The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1922-08-28
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WASHINGTON LETTER.
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Washington. By nearly two to
one vote the Fordney-M cC umber tariff
bill passed the Senate, August 18th.
To be exact, the vote was Yeas" As,
Nays" %, Not voting" %. OF the %
who did not vote, on account of alb
sence, or some other cause, IL would
have voted for the bill, if present, and
II against it. This would have made
the full vote so for and So against
Only three Democrats were con-
sistenly protectionist throughout, vot-
ing 70 rthe measure on the final roll
call. They were the two Senators from
Louisiana, Broussard and Ransdell,
and Kendrick, who i sup for reelection
With the sole exception Of Kendrick,
the forecast of the Republican Pub |
licity Association made early in June
as to how the Democrats would vote
for the bill was correct.
! Some weeks ago Ashurst of Arizona |
announced that if, in his belief. the |
bill was an honest bill he would vote
for it. He was at that time splitting
the blue empyrean with speeches for
protection on Pima cotton. The Sem
ate gave that commodity cents a
pound. Ashurst wanted twice that
much. He also voted for high protec-
tive rates on other commodities, III
tn emajority of instances for higher
Nt.,, 81, InI
Finally he voted against the bill He
will now attend to his Arizona cam
paign and attempt to convince his con-
stituents that he was high protec-
ZIONIST as far as their interests were
concerned, but the bill was not an
honest bill and the conscience which
snatched at Is cents pound on Pima
cotton recoiled from a bill whose gen
oral average ad valorem on all i'm
ports will be about 13 per cent.
On all Texas products Sheppard of
that state vote dior the highest pos
sible protection, he also outbidding the
Senate on those products. But when
the showdown came he voted against
the bill. There was no limit to the du-
ties he would exact for peanuts, vege-
table oils, Angora wool, rice, etc., but
when it came to protecting the pro-
ducts of other states he was a tariff
chameleon. Hefiin of Alabama de-
manded prohibitive duty on graphite
The records do not show what finan-
cial interest he has in that commodity.
1t is a new Alabama industry, created
by the late war, which has been closed
down during the past three years OF
competition under the Democratic tar
if law. The graphite industry receiy-
ed adequate protection from the Sen
ate but when the final vote came Hef-
lin had switche dto the free trade side.
Fletcher and Trammell, of Florida,
who had been so solicitious for pro-
lection to citrus fruits and pineapples,
went back to the fire trade camp when
the whole bill was put to vote. About
the time peanuts weer bein gdiscussed
in the Senate, Swanson of Virginia
wa campaigning for reelection, and
Virgini. Is the goober state He voted
for prohibitive rates on peanuts, beat
Westmoreland Davis for the nomina-
ton, and then voted abainst the bill
Jones of New Mexico followed in the
ofotsteps of Ashurst and will emulate
that nimble gentleman in his cam
paign for reelection. And SO it went.
Naturally. Congress an dthe coun-
try have a far greater respect for
those Democratic Senators who were
out and out free traders and went
down with their flag flying, then they
have for those who carried a locker
full Of colors from which selection was
made to meet any cxpediency. The
truth Is these kaleidoscope flag-fly-
ers knew full we'll the Republicans
would pass a bill which protected all
interests, irrespective fsection; 80
they sought the backing o fthe i'm
porters for reelection as free traders,
and 0 ftheir immediate constituents as
high priests OF protection where the
interests of those constituents were
0 concerned. They made the tariff a
!, local issue because by caliber they are
local ofice-hoiders.