Iron County register., 1922-10-19
Washington Correspondence.
BY WALLACE BAssFoRD.

caIamlGy. IN the JuQgmenG or Che
Democratic leaders of the House and
Senate this is correct-to a certain
degree. 1t would undoubtedly be
calamity to the President, to the Re-
publican party and to the special in
terests which dominate the admin
stration for their own gain; it would
be such calamity as befell Taft in
1910, when the Democrats took pos
session of Congress and put squarely
up to Taft splendid program of pro-
gressive legislation. They put a stop
to his favors to corporate greed and
laid the foundation for the great
Democratic victory of 1912, which it.
self was followed by the greatest era
of prosperity ever known since the
'seven years of plenty' described in
the Bible. To the people, suffering
uuder war taxes four years after the
conclusion of the war and now hand.
ed new high tariff law, it would be
blessed relief, as it would be to the
the Treasury, facing a deficit which
even the President says will reach
1852 millions. But the Republicans are
not only very apprehensive that there
will be Dem ocratic House elected,
as shown by the fear voiced by the
President, but they anticipate the re-
duction of the Republican majority in
the Senate-a loss so great that they
expect the Democrats, by joining
hands with the Progressive Farm Bloc
Republicans, to be able to control
legislation in that body. They can
see the loss of Frelinghuysen in New
Jersey, Calder in New York, the Iowa
seat for which they have nominated
Brookart, a Socialist, Townsend in
Michigan, probably Lodge in Massa-
chusetts, and others. On the other
hand, the Democrats are expected to
retain the seats of Reed of Missouri
and Pomerene of Ohio, two of the
most valuable Democratic fighters in
the Senate.
1t has long been proverb that
asschickens come home to roost." In
the case Of the Fordney tariff law it
might be more appropriate to call
them buzzards, for they are birds of
ilI-omen. They are already coming
The Fordney law puts a greatly in
creased tax on sugar coming in from
Cuba, thing which increases the
price of the commodity to every
American user, but lessons Cuba's
market for her principal product.
Naturally the Cubans are indignant
and in bad frame of mind; like the
remainder of humanity, their most
sensitive nerves are those which ex-
tend to the pocketbook. They are
retaliating by placing tax of 100 per
cent on all American shoes entering
the countryside result is simply stat
ed-no American shoes will enter.
This means the cutting off of the sale
of about $14,O00,000 worth of shoes
each year, affecting the shoe business,
factory employees, and even the tan
ner and producer of hides. Does any
one think that the remainder of the
countries of the world will witness
this performance on the part of Cuba
and not take similar steps? They are
all hit by our tariff law and it is only
natural that they should retaliate; they
will do what any of us would do as in
dividuals-they will buy from those
who buy from them, they will decline
to purchase the wares of those coun-
tries which shut out their products by
high tariff walls like the Fordney law.
Their best method of doing this is by
fighting us with our own weapons
retaliatory tariffs. Does anyone sup
pose that England, France, Italy,
Japan, will hesitate to do the thing
which our best friend among the ma
tions has just done? Cuba owes her
national existence to the United
States, yet she has no hesitancy In
fighting back. Just the other day
Senator Caraway returned from
Europe with the observation that they
& are all antagonistic to us. No one
doubts this, for too many evidences.0 .0i
it's truth have appeared in the press
If Cuba can cut deeply into our salel
of one product by one tariff rate, wha
(. can all the countries of Europe do tC
us in their wrath9 Already the grea
trade which filed thousands of shipi
under the late Democratic admin
stration has dwindled to less thar
half of what it was three years ago
hundreds Of great steel vessels arr
swinging idly at their chains, hun
dreds Of wooden vessels new ant
capable, have been sold for less thai
one per cent OF their cost with the
proyisc that they must be broken vi
to prevent their sailing in competi
tion with the vessels Of the shippinI
n