Protectionism:: Requiescat in Pace

IN Silver Blaze, one of Sherlock Holmes's cases, a highly important clue is the fact that on a significant occasion a dog did not bark. Similarly, one of the most revealing facts about the U.S. in 1962 is that protectionists—advocates of high protective tariffs—are doing remarkably little barking at a time when they ought to be baying fiercely. President Kennedy's Trade Expansion Act, now being worked over by the House Ways and Means Committee, pushes far beyond the old reciprocal trade program. It would empower the President to slash U.S. tariffs by 50% or more—all the way down...