The New York herald., 1922-08-23
HOUSE TO PATCH And
TINKER TARIFF BILL
LEADERS Lukewarm in De-
fense of Measure as 1t
Goes to Conference.
HOUSE RAPS SENATE
Representatives Think the
Members Of Upper Cham
/ ber Did Very Poor Job.
VALUATION BIG PROBLEM
Question Of American or For
eign to Be Important One
in Final Decision.

rpecsui Dispatch to TIE NEW yonK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau.
Washington, ID. c., Aug. 22.
Republican leaders In the House were
lukewarm in their defense of the
Fordney- -McCumber tariff bill to-day
when, by vote OF 1913 to 50, they had
the measure sent to conference to be
patched up as best it can be to meet
the growing opposition of the country.
They dangled the hope before the
sheptical House membership that the
Tariff Conference Committee finally
will produce a bill they can support,
meantime condemning the increasing
sentiment against the measure as po-
]itical. Representative Campbell (Rep.,
l>an.), chairman OF the Rules Com
,nittee, featured the brief proceedings
in the House with the charge that the
Democrats are preparing to institute
4 campaign of increased prices as soon
as the bill becomes a law, simply for
its political effect.
The House leaders. including even
Representative Fordney (Rep., Mich.).
one of the authors OF the bill. said
frankly that the Senate during it's
thirteen months of tinkering with the
rates had done a poor job. They said
they believed they could induce the
conference committee to follow the
House bill to greater extent. in
cluding the adoption Of the system
of American valuation, to which Mr..
Fordney continues to cling,
Capital for Democrats.
Tho Democrats made as much political
capital as they could out Of tho situa-
ton. taunting tho Republicans about the
bill and predicting fatty that It never
will become a law before the elections.
They said the Republicans recognize that
the voters are against such an unscien-
tific and slipehod bill. They tried to
have the measure recommitted to con-
ference Tut failed.
Three Democrats voted with the Re-
publicans to send the bill to conference.
They were Representatives Lazaro (L.a.).
Lea (Cal.) and Campbell (Pa.). When
the fate of the bill was decided Speaker
GiIlett named as conferees Representa-
tives F'ordney. Green (Rep.. La.), Long
worth (Rep.. Ohio), Garner (Dem Tex.)
and Collier (Dem., Miss.). They will
work with the Senate conferees, Senators
, McCumber (Rep., n. d., Smoot (Rep.,
IItah), Mclean (Rep., Conn.,, Simmons
+ (Dem, N. c. and Jones (Dem.. N. M.)
The Democrats Of course will be figure
heads In the entire proceedings. called In
only at the last minute to reject the
majority report. The meetings of the
conference committee will start to-mor-
row in the rooms OF the Senate Finance
Committee.
"It will be a great disappointment to
our Democratic brethren IL this bill is
not presented to the country along about
the middle Of October" Representative
Campbell said during the debate on the
rule which sent the bill to conference.
"The Democratic managers have ar
ranged a very cunning campaign to be
inaugurated the day after the bill be-
comes a law.
Already the arrangements are made,
I. the stage set. the prices are fixed. the
advances are to be made on every ar
tcle enumerated in this bill and the
prices to be advanced on the importers
down through the retail dealers"
Wants Vote for Valuation.
Democratic floor leader, urged that the
House vote at once on whether to ac-
cept foreign valuation in place OF the
American standard as II had provided.
He said II would be impossible for the
conferees to make any progress until
. this vital question was decided
Representative Longworth took issue
with him. saying that the question OF
. valuation applies to only 20 per cent
Of the rates. They argued back and
forth for time. as to the futility of
going ahead without first fixing the
valuation standard.
II will agree that no final conclusion
can be reached" Mr.. Longworth said
finally. until that is settled. but in the
meantime substantial progress could be
made without arriving at the question
OF valuation"
Representative Gerner. after tracing
the bill through it's seventeen months
In the Senate and House, predicted there
would be still further delays. He took
the position that the House would not
remain on the job long enough for the
conferees to complete their work and
that the blu would wait over until after
elections.
You have not the capacity TO Iegis-
late now because there La no harmon
between East and West" he said. "You
are going to take the Senate bill or you