The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1940-01-04

some twenty-odd trade agreements
have been negotiated. There Is a
general feeling in Washington that
the Administration will seek Leg
islation early in the session to ex-
tend the life of the Trade Agree
ment law for another three years.
am not sure but that Roosevelt
and Hull will not be successful in
getting what they want. Both are
adroit politicians and they know
how to manipulate Congress, as
does Paderewsh the piano.
Until very recently there was a
considerable number of Democratic
Senators and Representatives who
were opposed to giving the Recip-
rocal Trade law another lease on
life. They came from the copper
producing states of Montana, Utah,
New Mexico, and Arizona. These
states were violently opposed to
the proposed trade agreement with
Chile because that agreement con-
templated a substantial reduction
in the import duty on copper. Cop
per Is produced in large quantities
Al bilC oloICo ll<ll1Cu IbOOSS-
velt and Hull realized that with
out the support of these states they
could not hope to win in their
fight for an extension of the law.
Presto! What happened? Mr..
Hull blandly announced that the
present tariff duty on foreign cop
per will net be changed, which
was good news to the big and
powerful copper mining interests
that contributed heavily to Mr..
Roosevelt's election. This placated
the Senators and Representatives
from the copper states, and it new
appears likely that they will go a
long with the Administrations pro-
gram. Copper will be saved, but
the American farmer will be
thrown to the wolves as Sc often
has been the case in the past. The
producer of corn, turkeys, hides,
wool, cheese, casein, and other
farm products will be made the
goat and the uniformed applaud,
exclaiming, what a great Admin
dstration we new have in Wash
ington."
A SHORT SESSION PROMISED
Congress convenes on Wednes-
day, January Bird. AS this will be
the final session of the 18th Con-
gress every effort will be made to
clean up the calendars before adj
journing sine die. Unless the Ad-
ministration should press for an
extended program this can be ac-
complished by September LIST. This
being a presidential year it is ex-
tremely doubtful if the session
will run much beyond the middle
of July.
The program to be presented by
the Administration calls for the ex-
tension for another three years of
the reciprocal trade law, under
which trade treaties are negotiated.
Another must" measure will be
the preparedness program in which
the President will ask for authority
to spend $500 million dollars for
preparedness. The President will
undoubtedly outline in his message
to Congress several additional mea-
sures for enactment that he deems
necessary.
CANAL TO BE MADE
IMPREGNABLE
On December 7th I left for Pan
anna where I spent three days in
speeding the Canal and its defenses.
My purpose in going was to ascer-
tain at first hand the need for a
third set of locks which will cost
in the neighborhood of 285 million
dollars. The present canal consists
of two lanes and the locks are so
close together that a well placed !
bomb could very easily block the |
canal for months, bottling up our |
fleet, unless it took the long and |
dangerous route around the Horn. |
1t was my information that the
War Department contemplated |
constructing the third set of locks
close beside the present locks and |
that didn't look Sc good to me bs-
cause it would leave the canal as
vulnerable to attack as before. In
talking with General Ridley, who |
is Governor of the Canal Zone, in !
formed me that they have decided
to construct the new locks some
distance away, which would make
it impossible to put all three sets
out of commission with one bomb.
There is considerable agitation
for doubling this size of the Navy
a full strength fleet to be main
tanned in both oceans. Whatever
need there may be for such
building program will be obviated
by the third set of locks. The Pan
anna Canal is probably one Of the
best fortified spots on earth. It is
defended by every conceivable
form of anti-aircraft and artillery.
The interior of the huge hills that
fringe each side of the canal have