Evening star., 1922-06-18
DEMOCRATS VIEW
TARIFF AS ASSET
Minority Senators Consider
Letting Bill Pass Soon
/ as Best Tactics.

From a democratic point of view
the Fordney- tariff bill is
going to be one of the greatest as
Sets of the democratic party in the
November elections. That being the
case, some of the democrats in the
Senate are considering the advisable
ity of calling Il halt on debate on the
bill and letting the measure go
through at comparatively early
date. one prominent democratic SEN
ator suggested last night that the
vote on the passage of the bill might
be had by or soon after July 10.
The democrats recall with no little
satisfaction to themselves that the
last time the republicans drafted a
tariff law-the Payne-Aldrich law
political disaster followed in its wake.
TIE next House elected was demo-
cratic in fact the Payne-Aldrich law
WIS Lhe forerunner of the split in re-
Publican ranks which insured the sue
cess OF the democrats in the national
election of 1912. The democrats toda V
insist that the tariff bill before the
Senate. from the viewpoint of the
American consumer. will prove far
worse than the Payne-Aldrich law.
Some Republicans BaIk.
Not unnaturally, the republicans
bill But there are signs of revolt
today among the progressive repub-
ncanS against some of the high rates
imposed by the Senate committee bill.
Furthermore, the republican members
of the Senate finance committee them
selves are constantly revising the
rates reported to the Senate down
ward" There are few days that go
by that some modification is not pre-
sented as committee amendment.
And, of course. the democrats are in
sisting that the republicans have
glimpsed the handwriting on the wall.
Looking at the situation from q
partisan political standpoint, demo-
Gratis are beginning to consider Sc
rIouSly whether ii would not be wiser
for them to let the republicans put
through the high rates proposed, in
stead of staying here all summer and
helping to force the republicans to
frame a better" bill. Some of them
realize that they will get none of
the credit for satisfactory tariff
bill.
Debate, But Not Delay.
So it may be expected that there
will be a distinct letting up in the
debate on the democratic side of the
chamber. This does not mean the
democrats will not discuss the va
riouS schedules as they come up, nor
does it mean that debate on the part
of the republicans themselves will
halt. There remain 10 be considered
some of the schedules upon which
the republicans themselves are
strongly divided.
The republican conference of the
Senate is expected to adopt a resolu-
tion tomorrow providing for keeping
the tariff bill before the Senate until
it is disposed of and then taking
bonus bill. If such a resolution goes
through, il may have its bearing
on the tariff debate. Thirty sena tors,
twenty republicans and ten demo-
Gratis, have indicated their opposi-
ton to the bonus bill They are
say. to prevent the passage of that
measure. That being the case, the
, opponents of the bonus bill may
. adopt the plan of filibustering on
the tariff bill to put off considera-
ton of the bonus bill. Such maneuvers
are common in the Senate.
Hard to bring Up Bonus.
There Is no question that the
soldier bonus bill will go through the
Senate once it comes to a vote. Prob
ably two-thirds of the senators and
more would vote for 1t on roll call.
But it now appears that getting the
bonus bill to vote will be no mean
job. The opponents Of the bill are re-
sourceful. One of the most bitter op-
ponents of the bonus bill is Senator
Borah of Idaho, a leader of. the ir-
reconcilables, who aided to flibuster
the Versailles treaty to death. And
there are other senators who well
understand the parliamentary game
in the Senake, which may be played
to delay and kill measures that a ma
jority may support.
After the tariff the soldiers bonus,
and after the soldiers bonus the ship
subsidy bill, the last-named bill to be
passed before adjournment of Congres ss
il the President has his way. The ship
subsidy bill will encounter determined
opposition in the Senate from many Of
the democrats. who are against it on
principle. and from some of the repub-
licans from the middle west where
there are no ships to subsidize. The
day of adjournment, it now appears, is
still afar off