The New York herald., 1922-08-17
THURSDAY. AUGUST II, 1922.
Is There No Conscience in the
Tariff Gougers

sa# 1t is just such performances as
those OF Senator MCCUMBER and his
agile abettors that transform a Re-
/ publican majority in the House of
Representative in one Congress into
o Democratic majority in the House
of Representatives in the next Con-
gress. This has happened over and
over again midway between Presi-
Dental years.
sb- What is Senator MCCUMBER driv-
( ing at? He has been indefatigable,
) early and late, in the job of loading
the old elephants back with a bur-
cen such as that robust spine has
seldom If ever sustained.
y AT the instance of the wool profit
eering Senator'S he has helped pile
on an additional tariff rate which
would sending scooting to the dim by
and by the hopes of the people for
return to somewhere within a
thousand miles of the old cost of
clothing themselves.
1t is fair to Mr.. McCUMBER to re-
call the fact that not to him or to
his vote was due the insertion~in the
Fordney- -McCumber bill of $3.50
rate on imported sugar, meaning to
every citizen an increased cost of a
cent pound or thereabouts in the
cost Of sweetening himself, il the
bill is enacted. This gouge was eff
feeted by the beet sugar profiteering
statesmen under the lead of Senator
SMoor of Utah; and the shame of il
to the country is that the two votes
needed to put the gouge in the bill
were supplied by the two Republi-
can Senators who have admitted a
personal pecuniary interest.
On the other hand, it is not Sen.
ator McCUMBER's fault that his
scheme of a potash bounty which
would have cost the taxpayers nearly
S10,000,000 was knocked out of the
bill on account of political apprehen-
sion in view of the farmer vote.
Or, again, that the proposal of the
McCumber Finance Committee to pile
two cents a pound duty ON white ar
senic, used by the cotton planters To
4 fight the boil weevil, was overridden
in the Senate.
1t is the last straw, however, that
breaks the poor animals back On
Tuesday noon Senator McCUMBER
sprang upon the Senate not less than
one hundred and sixty-one last min
ute proposals for amendments rec.
commended by his committee, not.
withstanding the fact that the posi-.
bility of examining and discussing
these amendments was barred by the
terms Of the unanimous consent
agreement ending debate at O'clock
on Tuesday afternoon. Here was q
great batch of important changes
showed in by Mr.. McCuMBER just be-
fore the striking of the clock.
What the one hundred and sixty
one amendments craftily withheld till
the last moment really imply to the
American public probably neither the
majority of Senators nor the great
public itself will ever have oppor-
tunity to ascertain previously TO the
printing Of the bill. In general way
IL may be said that these committee
amendments push up in some cases
still higher the already high boosted
rates Of proiiteering craftsmanship;
for example, advancing the duty on
laces to 80 per cent. when the legiti-
mate need of protection is less than
80 per cent. Furthermore. at the
same time Senator McCUMBER brought
up suddenly for action the long sus-
\ pended scheduIes concerning hospital
and kitchen utensils and affecting
vital needs in the economy OF ordi.
nary life and in the fighting of dis.
ease and death.
A crowning outrage in its concep-
tion, and q shabby trick in the man
ner OF its execution. No wonder these
Tactics provoked bitter condemnation
on the part OF Senators.
Hfs' Heaven help the elephant IL SEN
aator McCuMBER's supervisory work
upon his dorsal vertebrm IS to stand
and count