The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1922-10-21
GREENE DEFENDS
HIS POTASH VOTE



the first Vermont district defended hi
vote IN Congress in favor Of duty o.
potash in an address before the Frank
lin county farm bureau at st. Albani
on Wednesday, Oct. Isl
Mr.. Greene said he did not appear
on the program as candidate foI
election next month, but us d pub
liz servant already in office who had
been asked by the president Of The
county farm bureau To explain why
! he voted for duty on potash when
the tariff was going through Its final
stage at the last session Of Congress.
lie was glad to respond to the eour
teous invitation and felt that it was
/ his duty To give an account of his
stewardship at amy time
Il Ic had read the highly sensational
article Of well-knoWn agricultural
paper circulating in New England in
which the majority Of the New Eng
land members Of the House Of Rep
resentatiyes, including himself, were
savagcly denounced as enemies to- the
farmers and the people generally be-
1 cause Of their attitude toward this
| matter and their record and vote upon
/ i'll He said the picture and impress
Ision set out BIZ that periodical were
I wholly misleading AZ to the import
ance Of the affair Or the attention
given to ii, and the article was evil
IDENTIFY a Bit Of propaganda Of par
| ticularly vicious character, having for
it, animus the desire to abuse some
| body publicly and make great fuss
about it for itself az the only genuine
friend Of the farmer"
Mr.. Greene said TINT it was not nm
lusaal in this life to SEE mon Of un-
doubted intelligence and good inten
tlons disaAveeing with one another as
how best to promote common in
terest, and voting i'll opposite ways ac-
cordingly He had 10 criticism to
make Of his colleagues who voted to
put potash On the free list. On the
other hand. the fact that a greater
number Of the New England men yot
ed the other way and these men also
numbered among them some Of the
most substantial and responsible men
In the New England delegation, was
evidence in the minds Of fair minded
folks that probably they thought they
had some good reason for their vote.
Sometimes men are widely separated |
in their views about public affairs, |
said Mr.. Greene, but any man with |
sense knew that no man in the New |
England delegation In Congress, how
ever he votes, IL consciously and In /
tentionally an enemy to the farmers
or the people generally, but on the
contrary is trying to serve what he
thinks il their best interest. If he
has no other reason for it, If he is i'm
PEELED by no moral sense, he il politi-
elan enough to try to deserve their
votes.
The transactions involved In the last
few details of winding up the tariff
bill during the closing days Of Con-
gress must be regarded as taking
place in great hurry and with every
body Of whatever opinion as to the
merits OF the bill eager to close it out
with the least possible further delay.
L had already been in preparation
,ver twenty months, and it came be-
ore the two houses in those closing
lours with thousands of items Of
to consider and agree
lpon. The printed tariff as ii finally
'ecame law makes big book.
The tariff bill as il originally passed s
he House in 1921 and went to the
'enate provided a duty on potash of
~ cents pound for the first two
ears; 2 cents a pound for the third Z
ear; ! "a cents pound for the fourth
ear; ! cent pound for the fifth +
ear; after which potash was to be Y
n the free list Various propositions 4
'ere made 10 the Senate looking to &
he imposition Of lower duty on h
otash, and the Farm Bureau FEEDER
ton itself favored one of these with y
he additional provision that the duty
D collected be in turn distributed to
merican producers of potash as
onus The Senate rejected all these g.
Ians finally and put potash on the y
zee list Manifestly compromise p
etween the duty imposed BY the 81
ouse and the free list suggested by b
ie Senate was expected in the end. n
When the Senate sent the tariff bill b;
EEK TO the House with its thousands n
amendments, upon agreement of II
,th houses the bill went TO COM
ittee of conference representing both n
them, according to Icing estab-
'hed custom. This joint committee
conference finally agreed upon this Il
on the potash item;
lty % lk cents a pound for pc
ID Of three years. after which potash
as 70 20 on the free list.
As member of the House steer
z committee that part Of the Re
iblican organization In Congress that D
designed TO see Republican legisla- n
IN put through, Mr.. Greene felt him
II called upon TO support the com
omise agreement made by the con-
rees Of the two houses and hurry
settlement this tariff that had been d
agring for over twenty months. And
voted for it unhesitatingly. BE
ted for il because he was a mem
: of the party organization respon-
lie for The party program in Con-
IS, but he also voted for il because
was a Republican and Protec-
mist and was elected by the people q