The New York herald., 1922-04-24
FIGHT ON TARIFF
WILL OPEN TO-DAY
Democratic Leaders in Senate
Prepare for Mass Attack
Upon Pending Bill.
CAPPER BLAMES BANKERS
Declares Opposition Comes
Largely From Financial and
Importing Interests.
Special Dispatch to THE New YORK HERALp.
New York Herald Bureau,
Washington. u. g.. April "a.

Spccdt Dt3p1tcN 10 .HE new iokk iiEkAtps
New York Herald Bureau.
Washington. u. g.. April "a
Senators were preparing to-day Tor
the opening of the real battle over the
tariff tomorrow, when the reading OF
the McCumber bill for amendment is
expected to begin. Senator Capper
tkan.), one OF the Republican leaders
nf the farm bloc, tonight urged early
favorable action on the measure. He
said the pending bill and the existing
emergency tariff act are the first tariff
measures that have treated the farmers
fairly.
Democratic leaders in the Senate are
,eady to launch their mass attack on
tie bill. They will cnarge It is the
highest tariff bin In the country's his
Tory and will increase greatly the cost
Of living to the general public while
putting money in the pockets OF the
for the formal submission OF the minor
its report of the finance committee.
which is to sound the keynote of the
slcWocratic chorus or dsapproval. bul
Senator Simmons IN. c., ranking
Democratic member OF the committee.
MlI ,ut the report into the record in
few days as part of the speech he
viii deliver in opposition to the bill.
Senator Capper discussed the bill to-
right chiefly from the viewpoint of the
agricultural interests. lie said:
''Thc opposition to protective tariff
seems to come largely from International
banking and importing interest, whose
profits depend upon how chcaply they
can bring into our markets the food and
manufactured articles they bury abroad,
where production and labor costs are
low and cheap paper money is the me-
dium OF exchange.
There are indications the opposition
intends to adopt every known method
OF delaying the passage OF this bill. in
the hope of defeating il. Chairman Nc
Cumber states the Treasury estimates
this bill viii bring in more than $780,
100000 annually in revenue. This ap-
rroximately Is 81 100000 day. Manu-
facturers declare the present lack OF
tariff is costing industry between two
and four million dollars 4 day.
Taking the minimum estimate, it is
safe to assume that for every day this
bill is unnecessarily delayed by those
who desire to block tariff legislation il
will cost the country s3.000,000. Real
fzing this tremendous loss the Senare
majority desires the enYIiest possible
enactment of the McCun,7frr bill. The
Senate Finance Committee has made an
exhaustive study OF the economic needs
oe the country. The farmers know this
as well as the manufacturers. and now
they want action.
Chairman McCumber has rightly
termed this a consumers tariff The
majority of the consumers are farmers
and laborers. They believe in the tariff
and want a tariff, despite what the i'm
porters and internationalists say. Nor
NAL conditions cannot and will not re-
turn until the farmers are protected as
we'll as the workers. The farm organ
izations have testified that the emer-
Eency tariff act restored the American
market to the American farmer. We. as
y nation, lost our prosperity when the
farmers market was destroyed. In the
past the farmer never has had square
deal in tariff legislation. The emergency
tariff bill and this tariff measure treat
the farmer squarely and fairly.
"All economists admit that we have
the most costly and inefficient system
OF distribution in the world. The
spread between the producer and the
consumer is enormous. Transporta-
tion and distribution Of the farmers
products eat up more than the cost
OF production. What we must do Is to
work out program which will mini
Inize this spread between the production
cost and the selling price to the con-
sumner. s+
1--WE want to reduce the cost to the
consumer by bringing the farmer and
producer closer to the consumer. The
first step in this program is to restore
prosperity to the farmer by restoring
TO him his chief market: tariff that
VIII enable the farmer to get on his
feet.
"one OF the stock arguments OF the
tnternationalists opposing tariff legis-
lation now IL that II we give farmers
the protection which they need. Europe
cannot nay the $4,000. 900. 900 OF Gev-
ernment debts, and the $500, 100000
owed privately. ] wish to say frankly
In reply that II the price we have to
pay for our foreign debts is the de-
struction of American agriculture and
industry then It would be better IL
these debts were nevar paid Why
should we ruin our great businesses.
the very foundation of our wealth. to
make it easier for our debtors to pay
when our debtors on their part are not
leaving a stone unturned In protecting
their own interests"
Senator Walsh (Mont., Democrat) !,
charged that the tarir was not intended
to protect American industry but
rather to prohibit" the importation Of
goods for the benefit OF the consumer.
lie charged that the traditional Re-
pubIican policy of tariff to cqualize pro-
duction costs here and abroad had been
completely abandoned.
Mr.. walsh scored particularly the
tariff on hides. which he said would
work TO give a monopoly to the packing
interests. lie declared the tariff was
an attempt to perpetuatc the abnormal
war prices without ascertaining the
war profts, increased salaries or other
wasteful and extravagant methods
adopted 20 hide profits and escape pay
ment OF income taxes.
senator walsh charged that the poll
lev which thus far has governed prep
aration OF the tariff schedules was that
tain producers, having qualified as mill
lonaires as result of the war boom,
were now to get a monopoly at the ex-
pensc OF the consumer. according 10