The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-26
BEHIND THE SCREEN AT
WASHINGTON

CHICAGO.-Some OF the sharp
est differences of OIL on inside the
New Deal administration were
carefully smoothed over in the fab
rication of the Democratic plat
form.
Two specific instances r the
planks dealing with defense and
new world relations an with agrl-
culture.
In each case, the platform-mak-
ers' job was to work out some for
mula that would bypass the still
u~nresolved conflicts within the ad.
ministration. For no matter how
confidently the platform may speak
of these two matters, the plain fact
is that the administration is far
from united on either one.
The much-talked-of cartel plan
for disposing of new world export
SURPRISES is the first example.
Authorship of this plan is gener'
ally credited to Assistant Secretary
of State A. A. Berle. In any case,
the President went for it enthusi-
astically at first, and a section OF
the New Deal began trumpeting it
as the n and only way to prevent
Nazi dominance of Latin America.
Agriculture Department
Remains Cool
Other New Dealers, however,
took a look at it and saw what they
figured were life-sized flaws. The
Agriculture Department, in partic-
ular, has remained cool.
Some of the Presidents advisers.
as a matter of fact, have bluntly
warned him that as far as the farm
belt goes it would be political sui
eide to advocate the plan while
American farm prices are still far
below parity and undisposed-of
crop SURPRISES are a still unsolved
problem.
State Department people were
especially anxious to get at least
a big deal for Argentine corn on
the books before the Havana con-
ference. That ran into the objec-
ton that Uncle Sam already has
some 800, 900, 900 bushels of his own
corn on hand.
In general, administration oppo-
nents of the cartel plan call it a
reflection of panic-some of them
refer to it as the 'Oh My God
Plan"-and say that for the mo-
ment it is idle to do more than
clear existing trade channels, en-
courage U. S. investments, stimu-
late tourist trade and nurse along
friendly relations. Only in case
the British fleet is sunk, they say,
with the cartel plan become a
pressing issue.
Farm Program Not
Universally Popular
1t is likewise nc dark secret that
the administration isn't unanimous
ly happy over its present farm pro-
gram.
Cotton is the best illustration.
World carry-over of American
cotton is today higher than II, O0O,.
900 bales, nearly 5000, 600 of them
held by the U. S. government. The
United States will grow upward OF
l $4,000, 900 bales this year; the do
nestle market will take about g.
600, 600, and some 1000, 900 can be
exported - which means that on
Aug. /, 1941, after seven solid
years of New Deal cotton control
measures, the world supply OF
American cotton will be higher
than eve before in history.
Even SO, the U. S. has taken
some IS, 900, 900 acres out of cotton
production-and thereby has
racked the south with a surplus
population problem which is as
suming disturbing proportions.
To a lesser extent, the same sort
of thing is true, of wheat and of
pork and lard.
All of which means that the
whole New Deal farm program is
called into serious question within
the administration itself. But
no hint of this, or of the disagree
ment over the cartel scheme, can
find any reflection in the party's
platform. l