New Britain herald., 1922-08-21
SENATE ACTION ON THE TARIFF


 Saturday marks another step in the
 creation of campaign issues that will
 again sharply define democracy as
 distinguished from republicanism,
 difference that has been lost since the
 war In the verging interests of both
 parties Should a House and Senate conference committee adopt the meas ure as the Senate has passed it there will come about difference of opin- ion in the electorate that will make for bitterly waged political battles that is certain. The senate imposed amendment which passes the burden of making revisions in the rates on to the President. making him responsi- be is bound to create considerable controversy.
 Led by a desire to keep American markets from a flood of cheapy pro- duced foreign goods, sold at the ex- pense of the job of the workman of this country. Americans have some what abandoned any free trade prin- ciples that they may have had. The voter has wished to see prices ad- justed to fair competitive basis. Not that we have become a nation of high protectionists. This. in our opinion Is not so but the war made certain hot ot eign competition. Tariff rates have been set, probably set very high, in | the proposed legislation. To encour- age several Senators an amendment !! was offered to the bill authorizing the President to make revisions down. | ward should he deem it advisable. The | republicans, thus won their lower tariff stand, voted for the bill in the hopes presuma bly, that lower rates might be made at once after the bill | had been adjusted and passed in both | houses of Congress. Hereafter the | President becomes the guilty party if rates are too high, he has the au- thority to reduce them and his office will become the target of tariff shots, rather than Congress.
 Naturally the democratic Senators are taking advantage of the opportuni- ty by the amendment and are criticis- ing the action even from the stand point of the expressed views of the President himself. During the stress of war bill was proposed in Congress which would give President Wilson the power to distribute the powers and | duties of executive offices under his control. One of the opponents of the measure was the then Senator Hard ing who stated that, if the bill was passed. Congress could fittingly com plete the program of delegatng the | taxing and appropriating powers to the President and go home.
 Inasmuch as the payment of a tariff | ultimately comes from every mans pockets it amounts to nothing more than tax and the Senate has dele gated this taxing power to the Pres ident He may not raise the rates, but they are high now, admittedly so since the amendment was introduced ! at all. If he does not lower them there will be influences brought to bear that politician may not well afford to overlook.
 Every individual in business is first concerned with the business that he represents, every congressman is first be the demands of his constituency. The protectionists have undoubtedly won preliminary victory in the Sen- ate and there is every reason to sup pose that they have looked well to the extent of that victory. It will soon be- come evident whether the new tariff rates are not fair to the voter, whether they are so high as to insure the American manufacturer getting far more than his product is worth from the American purchaser. There are individuals who would see no tariff as they can sell foreign made goods fast CT and at a greater profit to them selves than they can the American goods, and those individuals are by no means restricted to southern and non manufacturing sections of the country. They will aid the workman, for selfish reasons, should the work man think prices are too high The manufacturing interests will look for the highest possible protection. Whereupon the tug of war will come and, instead of Congress, the presi- dency will be the central point of the tugging.
 It would seem that it eventually ( might become necessary to establish l { a commission to act upon the tariff as '