of living
ultimately to develop q richer mar
ket for goods from the United
States.