The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1922-11-02
WHY SUTHERLAND SHOULD BE
DEFEATED

Why should Howard Sutherland he
sent back to the Senate by the votes of
West Virginia citizens? The VERY fact
that he was member Of the Repuh-
lican Do-Nothing Congress is sufficient
reason in itself that he should be re-
tired.
In the first seventeen months Of the
Wilson administration the Democratic
Congress passed the following con-
structive and progressive legislation ::
The Underwood Simmons traifr bill
| (passed House inside of thirty DAYS:
passed Senate inside of FIVE months)
bill which provided revenue to the
| government. stimulated domestic and
foreign trade by providing a compet-
tive market; a graduated income tax
bill, taxing proportionately those best
able to pay taxes an act of mediation
and Cancellation to settle labor dis
putes; the Federal Reserve banking
act. the greatest and soundest piece of
financial legislation in the history of
the world when properly administered
creation of the Vocational Educat ton
commission the Lever agricultural
extension act; an act limiting hours
FOR women employees in District of Co
lumbia Alaskan Railway Act. to open
up and develop the resources of Alas
ka; repeal of Panama Canal tolls ex-
emptfon for American ships to keep
our treaty obligations. (Act afterward
repealed by Republican Congress in
violation of treaty. Clayton antitrust
act; creation of Federal Trade Com
mission; cotton futures act American
registry for foreign built ships. These
are set forth in detail herein.
The Republican Do-Nothing Con
gress was called in special session
April IL, 1921, primarily to pass n tax
revision bill and a tariff bill: it adj
journed in November. The net re-
suit of the special session was tax
revision bin, which the late Senator
Penrose declared to be n 'makeshift."
saying the work would all have to be
done over again. Stnator Smoot. Re
publican, Utah, agreed with him. The
tariff bill went over until the regular
session. One-half of the work for
which the special session was called
was botched and the other half left I'M
done
The tax revision bill was a mere
shifting, not lifting, of taxes 1t I'M
taxed the rich and overtaxed the poor.
The only persons who got relief under
1t were the multi-millionaire and prof
iteering classes.
Democratic amendments in the Sen
ate, accepted by the Progressive Re
publicans and their acceptance forced
upon hte reactionary Old Guard by a
coalition of Democrats and Progressive
Republicans, kept the tax bill from
being as utterly and wholly bad as it
was originally. The reactionary Re
publicans attempted to reduce the
higher surtaXes of the very rich from
50 per cent to 80 per cent or even %
per cent President Harding wrote a
letter pleading for a reduction to 80
per cent and suggesting a compromise
at 40 per cent, but the Democrats and
progressive Republicans stuck to the
Democratic amendment Of so per cent
and passed 1t, administering a humil-
iating rebuke to the President. as well
as a personal defeat
Other major legislation of the spe-
cial session which may be charged to
the Republicans were the emergency
tariff act and the separate peace reso-
luton. Agricultural prices began to
decline Immediately after the passage
of the emergency tariff. The separate
peace resolution which Senator Lodge
had previously said would brand us
with everlasting dishonor," was a mere
gesture of the administration, upon
which President Harding did not even
issue a proclamation.