Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-12-26
DEMOCRATS BACK
TO HANCOCK VIEW
al Party Members Vote for
High Protective Tariff
Clauses.
BY n. O. MESSENGER.


When Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock
declared that the tariff is a local
issue he certainly could not have had
prophetic vision of the year of our
Lord 1920. when his remark was to
have poignant vindication in Congress
and by his own party. If his shade
from some celestial coign of vantage
can visualize happenings upon this
old earth of ours, it must have NUT
tered Il told you So. at the spectacle
OF forty-one democrats in the House
OF Representatives voting last We'd
nesdaye in favor OF protective tariff
schedules. high enough almost to
make the most inveterate standpat-
ter ashamed to take the money"
The democrats voted for these
rates because they deemed the pro-
posed imposition of them necessary
to the welfare of important indus
tries in this country, affecting the
material interests of their consti-
tuents. 1t was bitter pill for the
democrats to swallow 1t was the
triumph of reason, logic and cold
facts over long maintained economic
theories.
Many Interested I'm "Scrap.-
There must have been an interested
gallery" in that said celestial coign
Of vantage while the House was rush.
ing through the tariff bill. One could
fancy there Roger Q. Mills of Texas,
Horizontal Bill" Morrison of Illinois.
William L. Wilson of West Virginia.
great democratic tariff lowerers, and
Dingley Of Maine, Aldrich of Rhode
Island. Grosvepor Of Ohio and Payne
Of New York, tariff holsters" watch
ing the scrap below.
The day was one of the most re-
markable in the history of the House
for the character. scope and bitter
ness of the debate. 1t was a rough
house" for fair, at times, as members
let themselves go. and made all kinds
of charges and recriminations. One
member, Mr.. Griffin of New York.
took wallop at Congress itself,
when he quoted from a recent edi-
torial in an eminent democratic
newspaper, saying Congress has long
been the most incompetent, the most
shiftless. and the most irresponsible
branch of the federal government.
Its rules are made for the suppression
of liberty. and the glorification of
mediocrity."
Later the same speaker turned his
guns on the people at large. THE
course of our age is dishonesty" he
said. 1T seems to have permeated
every stratum of society. Greed and
avarice are the idols of the world.
The spectators and prof1teers have
got this country by the throat" He
thought the need of the hour was
plain, common honesty"
Marked by Frank Avowals.
There was one democrat who made
a frank avowal of his reason for
voting for the bill. Mr.. Clark of
Florida. II am as good democrat
as there is in this House," he said,
land l am going to vote for this
bill. Peanuts are produced in my
district in large numbers. Sea island
cotton is grown there in large guam
titles and various others of these ar
ticles are grown there. The bill will
benefit the farmer, and it will get our
friends on the republican side in the
habit Of beneffting the farmer"
Another democrat, Mr.. Bianton of
Texas. not only approved the bill but
said it did not go far enough. He
would have liked to have it put a
tariff on cottonseed oil. cake and frog
en- meats and cattle hides. These
items would have been in the bill,
he asserted, but for two influences,
first, that of the big packers who
operate their packeries in foreign
and second. the clamor of
the millions Of consumers in the big
cities who do not care whether our
farmers and stock raisers make a liv-
ing or not. but demand all food and
clothing at low prices"
All through the debate doubt was
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