The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-02-04
ACTION ON TARIFF
At AN EARLY DATE
BILL. SOME TIME IN FEBRUARY
LEADERS OF BOTH SIDES
REACH TENTATIVE AGREE
MENT OUTSIDE OF CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE TO FIX DATE
FOR FINAL VOTE ON FORD
NEY BILL IN FEBRUARY

FOR FINAL VOTE ON FORD
NEY BILL IN FEBRUARY
Washington, Feb. 3.-Although
debate on the Fordney emergency
tariff bill dragged aimlessly on the
senate floor today, real progress
was made towards definite action on
the measure. Senator McCumber,
Republican, of North Dakota OBJ
tanned agreement to take up the bill
with it's amendments for second
reading and, outside of the cham
bers, leaders of both sides reached a
tentative understanding to fix a
date for a final vote.
Then tentative program probably
will be submitted to the senate to-
morrow and unanimous consent ask
ed for an agreement to vote on the
bill February Is or soon after. Sen
ators tonight believed the path was
clear for acceptance of the plan.
Suggestions and counter-sugges-
lions from each side came frequent
ly during the day. All were based on
political maneuvering and the lead
ers conferred about them in and
out of the chamber, while Senators
Capper, Republican, of Kansas,
Fletcher, Democrat, of Florida, Nc
Keller, Democrat, of Tennessee and
Robinson, Democrat, of 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 the tariff.
Mr.. McKeller during his speech
had a brief colloquy with Senator
Ransdell, Democrat of Louisiana,
upon demand of the latter for proof
of his statements that sugar trust
existed. Before the subject was
passed over, four or five senators
went to Mr.. McKeller's aid, but Mr..
Ransdell declined to be convinced,
concluding his end of the argument
by saying he would neither deny
nor affirm the existence of such a
trust"
Will Not Aid Farmers
The Tennessee senator chal-
lenged supporters of the bill to show
how it would aid the farmers, as
serting that; little of their products
remained ont taae farms. He, declared
that the proposed tariff on sugar
would mean only that congress was
"legislating money into the pockets
of the sugar trust" and estimated
that on three necessities, meats,
flour and sugar, the country would
be taxed between $1,500, 100000
and $4,000, 100000 in the ten
months the law would be effective.
Senators haved admitted here
that this bill is going to help the
spectators and the profiteers more
than anybody else. The senator's
from Kansas knows it, too, yet 1
suppose he will vote for it. I want
to say that if he does, after the
speech he has made, he will have to
hold his nose"
Increase In Prices
Senator Mclean, Republican, of
Connecticut interrupted to say that
the intention was to save the agri-
cultural industry. Mr.. McKeller re-
piled that the life Of the law would
be too short and suggested that the
effective date be made six months
hence. Mr.. Mclean replied that
while it might cause an increase in
prices, he felt the better course
would be for the country to pay
them now "rather than to await de-
struction of the farming business
and they high prices permanently"
The age-old battle over tariff for
protection or tariff for revenue on
" was in sight also. Senator Fletch-
er accused the Republicans of using
the tariff bill to make protectionists
out of all the farmers and "sew up
their votes on every protective
tariff matter in the future He said
big business, especially the manu-
featuring establishments were de-
sirous of high import rates and add