Evening star., 1921-03-22
MEN SEE
FORDNEY BILL RIFT
Decision of G. o. P. Leaders
to Pass 1t Fraught With
Coming Contention.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

The decision of the republican lead
ers in Congress in agreement with
President Harding to pass the Ford
ney emergency tariff bill in the same
form as it was vetoed by Woodrow
Wilson at the last session Of Con-
sress should be taken with grain
of salt.
An emergency tariff bill will be
passed. that much is certain. but many
things point to the probability OF
revision of the Fordney measure pe
fore it can pass. Everybody Knows
that the Fordney bill, as II s; pas
both houses during the last session.
would never have had ghost OF
show of passage if there had Deeh
the slightest chance of approval by
Mr.. Wilson. Accordingly many ,nins ,.
were inserted in the bill, parity OUT
of a desire to satisfy cer IN ef-
stituencies and partly out or an e,
fort to make sure that the Dill "ouIo
be sufficiently obnoxious to the uem
ocratic executive as to bring ABOUT
it's veto.
Republicans Condemn.
Leading republicans have prlva,eIs
condemned the Fordney Dill as w W
scientific. The plan to revl's ,'sas ms
in the same form as it was passed
will not succeed because many AHI. ~
lean business houses affected oy tns
measure will demand hearinsS
subsequent changes in the Dill. ne" NJ
once the Fordney bill is opened up
other changes will be insisted upon.
President Harding himself mas az
ready made one change request
that the measure apply Tor SIX lnonLns
instead of ten. This will aHect Ger
tain schedules because already Ger
<,l, n
have occurred which render neces-
sary a readjustment.
Senator Penorse has indicated that
he means to go along with the Pial
to pass the Fordney measure rsare..
he originally wanted killed. IheIes
a story that Mr.. Penrose turned tne
management of the bill in the Senate
over to Senator McCumber OF Nortn
Dakota in the belief that the latter py
a combination with the democrats
would surely bury the Fordney meas
ure. But MIR. McCumber turned out
to be an ardent champion OF the Dill.
Confronted With Problem.
/ The astute leaders of the republic
can Congress are confronted with
perplexing problem. They know that
to revise the tariff in the present
state of world instability, with costs
and price levels uncertain: Is 10 at
tempt a dangerous job which may re-
act politically. But on the other hand
there are men like Representative
Fordney Of Michigan, with whom the
tariff is a fetch.
The real trouble. it is recognized.
will come If the Fordney bill sends up
the cost of>livinE. Senator McCum-
ber admitted during the recent DEBATE
that the cost Of sugar might rise and
possibly other articles OF 1000. Ru.
that 1t would help the farmer ana
other interests and therefore was
good thing in the long run.
The politicians are not so sure that
a rise in the cost OF living right now
would be received with enthusiasm
voters who elect a new Congress
wear from next autumn. Eastern re-
publicans are for the most part coun-
selling caution and are reminding the
westerners of the fact that the repuo-
lican party lost control of the House
in 1910 on precisely the same issue
the alleged rise in the cost OF living
a after the Aldrich-Payne tarin law was
passed.
Tariff Bilrs Yield.
II the tariff were to yield an i'm
mense amount of revenue and fetleVe
the mass of folks of the high income
taxes the leaders would go ahead with
tarifr. it is admitted. will not yield
more than three or four hundred mil
lion dollars in a program or revenue
raising that requires at least four bill
lion dollars year.
The situation may be summed up
Mr.. Fordney has had his way; there
will be a tariff bill bearing his name,
but it will not be the same measure
that was passed at the last session,
and it will not go through so quickly.
as may be surmised from reading the
announcement by the republican ways
and means committee. Indeed, the
vast number Of interests who let the
Fordney bill go through by default.
SO to speak. last time because Of the
certainty of Wilson veto VIII nave
and may so prolong the debate as to
make acute the demand. after all. for
tax legislation before there is tinker
ing with the tariff laws.
Copyright. 1879