Evening star., 1921-08-05
PLANS AN ATTACK
. ON G. 0. P. POLICIES.
lChairman White to Call
/ Democratic National Com
/. mittee Together.
by DAVID LAWRENCE.

| by DAVID LAWRENCE.
Chairman George White has decided
ito call the democratic national COM
imittee together some time this au-
stumn for general discussion OF
democratic policy toward the Hard
ling administration.
/ The time of the meeting has not
,been fixed. but probably will be I'M
imediately after the republicans have
ipassed a new tax bill and the country
shas had a chance to learn denniteiy
twhat has been done by the repuo-
.lican party on tax revision.
! Thur far the democrats have main
stainod a policy of passive resistance
sto republican doctrines. beiieSlns
Sthat the country wanted 10 give tne
snew administration a 1air chance 70
smake good without democratic on.
struction When the tax and tariH
bills are passed. however. the demo-
Gratis, who already take exception .o
the republican proposals. Will en-
Sdeavor to convince the country ina, ma,
ibe corrected only by the election OF
q democratic Congress a year hence.
Basis of Democratic Hopes.
President Taft lost Congress imme-
diately after the passage of the
Payne-Aldrich tariff law and the dem.
ocrats are hoping that history VIII
repeat itself. They are basing their
hopes, however. not so much on the
tariff, but on taxes. The democratic
line of attack already is apparent.
The democrats say Secretary Melons
proposals mean merely that people
whose incomes are below So.oOV d
year will be taxed higher than before,
while those with incomes above $lO0,-
900 will have their taxes reduced. Of
course, Secretary Melons suggestions
have not yet been adopted. and the
republicans in Congress may vet de-
prive the democrats of much OF their
ammunition.
The democrats admit that the re-
publicans can reduce taxes if they
want to. but only by adopting the
scheme of Representative Fordney,
chairman of the ways and means
committee, who is credited with the
idea of cutting taxes radically ana
leaving the government with a def
icit to be made up after the congress
sional elections have been held next
year. This is in line with the theory
that the tax burden should be dis
tributed over period OF years, so
that future generations may bear a
large part of the cost of the war.
This policy. however. is opposed by
republican economists in the exec
utive branch of the government. who
think the governments borrowing
power would be adversely affected by
such a plan.
Strange Line-Ups Expected.
The country will see some strange
political line-ups before the end of
the present session of Congress Many
western republicans do not like the
idea of repeating the excess prof1ts
taxes. Several democrats will find it
necessary to vote for the republican
tax and tariff bills, while a goodly
number of republicans, whose con-
stituencies will have been hard hit by
the tariff or tax measures. will vote
against their party.
But, broadly speaking, the demo-
cratic party will range itself against
the Fordney tariff and the new revenue
law, and base it's whole attack on
them in the next congressional cleo
tions. 1t is too early to know what
the democrats will do about the peace
treaty situation. They are waiting to
see what formula is brought forth by
the Harding administration. The other
day, however. Senator Harrison of
Mississippi, democrat. fired the open
ing gun by inquiring from the repuo-
licans whether America was at peace
with Germany. The democrats. for
the most part, are silent, however,
while Secretary Hughes conducts his
secret negotiations with Germany and
the allies.
The democrats will unquestionably
decline to accept the Hughes formula.
when submitted, on much the same
grounds as were adopted by the re-
publicans against Wilson. The demo-
Gratis are already beginning to say
that the treaty with Germany is not
being arrived at very openly, and that
when the treaty is finally submitted
they will not swallow it, without the
crossing of "t' or the dotting of
an "i".
Outline of Tactics.
Instead they will endeavor to attach
the Versailles pact with the league
of nations covenant and when that is
voted down they will offer the Yer
sailles treaty with the Lodge reser-
vations and call for vote in an ef-
fort to place the republicans on record
as having reversed themselves on
foreign policy. The democrats control
more than one-third of the Senate and
can block ratification of any treaty.
They are saying that the Senate isn't
being consulted in advance of the agree
ments being made with foreign powers
and that as consequence amend
ments and reservations will be in order
when the treaty 'is finally submitted
for ratification.
The democrats are quiet now, but
they are planning to play a more ag-
gressive part as an opposition party
just as soon as the republicans have
passed tax or tariff legislation. Poll
tics. which has been adjourned for sew
eral months, will soon be reconvened.