The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1958-09-04

with Rep. John Henderson

with Rep. John Henderson
The five bells signaling the |
close of the 85th Congress !
sounded at 200 a. m. Sunday |
ending one of the
noisiest Congresses in this cen
tury. 1t was also a Congress
which, in its early months, show
ed inclinations to reduce Federal
spending. After a notable start,
the majority-will gave way to a
spending spree the like of which
had not been witnessed for
twenty years. Profligate multi
billion dollar schemes prospered
as the big-spending theme de-
veloped. Resistance to these bills
hardened in the closing days of
the Congress and many were re-
turned to their resting places.
The Minerals Bill
One of the bills which drew
fire irr the last week was the So
called Domestic Minerals Bill
of 1883" Under this audacious
plan, domestic producers of cop
per, lead, zinc, fluorspar, and
tungsten would be subsidized by
the government to the tune of
$3.50 million. The bill arrived
in the House with great fanfare
combining the usually magic
incantations of defense require
ments and foreign policy. In my
opinion, terms far less mystic
and high sounding were more
appropriate.
The bill was spawned during
the debate several months ago
on the Reciprocal Trade Agree
ments Act. For years, the min
erals industry, particularly lead
and zinc have suffered because
of the importation of foreign pro-
ductlon. Little or no considera-
ton was forthcoming under low
tariff policies. This bill was
kind of payoff by advocates of
our questionable trade policies
in order to win support from the
western mining states for the
Reciprocal Trade Act this year.
Rather than facing the made
quacies of our trade policies and
correcting them, this bill sought
a direct government subsidy-a
$3.50 million bribe to be paid for
by Ohioans and the rest of the
nations taxpayers.
Tariff Trouble
The troubles of import COM
petition in the minerals industry
are not unlike those many of
Southeastern Ohio'S industries
have known for many years. Our
coal, chinaware, glass, stainless
steel flatWare, ceramic tile, and
now aluminium industries and
the people who find employ
IliCilL III tiSIIl hIlOW WSll Wlldt
this means. Government sub
sides are certainly not the ans
Wer. With the same reasoning,
Southeastern Ohio's industries
could make an equally valid
claim for help. If one segment of
American enterprise is to be
supported because a paper-b back
Congress passed a Tariff Act
that will harm them, then a
thousand and one other segments
of the economy are entitled to
the same treatment.
AS l saw it, the bill would
be an opening wedge which
would make the minerals indus
try the dependents of the De-
partment of the Interior. 1t
would be a short further step
to blanket in the coal and oil
industries. In any case, if the
precedent prevailed we would be
taking a long step toward the
naturalization of natural re-
sources.
What Has Been Gained?
There is perhaps a kind of un-
fortunate justice in all of this.
We have continued a tragic
trade policy, largely at the in
sistance of groups of industries
which can prosper in the atmos-
phere the policy creates. The
farther we travel along that
| policy, the longer will be the
list of industrial taxpayers who
will cease to be taxpayers, and
who, like the beneficiaries of the
minerals bill, will actually be-
come beneficiaries of the gov
ernment. Those who helped
bring about this state of affairs
will find themselves paying an
increasing share of the taxes to
support the industries which
they have helped put on the
public dole. What then has been
gained?
The bill was defeated in the
House of Representatives and the
underlying factor of foreign
economic competition in oul
markets remains the same. II
retrospect, the proposal, however
unsound it may have been
shows a growing concern for the