Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1913-03-20
FOOD DUTY FREE
HOUSE DEMOCRATS WILL MAKE
AS NEAR APPRoAcH TO THAT
AS POSSIBLE
FARMERS SURE TO oppose ii
compensstlons, However, viii Be OF.
fereds Agricultural Interests in the
Way Of Reductions on Articles
That They Must Buy.
CLINTON.

BY GEORGE CLINTON
Washington.-It is said by members
of the, ways and means committee Of
the house at last constituted and who
will continue to hold membership in
that body in the new congress. that
the first and great effort Of the new
tariff legislation will be ito reduce the
cost OF living" This is interpreted
as meaning that among other things
there will be as near an approach to
duty free food" 90 is possible. The
house unquestionably will put sugar
on free list, but also unquestionably
the senate viii decline to agree and
viii make = compromise on the pres
emit duties. The cane and best sugar
makers are protesting to congress.
just as they protested last summer,
that free sugar would kill their indus
tries.
Al tarin for free food means that
the duties will be taken on many
eatables that now pay high rates, al
though it is known that the rates will
be maintained on such foods as come
under the head of luxuries, the pal
ate ticklers" Of the present customs
laws.
The Democratic leadeNs. know of
course that il a approach to free
food is attempted there will be oppo-
sition from the agricultural interests
Of the country or from q large part Of
them. The intention of the Demo
Gratis, therefore, is to Offset with COM
pensations any damage which will be
done to the farmer, the truck garden
er and the fruit raiser. Their agu-
ment is that II n man gets a smaller
price for his products he Ear afford
the loss provided the things which he
buys for his home use, clothing and
other articles, are reduced in cost
Provide for Compromise.
It L. q delicate table Of balances
which the ways and means committee
members will have to prepare, and
they must prepare 1t with full knowl-
edge that changes unquestionably viii
be insisted upon by the senate. The
chances therefore cen to be that the
house will make greater cuts in some
of ne rates than it would have made
did It not know in advance that the
senate would insist upon raising them.
The plan Of the house majority, and
1t is q very human plan, Is to make
the rates so low that the basis of com
promise will be correspondingly low;
In other words, that they can yield.
considerably more than they would
have yielded If the rates had not been
n,,& . IouS nth tha R,,Il hnowInd1o
that 1t was necessary to prepare in
any call for a margin of compromise.
The Democrats say they understand
fully the opposition which may come
to efforts to put certain kinds of foods
on the free list or make them almost
free. They declare they are going to
make an effort in their tariff bills to
so reduce the cost Of other articles
that the men who raise food stufs for
the markets will find they are better
OF at the end of the year even under
reduced prices for their products than
they are under the present tarif ar
rangements.
All this the Republicans, of course.
say remains to be proved and they
predict for the Democratic party great
trouble in bringing down the duties on
manufactured articles to q point to
Offset the losses to the farmers be;
cause Of free food, and to do it with
out putting the manufacturing con.
Germs out of business.
Tariff Hearings Hold Good.
There has been some curiosity ex-
pressed in letters received In Washing
ton as to how the last congress could
go ahead holding hearings and making
preparations for tariff legislation
which must be passed by an incoming
congress. The matter is simple
enough in itself because the majority
Of the members of the ways and
means committee of the present house
viii continue to be the majority In
the next committee, and Of course
their findings and their preparations
Will be endorsed by the same men
who have Just endorsed them, al.
though their findings win have to be
passed upon by a house differently
constituted In its personnel than was
that Of the last session.
It Is Of curse possible that the
great innux Of new members, mostly
Democrats, could by q combination
with hold-over members force re-hear
Ings on tarin measures and pass an
entirely different kind Of a bill than it
is the present intention of the ways
and means committee to recommend
for adoption. There Is not one chance
In ten thousand, however, that this
will occur, for the Democratic leaders
have taken soundings of the depths
of opinion Of the incoming members
Of their party, and they believe they
will have q greater following in their
present line Of tariff endeavor than
was theirs In the last congress-.
Misunderstood.
Mamma. / thought the elephantH