The Cordova daily times., 1922-07-29
SATURDAY, JULY 29, 1922
CARRYING FIGHT TO ENEMY's CORNER

Consternation has been thrown into the ranks of the importers combination winch has been viciouslv fighting the pending Re publican tariff bill by the announcement re centlv made public that members of Congress would take exhibits of foreign made goods to the people in their home districts during the recess, and let their constituents see what Am erican industries are up against. This IS sald to be the first time that the importers have had the fight carried into their corner, ana they are dismayed at the outlook
 About five months ago Chairman Fordney' of the Ways and Means Committee of Con- gress. thought it would be good idea, since the importers combination was lambastmg the protective tariff so mercilessly, to make a ouiet investigation of the enemy's own camp and ascertain whether they were really Ill earnest in their predictions of high prices to follow the Republican tariff bill or If they were merely throwing smoke-screen around their own operations. The results ot the ln- vestigation were startling even to Chairman Fordnev. He showed that on large number of imports investigated the importers were making unconsclonable profits.
 This quickly put the importers comblna- ton on the defensive, and they concentrated their vast influence, maintained by the ao- vertising which they carried m a large num- Der of metropolitan papers, in counter-at- tack through the editorial columns ot those papers on the tariff bill. For tlmes while they did not gain any ground, they managed to hold their position. Then Chairman McCum- Der. of the Senate Finance Committee, pub lished a long list of imports showing the land ed cost of the articles mentioned, the prices at which the importers disposed of them to Am erican purchasers, and the spread, per cent, ot profit The figures were astounding. They showed profits ranging from 235 to 23OO per cent.
 The McCumber items raised hob with the importers combination, and before they could recover from this blow, Senator Watson published another list of imported articles which likewise showed concusively that the importers combination was literally footing the American purchasers; and added to thls species of refined banditry, they were induc ing each purchaser to sign a petition, ready to hand, to Congress to defeat the rates pro vided in the pending bill. These petitions de scended on Congress like leaves in an autumn wind.
 In addition to this the importers combna- tion is said to have organized a paper lnstl- tuition known as the National Housewives League, with offices in New York City, which was supposed to speak for the housewives Of the nation, and this league has been engaged in broadcasting anti-tariff propaganda all ov- CT the country. Many other methods of pub lcity were put into operation for the same purpose, and the expense of maintaining it no man can estimate, but it must be enormous. Of course the importers can afford to keep it up because of the huge profits which they reap from the goods bought abroad.
 But this latest move finds the importers un- prepared, while the Republicans have the goods and can present unimpeachable testi- mony as to the movement of every article in volved. The voters are going to learn. some things about the importers which will make the latter sorry they started the fight.