Norwich bulletin., 1921-01-25
WASHINGTON AFFAIRS
(Speciaf to Ts1e Buiietin.

puzzle the typical Philadelphia lawyer" { and keep an army of men on the job to following the hearings that are taking place before cernmittees of congress-, pre- paratorH to framing the taNM bill which { will come before. congress at the extra session to be called about April first. Con-
 gress is taking time by the fore-lock and getting in much valuable, testimony re- grading export and imports, preferential tariff, emergency tariff, peFfhanest tariff and many other phases of the great ques-
 tion of protecting American industries
 which will be the big measure of the
 opening session of the e7th Congress.
 The ways and means copsmittee lof the
 house and the finance committee of the senate are beating the Jhrunt of these
 hearings although othecs committees, are
 conducting special Sessions for that pur-
 pose in some instapces The question of
 a tariff that will protect Maine potato
 growers. Connecticut Valley onion grow. CTS, cotton and wool manufacturers, and other great New England industries will 1 all have representatives here this week urging a higher rate on imports whicn compete with New England industrial or agricultural interests.
 | Amendment after amendment Is being added to the so-called emergency tariff | bill, but the general opinion here is that | the bill cannot pass during the few re- I l ness measures for protection on the per- | manent bill are being put to the front.
 Perhaps there can be ne better ex- ample of the hearings of the past week | | than that of the Connecticut tobacco
 growers, which took place on Thurs day. It was about the keenest exchange of wit and argument that has been heard 1 here for a long time. M. l. Alcorn of l Hartford headed the delegation of tobae- l co growers and had with him dozen or
 so men who could make strong points in Il the case. Alcorn also filed . brief set
 ting forth the facts. The Connecticut
 valley growers urged an increase of one dollar a pound on SNmatra tebacco-and cigar manufacturers, who were present ) In large numbers urged the committee to
 leave the tariff as 1t Is now. For six , hours 1t was give and take, while Tread . way of Massachusetts and T1lson of Con- , necticut member of the committee took
 the leading part in interrogating wit nesses. Tilson is familiar with the prac- tical workings of the industry and there was no putting anything over on the [ committee" while he sat by. In the 7 meantime every witness produced a box of cigars. T hope the honorable com mlttee will test these, and form their
 own opinion about the relative merits
 of Sumatra and Connecticut totacco," said the first speaker. And the honora- . ble cen.mittee proceeded to try them out - with remarkable celerity. The second y third. fourth and fifth witnesses likewise i produced boxes to be tried out, and by the end of the first hour spectators were gazing on the 21 gentlemen who form
 the great ways and means committee
 through haze that formed d genuine
 smoke screen. During the hearing 1t de- . veloped that the cost of labor and ferti- f lizer has so increased in. the past six e years that unless the tariff Is raised on s imports the Connecticut industry will be n badly hampered. An increase of wages : from sf.25 up tells the story. The grow ' CTS claim they are in direct competition '- with importations where the labor Is e perforfed by Coolies. at about 3S cents g per day. Senator Brandegee had furn- 5, ished data from the treasury departnent n and Senator Mclean has had an amend. .e ment raising the tarif one dollar . . pound, added to the emergency tariff bill
 It was stated at the hearing Thursday 10 that Connecticut had forty thousand acres 'e of tobacco, employees fifteen thousand s. men and women in the industry and ha.
 more than one hundred million dollars in ,e vested in 1t. It was shown that the tariff ,e had not kept pace with the changed con |, ditions and even tobaco growers iron |. Georgia and Florida joined with the Nev T SAS LdHu uieIl III dShltlS pEolcEl1On. se One of the witnesses was M. l. Floyt g. now of Georgia but formerly tohacc, sd grower at simshury. Col Tilson asket Id him if he had forsaken Connection an, ,g Floyd answered, mo. indeed. I'm go ,6 Ing there tomorrow before go back t :. Georgia" Floyd proved one of the bes a' witnesses of the day and told the com
 mittee he was sure "dirt farmer .fo at he could blow and plant and show tn 'n men on his plantation how to do the worl It, Whittimore of Massachusetts said ths 1t things about the snti-tobacco propagAn re da that convulsed\ \tse committee an - made the great room echo with their lou z. laughter. Of course it is not possible t 10 predict the outcome of the hearing, fe ny both sides put up strong arguments. bu st- the Connecticut valley growers made he fine showing and it looks like more tha K 8 fifty-ffty chance that they secure tn ty one dollar increase.
 ik The sub-eemmittss sn agricultural ai Ter propriations heard testimony on the prt
 posed extension of the Weeks faPestr be bill, which calls for an appropriation fc he $11, ,000, ,000 to be expended for conserv; ". tion of the water sheds of navigable ri <. CTS. This is of great interest to Ne ho Enfland as practically all it's rivers ha, ief their source in the White Mountain r ns zion which is affected by this bilf IT 7ilf1 Conn ectieut river interests were repr Ar- scented at the hearing by Charles ger Whittlesey of New Haven and Congres
 man John Q. Tilson of the Third distrit
 both of whom urged the passage of u
 bill. They testified that tht lower ri
 CT territory is seriously affected put floods and thoughts and that conserv ,ch tion of forests at the watershed wou
 be means of relief that ought to be re
 ognized. Maps of the different iocatio where the Weeks act has already be used to great adeaRtage were show u dealing with both the White Mounta
 and Appalachian ranges. When atteI tion was called to the "Eumaka Purchas zed in Tennessee, Congressman Tlsen smil day and exclaimed That is my hirthplae
 for although the New England of t
 great ways and means committee is and Connecticut man by rearing, edueati yet- and long desidenceJ he Tennessesan l. I birth. -
 Is New England tS ISss the prnstI Ing. of counting among it's membership ,aid the Daughters of the American Revo it. tion, the oldest living member of u
 order? That is what some of the ofici Ight of that society want to know. It see ugh ho-o Ms. N1S 1aI WHICH; F ay et Sou 1f0e corded the championship. when alc
 came Mrs. Louisa Thiers of Milvauk
 Wis, who says that she is 1ee years and moreover that Mrs. Fay Is not Ieti- her class at all. as she is :, '.raaI daI,, silk ter, her father having been corporal
 the stan of George Washington, wnlie
 was Mrs. Fay's grandfather who was lure nainuteman at Lexington.
 " Wisconsin is persiS.eDt hut Nev Bs