Evening star., 1948-05-28
Reciprocity and the 6. 0. P.

NSSsRiOSty ouo tIS ~. ~ !
In view of what Senator'S Vandenberg
and Taft have just said on the subject,
there seems at least some reason to hope
that the reciprocal trade program will yet
survive the sabotage committed against 1t
by the Republicans in the House.
At any rate both these men-each very
great influence in the Senate and each a
COP presidential possibility-have made
clear that they do not want the tariff
making function brought back to Con-
gress. In effect, with Mr. Vandenberg
speaking out more vigorously and ex-
plicity than Mr.. Taft, they have voiced
opposition to what their own party has
done in the House.
Joined by handful of Democrats, the
House Republicans have voted to renew
the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act for
only one year, instead of the three re-
quested by the President. Worse-and this
is the truly pern1cious feature of their
action-they would subject to a congress
sional veto any reciprocity agreement not
in keeping with standards fixed by a
reconstructed and Independent Federal
Tariff Commission, an agency whose word
and judgment in the matter would out
weigh that of the President and the rest
of the administration in power.
The effect of such an arrangement would
be twofold: First, it would seriously re-
strict the negotiating powers Of the execu-
tive branch and throw grave doubt on the
sticking quality of mutual concessions
worked out with other countries; and,
second, it would arm the high protection
lists with an instrument to promote eco
nomic isolationism and the return of
irresponsible and selfish tariff-making in
Congress. In short, it would open the
way to the collapse of reciprocity-the col
lapse of program that has been key
part of our foreign policy for the past
fourteen years, program essential to the
effort to stimulate a healthy flow of world
trade and thus serve the cause of peace
and prosperity.
Although he has not fully defined his
position, Senator Taft has asserted that he
wants the substance of reciprocity retained
and does not favor any provision that
would tend to revive ariff-making by Con-
gress. AS for Senator Vandenberg, there
is no doubt at all about where he stands.
His words are at once fortnight and
statesmanlike: "The reciprocal trade
agreement principle should be preserved
unWeakened. 1t is indispensable in todays
world. This rules out any congressional
veto on tariff rates. shall not support
this feature of the House bill"
In other words, Mr.. Vandenberg has
challenged his party to undo in the Senate
what it has done in the House. AS he
and Republican Senator Millikin recon-
mended year ago, he Is wholly in favor
of having the Federal Tariff Commission
guard against excessive concessions, and
to that end he would have it set safety
limits within which the President would
be expected to negotiate But at the same
time-and this is an important "but"-he
would permit negotiations beyond those
limits in cases where the President found
it in the national interest to exceed them,
and no veto by Congress would apply AS
for the time element, he advocates extend
ing the act another two or three years,
but the exact period, as he says, is of little
practical Importance at this stage as long
retained.
If Senator Taft's view is essentially the
same as Senator Vandenbergs, the Senate
ought to lose no time in renewing the
Trade Agreements Act in substantially its
present form. That done, the House Re-
publicans will have an opportunity to
reverse themselves and rescue their party
from the position of seeming to be headed
back to the dangerous good old days"
of high protectionist logrolling in Congress.
The simple fact is that they must reverse
themselves If they do not want to spread
the impression that the COP is embracing
an impossibly hybrid policy of economic
isolationism and political internationalism.
The two things are repugnant to each
other; mix them, and either or both must
explode.
All this obviously has more than
national significance in terms of the forth
coming presidential election. The world
at large is keenly interested spectator
particularly the countries already CO.
operating with us in trade pacts, and the
sixteen Marshall Plan nations that have
been told by us that they must practice
reciprocity to get aid from us. The Re-
publicans must act accordingly If they
do not, then they will be spreading inter-
national dismay and confusion, and they
will be making their fitness to govern seem
doubtful in the extreme