The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1921-07-07
Greatest Grab of Special
Privileges Ever A t =
tempted Blow a t
Prosperity o. t h e
Whole World ''Ir-
redeemably Vicious
In Its Purpose and Ef-
feet.
To Rush RiII Through


hOmSe beginning OnSidPratiOn OF the
general tariff bill today the Repubh-
can majority has fixed July 81 aS the
date for final vote on the measure.
Under u program OF procedure
agreed up at Republican conference
last night the period for general dis
cuSSiOn will he limited TO July II. the
debate thereafter TO he under the five
minute limitation when the house VIII
consider the specific schedules which
the conference agreed shall be open to
amendment from the floor and voted
on separately. These are the hides,
cotton dyes and oil schedules, all
other schedules to be subject to
amendment only by the Ways and
Means committee.
General debate 10 he made the order
by = special rule which Chairman
Campbell OF the rules committee, said
wGuld bc forthcoming today. will be
preceded by Il reading OF the bill.
Washington July 7.-EemOcratic
members of the ways and means com
mttee, in minority report filed to-
day in the house of representatives
denouncc the administration tariff bill
as "a conspiracy to benefit few fav
orites at the expense of all humanity.
Like every conspiracy, il has been
hatched in secrecy" the report says,
adding: We record our solemn iudg-
ment that this measure is a plan to
plunder the people of our own cOun-
try and to oppress the people of every
country for the benefit of few men
who have succeeded in usurping for
all practical purposes the taxing pow
r. eT of this government, using it prim-
arily to enrich themselves and, sec
ondarily, to finance the political party
which tOlcrateS, encourages and Ia
cilitatcs the usurpation.
The report declares the tariff was
not IN issue in the last campaign and
this is not the time to write Il tariff
law They assert that the problems
(which confront our people, cripple
our industry, Stific our commerce and
perpleX an amiable administration,
have nothing to do with the tariff.
Offer No Substitute
CriticiSing the Republican major
ity Of the committee for Withholding
the bill from them and from the house
membership generally and for per-
mitting only Il week for study, the
Democrats declare there has been in
sufficient time to draft a substitute.
They do not undertake any detailed
discussion of the individual schedules
in the bill. coniining their q page
typewriter report to general in
dictment of the whole measure and
the manner Of its preparation
Emphasis is laid ON two things:
The probable effect of the bill on
American commerce, and the world
industrial situation generally and up
on the substitution of the system OF
American valuation as a basis for
levying tariff duties.
Pointing to the rapidly decreasing
American foreign trade the report
says: I'VE need no tariff to cut off
the imports and the exports of the
United States"
Foreign Trade Hurt
Calling attention that the foreign
trade of the United States fell down
from $1.11S,224,00O last July to $527,
37S,S25 in May, 1921, the report says:
Certainly the natural process is
preferable to the infected knife of
Interested surgeons, which, by Sc
lecting the Industries to protect and
those to destroy, can reap the nary
est their campaign contributions seed
ed last fall. Verify, the oil men are
entitled to their reward and the lum-
Der men and the wool men and all
the others who cast their bread upon
the waters of Republican tide"
A Subtle lnfamy
Dealing with the plan for American
valuation of imports, the report says:
First among the subtle, covert in
famies that mask their way through
this bill is the proposal to change the
base for ad valorem duties from the
actual price paid for them when pur-
chased by the importer, to a specula
tive, indefinite, uncertain nebluouS
opinion reached by an appraiser hid
den in custom house, consulting.
if he is Industrious and cannot be be-
wildered as to what is the alleged
Wholesale prices of comparable and
competitive products of the United
States, or in default thereof, the al
legged value in the United States of
the identical imported article, wheth
er sold or not. excluding or including
any cost charges. expenses. including
duties and also profits and commits
sions; in short permitting the ap
praiser to place any value he may see
fit on the goods and making it impos
sible for the importer to know what
duty he will have to pay until he has
actually imported and passed them
through the custom house.
y. Duties Uncertain
I'm the face of the uncertainty