Evening star., 1940-04-05
BY J. A. O'LEARY.

BY J. A. OLEARY.
A split between President Roose-
welt and Vice President Garner over
proposal to limit extension of the
Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act
to one year was seen today as the
President told reporters he believed
it would be very harmful to the
Nation if the trade agreements eX-
tension bill were so limited.
The Chief Executive spoke at
press conference shortly after it
was reported on excellent authority
that Vice President Garner was
supporting one-year limit amend
ment.
Administration supporters in the
Senate predicted they would be able
to defeat the last-minute effort to
limit the extension bill, and as de-
bate was resumed at II o'clock this
morning they still hoped to pass late
today the resolution extending the
act for three years. There was bare
possibility the fight over the one
year limit and other remaining
diltcliOulCllIo 1ilAS1IG 1OlCC 0dtuI Ody
session.
Opposes Battles Every Year.
Mr. Roosevelt said it was not good
for the country to have scrap
over tariffs coming up every year.
Such scrap, he said, is essentially
what is involved in discussions in
Congress of the Trade Agreements
Act.
In the first year of whatever ad-
ministration is in power in 1941, he
said, it would be very harmful to the
whole United States to have to bring
up the trade agreement issue again
That was true, he declared, whether
it would be Republican or Demo-
cratic administration, Republican
or Democratic Congress, and regard |
less OF who the individual may be |
who will head the national admins
tration next year. 80
When a tariff is up for considera-
ton, he said, agriculture and in
dustry are in state of confusion |
because they do not know what-isl
going to be done, and economic |
activity Of the country feels the |
effect.
The President told reporters he |
had heard yesterday afternoon of a |
proposal in the Senate to limit to
one year extension of the system
of negotiating tariff reductions by
international agreements.
r4oL Do;v,%oI nuf
It is best to talk about the pro-
posal, Mr.. Roosevelt asserted, from
what he called novel point of
view in Washington in campaign
year-the point of view of the ma
tional good.
That Is almost unheard of, he said,
and takes the trend of thought back
to something almost overlooked in
these days-the national good re-
gardless of party.
We all know, he continued, that
tariffs are a headache to any Con-
gress and any party. If tariff con-
siderations are recurring every year,
he said it would be very bad thing
for the country as every one had
seen what happened during tariff
debates.
Regardless of party, the Chief Ex-
ecutive said, the bill in its present
form seems to him to be very good
thing for the country. A reporter re-
marked that a one-year extension
would not disturb the present trade
agreements, of which % are in ef-
feet.
No, Mr.. Roosevelt agreed, but it
would bring up the subject next
year.
Shortly after the President had
spoken against the one-year amend
ment at the White House, Senator
Walsh, Democrat, of Massachusetts,,
who will sponsor it, announced he
will do SO "as friend of the tenn
polary continuation of the recipro-
cal trade agreements authority rath-
er than as an opponent"
This debate and the various votes
with respect to this matter have
already clearly evidenced that
a majority is unwilling to
deny an extension of the ex-
listing delegation of authority from
the Congress to the Executive, lest
such denial might be taken as
vote Of censure Of the reciprocal
trade agreements program and re-
buke to the President and to Secre-
Continued on Page A-8, Column A.