Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-14
AS SEEN AT THE CAPITAL.

i of a democratic house this fall
would be a calamity, remarks Wal
ter Bassford of the democratic con-
~gressional committee. In the judg-
ment of the democratic leaders OF
the house and senate this is or
rect-to a certain degree. 1t would
undoubtedly be a calamity to the
president, to the republican party
and to the special interests which
dominate the administration for
their W gain; it would be such a
calamity as befell Taft in 1910.
when the democrats took POSSESSION
of congress and put squarely up to
Taft a 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 itself was followed by
the greatest era of prosperity ever
known since the 'seven years OF
plenty" described in the bible. To
the people, suffering under war
taxes four years after the conclu-
sion of the war and now handed a
new high tariff law, it would be a
blessed relief, as it would be to the
treasury, facing a deficit which
even the president says will reach
1852 millions. But the republicans
arc not only very apprehensive that
there will be a democratic house
elected, as shown by the fear voic-
ed by the president, but they an
ticipate the reduction of the repub-
Iican majority in the senate loss
so great that they expect the DEM
ocrats, by joining hands with the
progressive-farm bloc republicans,
to be able to control legislation in
that body. They fear the loss of
Frelinghuysen in New Jersey, Cal
der in New York, the Iowa seat tor
which they have nominated Brook
art, a socialist, Townsend of Mich
igan, possibly Lodge in Massachu-
sets, and others. On the other hand,
the democrats are expected to re-
tain the seats of Reed OF Missouri
and Pomerene of Ohio, two OF the
most valuable democratic fighters
in the senate, and also carry the
district of Myers of Montana.
1t has long been a proverb that
chickens come home to roost." In
the case of the Fordney tariff law
1t might be more appropriate to
call them buzzards, for they are
birds of ill-omen. They are already
coming. The Fordney law puts a
greatly increased tax on sugar COM
ing in from Cuba, a thing which
increases the price of the conmod-
ity to every American user, but
lessons Cuba's market for her prin-
cipal product. Naturally the Cubans
are indignant and in a bad frame
of mind; like the remainder OF
humanity, their most sensitive
nerves are those which extend to
the pocketbook. They are retail
ating by placing a tax OF 100 pei
cent on all American shoes entering
the countryside result is simply
stated-no American shoes will en-
ter. This means the cutting off OF
the sale of about $14,oo0,0 900 worth
of shoes each year, affecting the
shoe business, factory employees
and ever the tanner and producer
of hides. Does any n think tina
the remainder of the countries OF
the world viii witness this per
Torrance on the part OF Cuba aric
not take similar steps2 They are
all hit by our tariff law and it is
only natural lHdt thSy
taliate-they will do what any OF
us would do as individuals-they
will buy from those who buy from
them, they will decline to pur'
chase the wares Of those countries
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 owr
weapons-retaliatory tariffs. Doe
anyone suppose that England
France, Italy, Japan, will hesitate
to do the thing which our bes'
friend among the nations has jus
done? Cuba owes her national ex
istence to the United States, we
she has no hesitancy in fighting
back. lust the other day Senatol
caraway returned from Europ'
with the observation that they arr
all antagonistic to US. No ont
doubts this, for too many evidences
of its truth have appeared in thu
press. If Cuba can cut deeply ints
our sales Of one product by ONT
tariff rate, what can all the coun