The Washington times., 1922-08-14
Simmons, for Democrats, As.
serts Measure Will Boost
Cost Of Living.
THE DEMOCRATIC VIEW.
by Cs.mopol,t.n New. Service.

by Casmopoiitan News Service.
The tariff bill now before the
Senate will result in automatically
raising the cost Of living, tre-
mendously cutting down both the
exports and imports of America,
and will not raise anything like
the money the Republicans predict,
according to Senator simmons,
Democrat Of North Carolina,
formerly chairman Of the Senate
Finance Committee.
"This bill, instead of being
formed for protection Of American
industries, will mean the ruin OF
many of them," the Senator de-
c,ared. "Giving a bonus to Ameri-
can sugar planters, for instance,
is not going to enable the Ameri-
can sugar industry to grow to the
point where it can take care OF
Americas needs.
Frost Is Factor.
THE American planters cannot
compete with Cuban growers on an
equal basis, or the growers Of sugar
in Java. II is not that labor costs
are lower elsewhere, but that The
American grower has too much TO
overcome in nature. About one year
in three frost hits the American crop,
cutting 1t down tremendously. Plant
ing in Louisiana Is much more diff
cult, too.
Figures Of the Department Of
Commerce show that our expo: -
have dropped in the year. since June
80, 1921, to the extent Of about $S..
900 ,0O0. 900. And this is Immediately
reflected in the imports. which
dropped in value about 81 ,0o0. 900 In
the same time.
when this tariff measure goes
into effect It will mean that Europe,
our great trading point, cannot send
manufactured goods to US and pay
the high duties the bill imposes.
This will mean they will not have
the money with which to pay for the
wheat and cotton we have been sell
ing to them.
Europe for many years has been
our best customer. taking the surplus
of our agricultural production. An.
nually we sold about SOC, ,000. 900
bushels of wheat to Europe, and about
\half OF our cotton crop. But then
we owed Europe interest on about
81, 900 ,000, 600 OF debt, and part Of
the price of our exports to Europe
were paid out of this interest. Now
the situation is reversed, and there
just Is not enough gold In Europe to
ray us for our exports. There 10 not
enough. In fact, to hold foreign cur
rencies at par.
Protects Profiteers.
'"The only possible way for Europe
to continue to buy from us, without
the dangerous method of extending
further credits. to her, is to sell
her manufactured goods here. Witt.
prohibitive tariff rates, this is i'm
possible.
IN many respects, this bill Is
drawn for the protection Of profit
eering," Senator Simmons insisted.
Many classes OF goods, still selling
at the war level-not the peak. but
far above peace-time prices-are not
threatened with foreign competition
at all. And yet in this very measure
rates are raised on articles that are
not imported at all, or are imported
in such trifling quantities as to have
no effect on the price levels here.
The only possible purpose of such
action Is to permit those American
industries to raise prices and still
be free of foreign competition.
"All Of this will, of course, raise
the cost of living. And there is a
Republican plank, believe. piedging
that party to do all in it's power to
bring living costs down TO earth