The New York herald., 1922-06-12
SENA TORS PREPARED FOR
TARIFF'REVOLTAT SIGNAL

prohibitive tariff of 25 per cent-ii
the McCumber bill goes through.
! One of the most glaring anomalie.
of the tariff bill is shown in the atti.
tude of the valiant champions of the
agricultural bloc. which arbitrarily
asserts the right to o. K.>all legisla-
tion. Senator Capper of Kansas. the
millionaire leader of the bloc, never
misses an opportunity to assert his
progressive" or 'insurgent" ten.
dencies In his newspapers ano
speeches the Kansas Senator Wig.
orously denounces reactionism in
any form. Standpatism is, ,anathema
TO him.
Yet the prosperous agricultural bloc
leader has not only made but obtained
concessions that the most confirmed
standpatter Of bygone days would
have SHE'D at proposing. In common
with other leaders of the bloc Sena-
tor Capper has demanded everything
in the way Of protection that the most
ardent politician-farmer of the Mis-
sissippi Valley ever jimmied out of the
Republican party.
The bloc leaders have taken great
credit to themselves for the ad-
vantages won by the agricultural in
terests in the framing Of the Nc
Cumber tariff bill.
But there is another side to the
proposition. While getting these
maximum privileges in the way of
protection the bloc leaders have not
hesitated to demand the application
of the Democratic doctrine of free
trade when it comes to foreign prod
ucts which are essential to the
development of agricultural interests.
Nitrates and other chemical elements
necessary in fertilization are largely
obtained from foreign sources. Hence
the bloc decreed that most of these
products be admitted free of duty or
permitted to come in at a nominal
and, of course. minimum rate. s4-.
Few Indorse 1t Wholesale.
Almost every feature of the tariff
bill reflects instances of the SORT
pointed out above. 1t is thoroughly
safe to say that not five Of the sixty
Republican Senators indorse the tariff
bill as a whole. Their sanction is
limited to the approval of only Sueh
parts of it as guarantee special privi-
leges and concessions to groups which
are important to them politically or
contribute to the welfare of classes in
their respective States.
The attitude of President Harding
On the tariff is clearly understood. The
party platform at Chicago contained a
plank pledging the party to the doc
trine of protection in accordance with
ancient traditions. The President
recommended that Congress redeem
this pledge. That, as far as can be
learned, is the extent of his active par
ticipation in the matter. The work of
producing a tariff measure he left to
Chairman Fordney Of the House Ways
and Means Committee and the chair
man Of the Senate Finance Committee.
The late Senator Penrose, whose
knowledge of tariff necessities was adj
mitted to be very extensive, set about
producing tariff bill that would
largely meet the complex and unstable
economic situation existing in this
country and throughout the world
The Pennsylvania Senator was an ar
dent protectionist, but he possessed an
intelligent grasp OF conditions. He
was engaged in trying to formulate a
tariff measure that would make for
fairness and equality when he died.
Mr.. McCumber was selected as his
successor under the seniority rule. He
automatically assumed control of the
preparation of the tariff bill. The
policy adopted by Senator Penrose was
entirely different from that which has
been followed by his successor. The
Pennsylvania Senator was not given to
trading at the expense of party prin-
ciples or through the sacrifice of busi-
ness necessities.
1t has recently developed that Sen
! ator Penrose fatty turned down some
of the demands set up by leaders of the
agricultural bloc and Senator's seeking
| special privileges as the price of their
support of the tariff bill. Mr.. Nc
Cumber has not followed that policy
Members of the Finance Committee
frankly admit they had won advan-
tages of tremendous political impor-
tance to themselves by threatening tc
withhold their approval of Mr. Nc
Cumber's bill.
Not all OF the Republican Senators