The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-03-23
FARMERS BLOC.
HAS own WAY.
in TARIFF BILL
Is Generous to Manufacturers
After Its Own Interests Are
Protected - Is Farmers
Measure.
HIDE, WOOL DUTIES HIGH
Bx MARK SULLIVAN


few days now, as soon as the vote
on the four-power treaty is out of the
way, We shall have with us the tariff.
The principal news the country will |
observe about it will be that the farm
bloc has won it.
There aren't many farm bloc mem
bers on the senate finance commit /
tee. LaFollette is about the only one /
the chairman, McCumber represents !
North Dakota, but he has generally ap- |
peared to avoid formal Identification !
with the farm bloc In announcing !
other day he described himself as a !
conservative Republican" But if the |
farm bloc personally IS not in the COM
mittee it's voice and its influence are. !
| 1t will probably turn out when the
committees work is made public that
anticipation of the farm bloc's wishes,
and Difference to them, has colored
the tariff to greater degree than any
other one interest.
Held by Penrose
Before McCumber succeeded to the
Craftsmanship, about two months ago
that office was held by Penrose.
When Penrose, just before his death,
was managing the tariff making, he
went to the leaders of the farm bloc
and told them to say what they wanted
and assured them they should have it.
Penrose in good health would never
have committed any such act of abdic-
alton as that. He would have well
coined a fight, if only for the fun of
the fighting But Penrose during the
last year of his life was pathetically
yielding the essence of power in or
der to hold on to it's symbols.
A Farmers Bill.
| In any event the desires of the farm
bloc have been about as generously
written into the bill as if they had
made it themselves. 1t is true that
the position of the farm bloc on the
tariff is one of seeming generosity.
They say that if they are given the
duties they want on farm products.
they are willing to let the manufac-
turing interests have a good high tar
iff too
The result is that the senate bill
will probably range somewhat higher
than the Payne-Aldrich bill. Some of
the duties in the approaching measure
+ are said to be as much as 200 percent
! higher than the -Aldrich duties
, Whether there will be as much com
, motion as was caused by the-Payre-
: Aldrich bill, when 10 years ago was
considered going some," even for a
purely republican measure, remains to
be seem Whether there win be a
howl from the consumer or not, there
! is sure to be one from some of the
manufacturing interests
They Won't Work
1t sounds we'll enough for the farm
. bloc members to say that if they ge;
q the high duties they want on theiI
! farm products the manufacturing in.
. terests can have what they want on
their goods; but that theory won't
O work. There is in many respects a
= fundamental economic deadlock be
: tween high duties for raw materials
], and any duties on manufactured goods
. that can be practicable
:, Duty on Raw Hides
; The new bill is said to put duty
. Of from 10 to Is per cent on -.
hides, and at this the New England
:, shoe manufacturers are likely to be
, dismayed. The tariff on raw wool car
also be expected to be very high
incidentally, when the great public
clamor arose over the wool duties il
the last Republican tariff. this par
Of the tariff was known as Schedule
K. Schedule X at the time was DO
litical slogan, which had a good dea
to do with the Republicans losing tn,
| house to the Democrats
Those who have knowledge of tn,
new senate bill say that the WOO
schedule in it is marked by figur
instead of letter, an example whicl
n illustrates the maxim of Talleyrant
" that "the chief business of statesme.
l' is to invent new names for institu
s tions which under their old name
II have become odious to the public
2 Humorous Story
s Another of the humorous storie
y which circulate among statesmen il
j. their hours of ease pictures the dut
n on potatoes raised from 25 to 35 cent
G. a bushel as a feeling response to Ser
~ ator Fred Hale of the state where tn
s. EARLY Maine" potatoes come from
IL who is up for reelection this year, an
rs who is represented in the facetiou
N telling of this story as having com
into the finance committees room, az
le companied by the senior senator fro1
o, the same state, and sung two stanza
10 Of Throw out the life line"
Re There almost would seem to b
re something significant about the cole
# Of humor in such tariff talk as theT
Oh is, so far, in Washington In Wasl
ni ington the tariff doesn't seem to bul
so large as an outstanding politics
II issue as it used to be. The case mu:
be the same throughout the countr
ne If the country were very insistent @
Vi tariff revision, the Republicans coul
Us hardly have postponed it so long E
~ they have.
1t is more than year since the r
publican members of the Ways an
Means committee of the house bega
work on it. The lower house g,
I'D through with it and passed it, witho,
much public excitement, on July 2
he last Since then, the senate finant
ne committee has had the bills. VIII
IL changes they have made, and VIII
he the response will be, we shall kno
IT. by the middle of next week.-Cop
as right, 1922, by The New York EveniI
Post Inc