Evening star., 1922-07-30
SENATOR OFFERS
TO RESIGN IF VOTE
. ON TARIFF ILLEGAL
Democrats to Press for Sift
of Wool Schedule
Charges.
CARAWAY PROBE MOTION
DELAYED BY WADSWORTH
Gooding and Bursum Admit Being
Sheep-Raisers, But Defend
Vote on Duties.

| The question of whether senators
are interested financially, as has been
charged, in the duties on wool and
other commodities voted into the
pending tariff bill. was brought UP
yesterday in the Senate and led to
long and stormy debate.
! The discussion was opened by Sena-
tor Caraway, democrat. Arkansas, who
offered resolution proposing an iE-
| vestigation by the judiciary commit
tee. with a report to the Senate within
| ten days. Mr.. Caraway asked for
unanimous consent for immediate
consideration Of the measure, but
Senator Wadsworth, republican, New
| York, objected not only to that. but
| to the introduction of the resolution.
Thus, under the rules, the measure
did not come officially before the SEN
| ate.
Democratic leaders said privately
that the resolution would be pressed
| later. while Senator Gooding of Idaho.
chairman of the republican agricultu-
raj tariff bloc and a champion of the
| wool duty, declared to the Senate
that he would insist upon an investi-
CATION. which he charged had been
proposed by the democrats for "politi-
| cal purposes"
Declares Conscienee Clear.
The Idaho senator said he would
| plead guilty" to owning a few sheep.
while Senator Bursum. republican.
New Mexico, said II was no secret
that he was a sheep raiser. as he had
! told the Senate so before. Announc-
ing that he would tight for the sheep
industry ito the last ditch because.
he said. the prosperity Of his state
depended upon its live stock indus
try, Senator Gooding declared that, il
he had violated any law. he would
rssign. He asserted that his own
| conscfence was clear and reminded
! the Senate that he had~drawn1 no line
in his advocacy Of Drotsction for
American industries-had known no
north or south, no east or west.
Senator Bursum suggested that it
would be impossible ito have a body
representative of the people OF this
country and limit that representation
to those only who had no interest of
any kind or character and who would
not be affected by legislation"
Senator Stanield, republican. Ore
gon, wanted to know IL a senator
could not vote for a principle and
| have that principle outweigh any
personal or selfish interest. He asked,
also, whether a senator should stand
idly by and see an injustice done to
an industry.
/ Deny Owning sheep.
Senators Smoot. republican. Utah:
Oddie, republican, Nevada. and Jones.
| democrat, New Mexico, denied that
they were engaged in wool producing
Senator Smoot said he had sold his
sheep when Grover Cleveland was
elected President" while Senator
Jones said he had disposed Of his
focks in 1904. Mr.. Jones added that
| from the knowledge he had acquired
| in the industry. he would say that
even with the duty proposed in the
pending bill. the business Of the wool
grower would be in ''precarious
condition"
In opening the discussion, Senator
Caraway told the Senate he was not
| impugning the motives Of senators
nor saying that the charges that had
| been made in the newspapers and the
| Senate were true; that. what he
sought was an investigation Of the
| matter. His resolution, which was
read to the Senate. set forth that
! these charges were "hurtful to the
honor of those senators and to that
of the state itself" =
The resolution would not conhne
the inquiry to the pending bill, but
| would include also the emergency
tariff bill enacted more than a year
ago. The judiciary committee would
be instructed specifically to ascertain:
! First. whether any senator is or
has been financially or professionally
interested in the production, manu-
| facture or sale of any article or
articles mentioned in either of sad
tariff bills, and II SO. to what extent
Second, whether any senator rep.
resents or is connected professionally
or otherwise directly or indirectly
with any person, firm. association pr
organization engaged in the manu-
facture, production or sale OF any
| of said articles, or has been SO inter-
ested during the pendency OF this bill.
A.. .-arc.oc,, ,pri8 hi11o