The Lexington progress. (Lexington, Tenn.) 1884-current, 1922-06-09
THE TARIFF A MORTGAGE
ON THE PEOPLE.

In presenting the minority report of
the Senate Finance Committee on the
McCumber- Fordney tariff, Senator F.
M. Simmons, ranking member of the
committee, asserted that if properly
entitled the act would read: "An Act
to mortgage the country and its re-
sources to the protected and monopo-
lized industries"
Declaring that the proposed Tariff
bill will impose an additional annual
burden of from three to four billions
dollars on the American consumer, the
report continues:
"They must be paid by all the peo-
ple, Just as those in the revenue bill
must be paid by all the people, and
not by the beneficiaries who have
demanded and got them. The people
must not only pay the taxes on i'm
ports which 90 directly into the
Treasury, but they must pay the re-
sulting increase in prices of all the
things they buy and consume.
Broadly speaking the views of the
special interests who asked the taxes
and got them and Of the people who
pay them differ widely in their praise
ment of the measure and its effect up
on the national prosperity.
So far as the special interests are
concerned, it goes without saying the
taxes imposed are both satisfying and
comforting :.
On the other hand, the people view
this bill as a measure full Of mischief
and dangerous possibilities, loaded
with innumerable burdens for them
and their prosperity"
Senator Simmons answers the ar
gument Of the majority that the pas
sage of the bill will prevent an inva-
sion of the country by foreign pro-
ducers with the statement that Amer
lean manufacturers have been and
now are selling their American-made
products abroad in direct competition
with the products of foreign nations.
American manufacturers have new
er found any difficulty in finding a
market for their exportable surplus.
In numerous instances the prices OBJ
tanned abroad are far less than the
prices obtained at home. Through the
operation of the tariff these manufac-
turers are able to gouge the American
consumers.
The threats Of a long session and of
cloture which Republican leaders are
making in order to get the tariff act
on the books before summer Is far adj
vanced are part of the program to
jam this iniquitious measure through,
regardless of consequences. Unles it
is passed the supply of funds which
G. o. P. is counting upon for the fall
elections will not be Forthcoming, as
big business contributes only for val
ue received.
That the Democrats of the Senate
will not be coerced into passing the
bill without unlimited debate is evil
dent from these paragraphs of the re-
port: 8e,
'In these expectations the people
have been previously disappointed.
This disappointment has grown as
they studied the bill, first into sur
prise and then Indignation at the au-
dacity of the assault upon their pock-
etbooks and is finally eliminating in
to grim determination to resist to
the uttermost tbs attempted spolia-
tion.
"In these circumstances, the people
will be satisfied with nothing chort of
a full exposure through discussion of
this attempted outrage, inspired by
the desire to placate the subsidized
interests at their expense. No con-
spiracy Of silence, no threat of long
sessions, no charges of filibuster or
cloture must be allowed to smoke
screen and divert the expoure of the
iniquities which lurk in the tax-laden
subjects and paragraphs of the 438
pages of the amendment Fordney bill,
an act (if properly entitled) to mort
gage the country and its resources to
the protected and monopolized indus
tries"
The tariff bill cannot be defended,
however it may be apologized for by
its sponsors, any more than the Payne
Adrich bill cannot be defended. The
rates of the pending measure are con-
siderably higher than those of the act
of 1909. Tie powers which the Con-
gress proposes to give the President
are unprecedented. They constitute a
surrender of the tariff-making pre-
negatives of the House. The section
which would permit the President to
increase or reduce rates at will places
in his hands a powerful club over big
business interests which no man
ought to have.
The defeat of New in Indiana may
give courage to the small group of
Senator's of progressive tendencies,
and with their aid the Democrats may
be able to defeat the Old Guards at
tempt to mortgage the people of the
United States.-Tennessean.