The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-10-09
,oOUTH DENOUNCES TARIFF BODY AS
 UNDERESTIMATE
Governors Withdraw From Southern Tariff Association, Which Celebrates Passage
 Fordney-M -McCumber Bill
By HUGH ". ROBERTS

Washington, October s.--Just at
 the moment the President considered
 the advisability of meeting bitter complaint respecting the tariff by
 exercising his power to revise certain
 rates downward-notably those in- volving wool and sugar-ths South ern Tariff association came to Wash ington.
 The Southern Tariff association held what it termed victory" con- vention and jubilee. Of the Southern
 Tariff association. the President and his political associates made well comed guests. For 1t furnished them excuse to state that the business men of the south feel just as do the
 business men of the east and west. that protection Is necessary. The Southern Tariff association politicians because certain agricul-
 tura1 products were protected by the provisions of the Fordney McCumber
 bill; whereupon. the politicians flashed across the continent the declaration that the democrats do not l stand solidly against protection. Governors Arc Used The Southern Tariff association is composed chiefly of John H. Kirby
 of Arkansas and Texas. When he
 first introduced his association to
 Washington, he represented as
 members or honorary office holders practically all southern governors. Among them were: R. A. Cooper of South Carolina, Hugh Dorsey of
 Georgia and Thomas E. Kilby of Ala bama.
 As soon as southern governors
 were apprised of the character of the Southern Tariff association, and
 the use to which their names were association. Some of them de- nounced 1t.
 Later, Senator Pat Harrison ques- toned every member of the South ern Tariff association. who appeared in the interest of the so-called emer-
 gency tariff bill.
 For whom did you vote for Pres ident in l9202" queried the dissis- sippi senator And invariab1y tho reply came For Harding" The Political Effect In the south. the Southern Tariff association is unknown. or if known. is given no consideration. It is com
 posed of republicans who live in the
 ruth. most of whom are rech men and inherently believe in protection.
 Like all other orthodox repub- iicans, they believe in increasing
 cost of living to the poor man in
 order that additional milhonaires may be developed.
 While the facts are known In the south in other sections of the coun-
 try. publicity has made 1t appear that thN south has abandoned it's ancient democratic moorings, and that in Congress, the real sentiment of the
 south Is not represented. Thus the
 Southern Tariff association Is thing of value to the spoilsmen of the re- publican political organization. Kirby Ia Critical MT. Kirby, president of the South
 ern Tariff association, maintains
 headquarters here, and too frequently circularizes newspaper offices with his paternoster.
 He lends himself. whether pur- posely or not, to the republican poli- ticians who are presently distressed
 at the revolution of the people against the Fordney McCumber "monstrosityt"
 He expresses regret that the demo- cratic campaign book inveighs against the tariff. And the repub- lican politicians publish that fact in an effort to show that the south is running counter to all that south ern representatives stood for in Con- gross.
 Effect on Congress While the bankers associated with
 Kirby are perhaps no more friendly to the farmers than the bankers of other sections, they were able to swervs certain southern democrats from the straight course when the
 emergency tariff bill pended. But in the fight against the Ford ney -McCumber bill, only two flick cred. They were Senators Ransdell
 and Broussard of Louisiana, who supported the bill in return for higher rate on Louisiana sugar than was ever before imposed on the American consumer.