In 1934, when Cordell Hull first submitted his cherished Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act to the House, it got just two Republican votes. By 1937, when it came up for a three-year renewal, Republican sentiment in its favor had shot up 50%—to a total of three votes. In 1940 there were five. Last week, when the House voted 342-to-65 to extend the Act once again, Republicans cast 145 of the "aye" votes and only 52 of the "nays."
As evidence of a change of heart about Secretary Hull's free-trade doctrines, however, the Republican vote was...