The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-04
PROGRESS IS MADE
 TOWARDS DEFINITE
 ACTION ON TARIFF
Tentative Agreement Reached By Leaders of Both Sides to Fix the Date for a
 Final Vote
Ky Associated rress

< Washington, February S.---Although debate on the Fordney emergency tariff bill dragged aimlessly on the Senate floor today real progress was made toward definite action on the meas ure. Senator McCumber, republican, North Dakota, ,obtained agreement to take up the bill with its amendments for second reading and. outside of the chamber. leaders of both sides reached a tentative understanding to fix a date for final vote.
 The tentative programme probably will be submitted to the Senate tomor- row, and unanimous consent asked for an agreement to vote on the bill Febru- ary IS, or soon after. Senators tonight believed the path was clear for accep- tance of the plan.
 Suggestions and counter suggestions from each side came frequently during the day. All were based on political maneuvering and the leaders conferred about them in and out of the chamber, while Senator Capper, republican, Kan sas; Fletcher, democrat, Florida; Me Kellar democrat, Tennessee, and Rob inson, democrat, Arkansas, occupied the attention of the few senators present with speeches. Mir. Robinson discussed provisions for taking care of invalid veterans. but the others spoke on tariff.
 MT. Nick ellar during his speech had a brief colloquy with Senator Ransdell, democrat, Louisiana. upon demand of the latter for proof of his statements that a sugar. trust existed. Before the subject was passed over four or five senators went to MT. McKeliar's aid, hut Mir. Ransdell declined to be con vinced. concluding his end of the arr gument by saying he would neither deny or affirm the existence of such trust"
 WILL NOT AID FARMERS
 The Tennessee senator challenged supporters of the bill to show how it would aid the farmers, asserting that little of their products remained on the farms. He declared that the proposed tariff on sugar would mean only that Congress was '1egislating money into the pockets of the sugar trust" and es- timated that on three necessities. meats. flour and sugar, the country would be taxed between s1.500 900. 900 to s2.o00 900, 000." in the ten months the law would be effective.
 New York. city. alone, the senator said, would pay an additional $90. 900. : 600 if the bill were passed, and Penn sylvania's tribute to the farmers would aggregate $11s.000,0oo. MT. Me- Keliar figures the law would cost his own siate about $40.00oo00. He quoted from 9 speech of Senator Capper a yezr ,ago in which the trusts were bit- tfery assailed and added:
 Senators have admitted here that 1thss bill is going to help the specula- ,tors and the profiteers more than any body else. The senator from Kansas Knows if. too. yet I suppose he will ivote for it. 1 want to say that if he does. after the speech he has made. he will have to hold his nose"
 
 LIFE OF LAW TOO SHORT
 Senator Mclean. republican. Con- necticut, interrupted to say that the intention was to save the agricultural Industry Mir. McKellar replied that the life of the law would be too short and suggested that the effective dat, be made six months hence. MT. Nc i Lean replied that while 1t might cause an increase in prices. he felt the bet ter course would be for the country to pay them now "rather than to await destruction of the farmers business and then pay higher prices perma- nently."
 i The age-old battle over tanif for protection or tarif for revenue only was in sight, also. Senator Fletcher accused the republicans of using the tarir bill to make protectionists out of all of the farmers and "sew up 1 their vote on every protective tariff matter in the future" He said biz business especially the manufacture | ing establishments. were desirous of lhigh import rates and added that by giving the farmers q prohibitory rate on their products, strength would be mustered for later revision of the 1 Underwood act now under considera : , stion by ths House ways and means
 committee.