AMERICAN POLITICS

Evening Star, Issue 22362, 11 June 1936, Page 14

AMERICAN POLITICS

FOREIGN TRADE TREATY FEATURE OF NEW DEAL CONDEMNED Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright. CLEVELAND, June 10. The severest condemnation of any feature of the New Deni was the attack launched to-night by Mr Steiwar against President Roosevelt’s foreign trade treaty programme. The address was bitter in the extreme, but nowhere more bitter than in its disapproval of “ trade bargaining, which is rampant.” Under this head Mr Steiwar said : “ One of the fundamentals of established national policy is tariff protection for efficient American production. America does not propose to destroy an opportunity for onr citizens by surrendering this protection. The Reciprocal Trade Agreement Act has increased the sale in onr markets of goods produced by aliens and which our producers could have supplied. Agreements have been negotiated right and left with shrewd foreign traders who reduced the rates on articles which they desire to import into their countries, whereas the Administration’s pretended good neighbour policy has resulted in American reduction of the 1 duty on agricultural, dairy, and forest products, of which we have already had a surplus. The net result is a downward revision of the tariff which has seriously impaired our American system of protection. We must realise that the Administration’s wishful hope to rescue the world at our expense has injured American industries and agriculture, and added to unemployment, destitution, and want. The combined effort of reckless, uninformed trade agreements, plus the Administration’s monetary policies, are fast putting our nation under foreign control.' The speaker, wlhose' appearance on the dias was greeted with tremendous cheering, immediately cried, “ Over three long years we have had a Government without political morality.” He then demanded an honest money Government run in a businesslike manner, with 'no importation of goods which can be, made or grown in the United States, prosperous agriculture, competition in business, reduction of taxation, elimination of Government competition in business, and avoidance qf all foreign entanglements. There was brief applause at the conclusion of the speech, and the convention promptly adjourned till to-mor-row morning.

COLOURFUL SCENES OPENING OF CONVENTION. CLEVELAND, June 9. At the Cleveland' Convention the opening session to-day simply organised itself and selected'Mr Steiwar as temporary chairman’,- Over 15,000 persons crowded into the vast auditorium, which was ablaze with lights and noisy with the blare of a half-dozen bands. The usual mixture of gravity and' high spirits was displayed by delegates, and there were the ever-present features, sublime and ridiculous. The gathering was opened with an invocation by a Washington clergyman, in which he asked God “ to protect us from greed and social irresponsibility,” and warned his listeners solemnly of the consequences of allowing the poor and -the young to be ground down by, depression, but he was immediately followed by a quartet which gang medleys, the principal ingredient of which was a bass voice, so low that the floor of the-hall trembled and caused the audience to laugh. The crowd was colourful, most of the State delegations wearing articles of raiment for which their States are known. Women filled a great part of the auditorium, but their presence in such large numbers only emphasised the diminishing importance of the role of women in party affairs at this convention. They have been absorbed increasingly into the administrative machinery of the party, but apparently have less voice in the determination of policy. The inconspicuous part played by women in framing the platform is indicative of this, as is the fact that the movement to get the Republican Party to approve a constitutional amendment to permit regulation of wages and hours for women and minors in industry is being led by men.

A CONTENTIONS PLATFORM CLEVELAND, June 10. (Received June 11, at 1.45 p.m.) That its platform is particularly difficult and contentious and that the monetary issue continues to produce much dissention are seen in the fact that there is little likelihood of presentation of the finished document at the Republican Convention to-night, as was hoped. Mr Landon’s desire to placate all varieties of sentiment has produced a situation of too many cooks. Stabilisation by international agreement, rejection of bimetallism, return of fixed gold content of the dollar as soon as can safely he achieved, and other perplexing aspects of the monetary problem make easy agreement difficult. It is on this front that allegedly conservative Eastern interests are staging their last stand. It is believed that Mr Landon favours them, thus hoping to secure their wholehearted support with the campaign funds, etc. Mr Hoover arrived to-day and will address the convention session to-night. His speech is a closely-guarded secret, but it is expected to be but another attack on the New Deal and Mr Roosevelt. Its chief importance, however, will probably lie in the fact that the former President's friends may seize the occasion to start and boom his nomination for the Presidency. While anything can happen at an American political convention, this is not considered likely.