The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-05-27
HIGH TARIFF
URGE COMES
FROM WEST
Farmers of West Hold Balance
of Power in Congress
Think Protective Wall Will
Help Them.
EAST SHIFTS POSITION
BY MARK SULLIVAN

pie in Washington take the emergency
tariff bill seriously. For the brief
time of its duration it can accomplish
little. Everyone admits that. In ad
dition, a considerable number of per
sons are dubious about making the
permanent tariff bill high protective
measure. Nevertheless. by a shift ir
the balance of power, the permanent
tariff bill. soon to be introduced. will
be a high protective measure.
1t will be high because the farmers
of the west think high protection will
help them This is a reversal from
the time when Dolliver, of Iowa, led
the fight of the western progressives
against. the famous Schedule K" on
wool, and the rest of the Payne-Al-
drich tariff.
During Tafts administration it was
the Republicans of the east, headed
by Aldrich. who demanded high pro.
lection. Today it is the farmers of
the west, who demand high protection
| and the farmers of the west have the
balance of power, both in the senate
and in the house.
Would Protect Wool.
The west is particularly insistent
on high protection for raw wool.
There is one western senator whose
personal experience is typical Of the
state of mind of the west. The SEN
ator is a farmer who made a large
fortune in wool and in grazing lands
on which wool was raised.
The story, as it is told here. is that
on Sept. l. last this farmer-senator
was more than a millionaire, but that
by November /, the fall in the price
of raw wool had wiped out most of
his fortune. This sort of misfortune
has been duplicated in a smaller de-
gree on nearly every farm throughout
the west.
West is In Pain
Politicians who begin to look for
ward to the congressional election
next year say that the most nearly
complete thing in sight Is an agrarian
! movement in the west. The west is in
economic pain, and they think high
protective tariff will help them. In
the senate and in the house, the west
/ Is in the saddle, and therefore we
shall have high protective tariff.
The manufacturing east, which was
the bulkwork of high protection IL
years ago, is now dubious about it. If
Aldrich, of Rhode Island, were alive
in the senate today he would lead a
very different kind of fight. In fact
the present Republican senator from
Rhode Island voted against the emer-
gency bill in it's original form.
Think Of Loans
The senators of the east are think.
ing of Americas position as an ex.
porter of capital. They are thinking
Of the ten billion dollars which is
owed to our government by European
governments, of the four or five bill.
lion dollars that is owed by European
governments and private European in.
terests to American bankers. and of
the continuing borrowing which Eu
rope is doing in America.
The east thinking in terms of these
foreign loans wants it made easy for
the interest of these loans and the
principal of them to be paid. They
know that the payment can only be
| made in the shape of goods and that
a tariff which impedes the flow OF
goods from Europe to America will
make the payments difficult, and will
make it difficult also for America to
continue in her present position OF
| the worlds greatest exporter of cap.
| ital.
West In Power
However, it is not the east but the
agrarian west. that has the balance
of power in Washington now, and
what they want in the shape of tariff
is the tariff that we shall probab bly,
get.
Incidentally. as regards the ten bill
/ lion dollars owed to US by foreign
governments. there is this to be said
about Ambassador Harvey's speech
Much of the criticism of that speech
is directed against Mr. Harvey's state
| ment that we entered the war no,
through altruistic reasons but because
! Germany's aggression forced US to dc
so.
| A good deal Of Importance attaches
to just what reason is given officially
! for Americas entrance into the war
If We entered the war to defend de
mocracy. or for any other altruistic
reason, then unquestionably the for
eign governments to whom we loaned
| money will say-and say with much
reason-that we ought not to collecl
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