New-York tribune., 1922-05-18
Stay ON Tariff
job or Resign, ,
Says McCunber
Finance Committee Chair
man Shouts Message for
Republican Senators Who
Leave Their Seats Empty
Insists on Bill's Passage
Powers Of Rate Revision AS
s'-ncd to President in
Measure Hit by Democrats

WASHINGTON. May 17-thmpl
ing Of Republican Senators abscntng
Themselves during votes on the tariff
bill, Chairman McCumber Of the Senate
Finance Committee said to-night during
debate that they should either keep on
the Job or resign.
IF you can't stay here and pass this
bill. for Gods sake resign and let your
state send some one here. who will stay
here" shouted the North Dakota Sen
ator. "That's my message to those Re-
publicans who can stay here and won't"
Calling attention that there had been
vote after vote with only bare ma
jority forty ynine present. Senator
McCum Der said he did not expect the
Democrats who were opposed to the bill
to maintain q quorum, but that he did
expect the Republicans who believed
in it to stay on the job and pass it.
"They haven't been doing this" he
said.
The committee chairman said it was
not to be expected that Senators who
were sick could be present that there
were others who could not attend night
sessions continuously on account of age
and that those Senators who had close
primary contests in their own states
might be excused, but that other Sena-
tors should stay on the job He added
that the Senate had been in session
eleven hours and had passed on only
three little insignificant amendments"
Revision Powers Attacked
Provision in the tariff bill under which
the President would be given broad
powers over tariff duties were attacked
and defended to-day in the Senate
opened the assault and was joined by
Senator Underwood, of Alabama, the
Democratic leader, and others on the
minority side. Chairman McCumber
and Senator Smoot, Of the Finance
Committee, defended the provisions.
Declaring that the proposal would
bring together in the White House
the three branches of the government
the legislative, executive and judicia ial-
Senator Watson said they would "work
a revolution in our system Of govern
ment."
Senator Watson asserted also that
the power of life and death over bust
ness not only in this country, but
abroad was too great to impose on
any ore man and that no member Of
the British Parliament would dare to
make such proposal.
The tariff bill will be kept before
the Senate until its passage no matter
how long that may be, Senator Lodge.
OF Massachusetts, the Republican
leader, announced tonight in the SEN
ate.
eve will keep this bill before the
Senate, no matter how long we are
held here" Senator Lodge said. There
Is no intention of putting this bill over,
no matter how long it takes to dis
pose of it,"
Senator Lodges announcement was
in response to an inquiry of Senator
Underwood.
Fear Overthrow of Rates
Senator Underwood described the
provisions as the "machinery to over
throw all the rates we are discussing."
CAS- long as this machinery remains
in the bill" he said, "and hope it will
go out, it is hardly necessary for US to
consider rates, because no matter what
we do 1T all may be wiped out overnight
by an Executive order
The Democratic leader said the DOW
err proposed was mandatory upon the
President, and declared that if the bill
dld not create an embargo against i'm
ports the President was ordered to
make one. Senator Underwood went on
to say that many persons believed the
NAAs'NC "o' 'iHi'iS iilthi ldttS lOC years
to come, but that as a matter of fact
the rates would be fixed finally by
Bureaucracy which the President
would create
To Limit Powers Proposed
Senators Underwood and Simmons.
Democrats, of North Carolina, con
tended and Senators McCumber and
Smoot denied that the President would
have authority to transfer items from
the free list to the dutiable list. Finally
Senator Smoot offered an amendment
which was left pending for Senator
Underwood's approval, designed to
clarity the section and definitely limit
the Presidential discretion to the
dutiable list.
Senator Smoot reiterated that the
President would use the authority
granted on " in limited number Of
cases, in which it was known that du-
ties could not be provided that would
take care of the situation. He added
that in most cases the President would
act to decrease rates which had neces-
sarlily to be fixed now on an unstable |
condition.