Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-05-13
THE NEW TARIFF.


THE NEW TARIFF.
CENAToR Simmons. who IL the
- ranking member Of the tariff
committee On the democratic side.
and who made the minority report.
is leading the fight against the tar
if bill. Neither he or any other
democrat was permitted to be pres
ent or take any part in framing the
measure. Its schedules were made
up in secret sessions by a sub
committee of republicans, then
rushed through the full committee
and reported to the senate. There
are more than 1000 items in the
bill, 50 that little opportunity was
given to the democrats to study the
bill or fully understand all its con-
sequences. However, these are
some of the points made by Senator
Simmons in his speech in the SEN
ate:
A Bill for Tariff Beneficiaries
and Bounty Seekers-This bill is
the outcome Of a frenzied outcry Of
a lot Of tariff beneficiaries and
bounty seekers who have been
thrown into a panic by q purely
temporary situation and who, by
nagnifying and exaggerating the
facts sought to deceive and mislead
a part of the public.
Will Limit Production to Home
Consumption'-Our people are great
consumers and buyers, in fact the
greatest, but if the American a
ket is to be the only market for
American products we must limit
domestic production to domestic
consumption
Covers Up Extortionate Profits
The theory of the tariff bill is
that however high the selling price
of the American article is. however
extortionate the profit covered up
in that price may be, the price of
the foreign article is to be raised Sc
as to make the two articles com.
petitive.
Will Result in Higher Cost of
Living-Under such a bill the
present excessively high prices un-
der which the people are grooming
will be maintained and inevitably
greatly advanced, SO that the peo-
pie instead Of getting a lower cost
of living as a result Of this legisla.
ton will get a higher cost Of living
Wooden Trust Already Raises
Prices-Undoubtedly informed of
these rates, and feeling confident
that this bill will be enacted into
law many Of the industries of the
country are getting ready to raise
their prices, and some Of them have
already done so. (Senator Simmons
cited the statement that the wooden
trust had already raised its prices
from 10 to As cents a yard.)
Will Limit Production of Cotton
Tobacco and Farm Productive
produce in normal conditions more
than twice as much cotton As we
need or can use in this country. If
we cannot sell abroad that part Of
our cotton production, that portion
of the annual production will be-
come valueless, and the congestion
which will follow in the American
market will so reduce the price of
the half-consumed in this country
as to make it impossible to continue
its production, therefore making it
necessary for the farm
er to reduce his production one-half
to 60 into bankruptcy and ruin.
The same is true in the case of to-
bacco and speaking generally it is
true with reference to nearly all
our staple food products. W. must
export our enormous surplus of
food products or curtail the pro-
duction, else the surplus will
swamp the American market and
reduce below the point of profit
the domestic price.
Prosperity of Farmer Depends
on Foreign Trade-It is evident
that the prosperity of the farmer is
upon III export trade.
and it is too self-evident to require
statements or Celebrations that the
volume of exports are directly de-
pendent upon and largely measured
by the volume Of our imports.