Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1922-08-04

After a three days. fight the SEN
ate by two to one vote fixed the
basic duty on raw wool at 33 cents
per pound of clean content. By
practically the same vote, the sem
ate rejected an amendment seeking
to reduce the duty to the. Fordney
rate Of 25 cents, and then rejected
an amendment by Wadsworth of New
York proposing a rate of 28 cents
per pound.
The fight over the wool schedule
has been spirited, Senator Gooding
| of Idaho being the active leader of
| the advocates of Thesis cent duty.
The wool schedule broke down
party lines, eight Democrats, mostly
from big wool producing states, sup
| ported the 33 cents rate. and an
equal number of Republicans voted
for lower duties. Senator Borah was
the only far western Republican to
| vote against the 33 cent duty, and
for all the amendments, including
| the Lenroot amendment.
The vote Wednesday absolutely in
sures the retention of the 33 cent
| wool rate in the bill when 1t finally
passes the senate, but 1t does not
necessarily mean that 33 cents will
be the duty imposed by the bill when
| 1t becomes law, for the wool tariff
will be thrown into conference, the
house having vetoed the rate of 25
cents per pound. The conference
committee will have to reach a com.
promise, and unless the house agrees
to accept the senate rate, the ulti.
mate rate will be somewhere between
rs and 33 cents. Senator Gooding
is strongly hopeful the house will
agree to the senate rate, in view OF
the overwhelming vote in its fla.
vor.
The hardest fight yer the wool
schedule conferred around the Lem
root amendment which sought to inn
pose an ad valorem limitation on
wool duties, but Senator Gooding and
others who thoroughly understood
the wool tariff, convinced the senate
1t is not feasible to levy wool duties
on an ad valorem basis. The pleas
OF senators from wool-growing states
was for definite specific duty which
cannot be lodged by imports, and
one which will give wool growers
exactly the measure of protection
which the bill, by its term, implies.
During the debate, Senator Good |
ing showed how the Lenroot amend |
ment, would have in 80 per cent of |
our imported wool at duty of only |
8 cents on the secured pound and |
would have opened the door to fraud |
Under the Lenroot amendment,
Senator Gooding charged, coarse
woods would have displaced the high
or grades and the amendment, in his
would have been little
better than free trade.
"A 33 cent duty" said Senator
Gooding, "gives our wool industry
chance to live under the present
high costs of production and high
freight rates. Anything less would
have destroyed the industry Sen
itor Gooding, as leader of the wool
light, was congratulated by many
senator's when the contest was over
Ind he had won his first distinctive
rictory in the senate.
Senator Borah, who supported Len.
cots amendment and later voted for
over duties than 33 cents. took no
'art in the debate, but said later
hat Representative Fordney looked
pom a duty of 25 cents per pound
s adequate, and personally he felt
hat any rate high enough to satisfy
'ordney, high priest of protection,
1as high enough for him. In fact,
q said, he had difficulty in support. {
ng rates which are high enough to I
atisfy Fordney. He regarded the SO l
ents duty as altogether too high, I
nd on this theory, voted for the Len
bot and other amendments. b