Evening star., 1922-08-01
CHARGES SILK men
ASKED HIGH TARIFF
Simmons Sees Attempt to
Shut Out Oriental Pom,
gee Goods.
NAMES HORACE CHENEY
Head of Manufacturers Dominates
Industry, Senator, De-
clares.

| Charges that Horace B. Cheney.
president of the Silk Manufacturers
Association, had insisted on higher
duties on silk in order to shut out
oriental pongees used by persons of
moderate means. were made today in
the Senate by Senator Simmons Of
North Carolina, democratic leader in
the tariff fight.
Senator Simmons said this silk was
not produced in this country, but that
MI Cheney wanted it excluded 80 as
to force consumers to use the higher
priced American product. Mr.. Cheney
was described by Senator Simmons
as powerful in the Industrial. finan-
declared to dominate and control"
the silk industry just as, it was
charged, former Senator Henry F.
Lippitt of Rhode Island, dominates
and controls" the cotton goods in7
dustry.
Silk manufacturers, as a body. had
not demanded increases in duties
over these in the Underwood law, the
North Carolina senator said, adding
that the domestic industry met with
little foreign competition.
SILK Schedule Debated.
The Senate yesterday completed
consideration of the wool schedule,
after having approved of the duties
placed on blankets. wearing apparel
and floor coverings by the republican
| members of the finance committee.
me senate then began work on the
silk schedule.
After the silk schedule will come
those dealing with paper and books
ana sundries, including hides and
| laces: the free list and the aduinis-
tration provisions with the flexible
tarin plan proposed by President
work on these it must go back over
the entire bill paragraph by para
graph for action on individual
amendments.
As was the case Saturday. the Sem
ate had difficulty yesterday in keep
i ing quorum with a result that the
| eant-at-arms was directed to re-
qulre the presence of absentees. Aft
\ er Quorum had been obtained, Sem
ator McCumber. republican, North
dakota, in charge Of the bill, said
| he wmted it understood that the
order about absentees was to stand
Tor the remainder of the present leg
| islatlve day-now more than three
months old-if that day lasted until
March 4. Later kilograms were sent
TO absent senators urging their
presence.
G. o. p: Split Persists.
While the split in the republican ranks
!
! able controversy yesterday over wool
| duties, some republicans and most of
/ the democrats voting against the duties
on clothing. Senator Smoot. republican,
| Utah. in charge of the schedule, said,
| and Senator Walsh of Massachusetts,,
! conducting the fight for the minority,
| agreed. that only novelties were Inn
! ported; that the American ready-made
| clothing industry could compete with
the world
Opening debate on the silk schedule,
| Senator McCumber said that since the
government had lost 5000, 100000 in
revenue yearly through the operation
! of the prohibition amendment added
! funds had to be obtained from some
source and that there was no better
| source, in his judgment, than luxuries,
/ such as silk. He explained, however.
| that the duties proposed. ranging from
| 30 per cent to go per cent ad valorem,
were for protection of the domestic in
{ dustry as well as for revenue.
| In the principal democratic argument
! against the silk duties, Senator Shep-
pard of Texas showed the enormous
| growth of the American silk industry
! since 1914, declaring it now to be the
| largest in the world with a production
valued az $S95, 100000 in 1919. Against
/ this production. he said, were imports
! that year of only S53,000.00 about
! half of which was imported in bond and
! not intended for domestic consumption.