Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1922-07-13
Washington Correspondence.
BY WALLACE BAssFoRD.

CODSreSS Wulcu III MarC1 was IaiKlD2
of adjourning in May, in July is talk
ing of the possibility of adjourning in
August, while the country sweats un-
der the uncertainty of how great will
be the burden of new taxation piled
up by the Fordney bill when it finally
becomes law. The best statisticians
who have brought their pencils to
bear on the problems are of the opin-
ion that for every dollar taken from
the purse of the average citizen under
the preseut (Underwood) tariff law,
the new bill will take something like
$13,40, as compared with about $3.65
under the Payne -Aldrich. Demo-
Gratis cried out against the exactions
of the last named law and repealed it
with the Underwood law, which was
highly satisfactory to all except those
Republican New England and Pitts.
burgh tariff barons who grow rich out
of such legislation.
With the Republicans the whole
tariff scheme is vicious circle, and
once having adopted the system they
seem unable to escape from it. Here
is the way it has worked: the tariff
barons put up the campaign funds
which enable the party to win and
then proceed, like Shylock, to collect
their pound of flesh; their demand
takes the form of higher tariff legis-
lation; after prolonged struggle in
Congress they get it, whereupon the
people throw the Republican party
out of power. Following the enact
ment of the Mckinley bill they were
cleaned out, boots and breeehes; fol-
lowing the Dingley bill, it took the
Spanish War to save the House to the
Republicans, and that only saved it
by narrow squeeze; after the Payne
Aldrich bill they were again kicked
out, whereupon the Democrats en-
acted the Underwood tariff
bill-a bill designed to produce the
greatest amount of revenue for the
Treasury with the least burden on the
public. The Democrats remained in
power for years after its enactment
and lost control only through the
great wave of political hysteria which
followed the war. The passing of
that wave has been more and more
in evidence of recent months, and a
return to normal thinking threatens
to sweep the Republicans out of the
House in the coming November elec-
tion. Almost every day comes the
news of some Republican Member
who 'finds that his business engage
ments make it impossible for him to
again be candidate for Congress-"
Among the latest are Fordney and
Winslow, both rich manufacturers
who are seeing enacted into law those
tariff provisions which will still furth-
er enrich them. They seem to be
among those wise ones who quit while
quitting is good.
I have expressed the belief that
Oscar Underwood of Alabama is the
best authority in the country on the
tariff: listen to what he says in the
New York Times about the iron and
steel schedule of the new tariff bill:
"Consider the paragraphs in the
pending bill that relate to iron and
steel sheet plates. They constitute
the basic material out of which plows
are made, the basic material in the
manufacture of wagons, the basic
material out of which ships are con-
structed, the basic material out OF
which are built freight cars for carry
ing the commodities of the country to
market, the basic material for almost
everything found in the blacksmith
shop and so on. On these CONF mod
tiles the schedule is built, And under
this bill the rates of iron and steel
plates have been largely increased
In 1920 we produced in the United
States plates and steel totaling 1887,
$50 gross tons, We imported twenty
nine gross tons and exported and sold
in the markets of the world more
than 100000 gross tons. These
statistics tell the story. Comment il
unnecessary.
81 have had to fight this iron ant
steel question out good many times
The truth about the matter is this
For many years in the other House o
of Congress I represented a great irol
and steel district. am in the busi
ness myself. / would not wiliingl.
harm a people that | represented, bu
neither would / willingly betray
people I represented by taxing then
unjustly for special interests. Iknoy
this iron and steel schedule, and
know that it is fraud and shame up
on the people of this country. knoN
that it is not even in the interest Q
the industry in the end, and that it
very much better for this great in