The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-04-25
DEMOCRATS CALL
HALT ON TARIFF
REVISION
Farmers Free List Only To Be
Enacted.
THEN WAIT UNTIL WINTER
Scared Into Their Holes BY Storm Of
Protest Against Proposed
Free Wool

Washington, April 24.-The announce
ment of the Democratic House leaders
that their tariff revision program for
this session would end with the enact
ment of the Farmers free trade bill
now under consideration marks a
complete reversal of their original
declaration OF legislative intentions.
AT the beginning of the session they
were to so through the tariff gener-
ally. schedule by schedule, and make
a clean sweep regardless of tariff
board findings or anything else then
in sight. Nevertheless, halt is call
ed, and it is officially announced that
no more tariff revision will be attemp-
ted until next winter No schedule
will even be reported out of commit
tee.
OF course no reason is given for this
reversal OF former intention but the
reason can easily be guessed. Before
this change OF program was announc-
ed it had already leaked out and was
generally known that in schedule X,
the wool schedule, the majority Of
the committee had decided to recon-
mend absolutely free raw wool. Like
wise ~ make very sweeping reduc-
lions on all manufacture wooden
goods At once a tornado of disap-
prevail focused on the committee from
every wool producing state, and at
tanned such velocity that the commit
tee decided to go into its hole and
wait until the air had cleared sufiici-
entity to observe whittier they were
drifting,
There is no sort of question, of
course, but that congress is practical
ly unanimously in favor of consider
able reductions in the wool schedule
but the removal of all duty on raw
wool and the whiting down to near
the vanishing point OF the duties on
all goods manufactured of wool is
quite another matter From this dis
lance it is safe to say that a major
ity Of congress, regardless of party
is now and viii for some time con
tinue to be opposed to the latter pro
gram. Whenever the subject Is
reached it will cause more uproar and
friction than any other one tariff item.
It will be in no sense a strict party
question, but will rend all parties and
all factions This congress will re-
wise and lower the wool tariff, but
it will hardly begin by making raw
wool free. However, it would be
mighty good thing for the admins
tration, politically, If it should sue
coed in carrying out such a program.
Many interesting questions arise
in contemplating the alleged Far
mers free trade bill" now under con-
sideration And, incidentally, doesn't
that combination Of words sound
strangely in the ears OF aVermont far
mer? 1t is not questioned but that
those who made up the bill worked
honestly to afford counterbalancing-
relief to the farmer for whatever loss
he might possibly sustain by reason OF
reciprocity, but the net result is very
far from equitable tariff adjustment.
In their anxiety to afford compensate
ing relief to the farmer they lower
or remove the duties on many articles
used by him, and allow the duty to re
main on many other articles manufac-
tured by the same firm of the same
material and under the same condit-
ions and circumstances but incidental
~ designed for other uses. 1t is not
an unfair assumption that the farmer
does not ask for tariff favors at the
expense of his neighbor ia another
line of industry, and the manifest in
Justice of the proceeding is plainly
evident
OF course the fact is that the pres
ent free trade bill was devised on
the spur of the moment to appease
the objections of the farmers to re-
ciprocity, and is wholly an emergency
proposition There was no time to
examine the questions involved in
their broad aspects and bearings and
the result is unjust discrimination in
many directions. However, there are
some items contained in the bill,
standing by themselves, which the
House Republicans will likely favor.
In this connection your correspond
ent is informed by Representatives
Plumley and Foster that they are dis
posed to favor the abolition of the ex-
listing duty on boots and shoes, gen.
orally manufactured leather. If
leather is free, why not its products?
It seems as if this position might APP
peal favorably to their constituents.
Nevertheless, there are many items
OF the bill which viii provoke strenu-
GUS opposition from both sides of the
chamber. Democratic protectionists
are developing every day. They are
in favor of the theory of free trade in
everything which does not affect
their section, bat draw the line when
such action interferes with home pro
ducts. They remind one of the i'm
mortal Nasbys construction of the
Maine liquor law He was FOR the
law but againstits enforcement. These
statesmen are coming out into the
clearing in the House, and more evil
IDENTITY in the senate. In the latter
body the line of demarcation is now
sharply defined, and protection dem
ocratic senators are not as clearly re-
cognized as are insurgent republican
senators. Under those conditions par
ty designations give no clue to indiy-
idual action on any question relating
to the tariff.
With the end of the House program
for the session in sight all interest in
results now focuses on the senate.
Here we are brought up short. Asto