Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-07-29

washington, u. T., July ~. tSpeclaD.
Behold devious tarnings in tariff.
The debate has taken on unexpected
aSpectS. Set speeches now seem to be
anao. But the East and the West are
fitting hard. Prairie states contend that
The farmer is hit hard and the manu-
facturer favored. Consequently a great
sry goes up. Bristew, of Kansas, is
leading on. Day by day he geuges the
Democratic foemen with all the Vigof
he can command. He asks Questions
and quotes figures. He has been max
ing senator johnson of Maine, squirm;
likewise this scholarly Williams. of
Mississippi. Bristow is following in the
cad of Gummins, who stood forth not
lorg ago with denuHeiatiens of the bill
ts most unfair to the American farmer.
neaning. of course, as far as he IS in
terested, farmers of the middle West
Democrats are not finding it altogether
easy to answer this. although it had
1cen supposed that the manufacturer,
who is found chiefly in country east
af the Mississippi River had been Civ
en- skimpy treatment in the tariff bill.
The pinch with these Westerners
.omes chiefly over Democratic efforts
Ii
| toes and cattle and meat are put upon
the free list, as Democrats argue. be-
cause they are market basket articles.
But it is none the less true that this
nits the potato growers in Aroostook
county, Maine; millions OF farmers up
and down the Mississippi valley where
wheat is a staple crop, and likewise
millions of farmers throughout the
West ard Southwest. who make a
livelihood from raising cattle for the
market. These farmers have protested
in vain and they do not like 1t little
bit that duties have been levied uhon
cottons and woolens ard machinery.
The opposition. however is bringing
out and emphasizing many inconsist-
encies which the Democratic brethref
are not finding it easy To defend. MS
apUIies thus far only To the ehemlca
schedule, upon II hieh the Senate has
been deliberating for several days. Ii
IS one of the longest and most technical
schedules in the revision measure. New
ertheless il is less likely to provoke rs
general opposition as other schedules
and provisions This holds off the in
come tax. which is generally approved
in principle by both political parties,
but which, as framed by Democrats of
Senate and House, has aroused much
criticism. Senator Berah of Idaho, for
example is scheduled to speak for the
best part of a day on that subject
alone. There is a ton Of tariff data
scattered around the Senate these
davs in the form of reference books OF
various kinds. showing imports ana
eypcrts and comparative rates of duty
and all that. Every senator has these
at his elbow. The documents, besides
furnishing information, serve 10 stlmu-
late discussion. They enable senators 10
round out their statements with a
snow of authority and alike of tarifi
research. OF course experts have done
all the work of digging out the facts
thus compiled.
1t is noteworthy that neither the
House nor the Senate is disposed To
quarrel about Mexico. Hardly anyone
in Congress is trying at all to make po-
litical capital out of it, This is slgnit-
cant at a time when many Repubii-
ean lawgivers need an opportunity for
distinction at Washington. Every
chance to make the folks at home take
notice about tariff is seized upon. The
Diges- -Caminetti matter is the subject
of big political quarrel in the House.
with a few Republicans filibusterins to
beat the band because they are not
permitted to debate. the correspondence
which passed between Attorney Gener-
al MeReynolds and former District At
torney John McNah. And so it goes
with other issues but no one IS rising
to demand 10 know about Mexico. over
in the Senate to be sure, Mr. Fall of
New Mexico is agitating his resolution
for the protection of persons and pro-
perty in Mexico, hut this is in no small
measure due to the demands of his
constituents. many of whom have rela-
tives and friends and property over
the border.