Evening star., 1922-09-19
TARIFF BILL VOTE
T0BE TAKEN TODAY
-.
Senate Action to Bring End
to.Longest Fight In Con.
gressional History.
PASSAGE BELIEVED SURE
Presidents Approval Also Held
Certain-0pponents to Take Is.
sue to Fall Elections.
PASSAGE BELIEVED SURE

The longest and bitterest tariff fight
| in the history Of the American Con-
gress is to end at I pm. today under
a unanimous consent agreement for
vote by the Senate at that hour on
on the administration bill. Favorable
action was regarded as foresone con-
clusion, as was the approval Of the
measure by President Harding.
| In the four hours Of debate that
preceded the vote the democrats made
their final onslaught on the bill. with
Senator Underwood Of Alabama their
leader, delivering the principal address:
| While their fight in Congress was ABOUT
| ended. they expteced to carry II 10
the country during the campaign pre-
ceding the elections in November.
! Twenty Months in Making.
The tariff. the first republican pro
tective measure in nearly ten years.
has been twenty months and more In
| the making. The House ways and
means committee began hearings on
January s, 1921. and the bill Was passed
year. It then went to the Senate.
where it remained with the finance
committee until last April II. Eight
days later Senate consideration began
and 1t continued for four months with
| For the FIRST time in American tarin.
making the Senate considered tho bill
item by item. with prolonged debate
on some of the separate rates. There
entire schedules or only the high spots
| in each schedule. Under the new plan
the bill was rewritten gradually on
the Senate floor, but most of the
changes were voted on recommends
| tion Of the finance committee ma
jority.
Sees Increased Costs.
| Senator Simmons of North Carolina.
minority leader In the ,tariff tight.
| speaking for more than three hours
yesterday. assailed the bill as one that
would increase living costs by billions
OF dollars year and would result in
| the formations Of hundreds and thou
restraint Of trade.
| The attack on the measure was not
| confined yesterday to the democratic
| side. Senator Cameron. republican.
Senate conferees in yielding to the
! House managers on the proposal to
impose a tariff of cents a pound on i
long staple cotton. He indicated that
! he would vote against the conference
| report.
F.! While the Senate was arguing the
| tariff bill the House ways and means
/ committee began consideration Of a
resolution for continuation for ninety
days Of the dye embargo licensing sys-
the tariff bill. Final decision went
! over until tomorrow. The resolution
| was introduced by Representative
Tilson, republican. Connecticut. and q
similar one has been presented in the
publican. New York, chairman Of the
Senate military committee.
Continuation Of the dye embargo
act is urged by Secretary Mellon. who:
to tna s
ance committee, declared that admin
stration OF the dye duties in the
permanent tariff bill on tho basis
| of American valuation would be
difficult fora time because additional
machinery would have to be set up.
Defends Retail Men. j
The Nat National Retail Dry osa GoSds
managing director. made public yes |
terday a series Of afidavits from |
buyers and other officials Of stores |
with a view to disproving charges |
made in the Senate that the spread |
of articles of imported merchandise
and the retail selling price is un-
warrantedly great The sworn |
statements also should go to dis
prove, an accompanying statement
the retail department stores Of tho |
United States are interested In !
foreign merchandise because OF the |
inordinate profits that could be OBJ |
tanned"
On behalf Of tho Association and its !
members, Mr.. Hahn pointed out that |
the imported merchandise handled by |
them did not equal five per cent OF |
their total annual sales," and that |
they were opposed to prohibitive
tariff because it would injure the |
American export market to the |
deteriment of the nations business
as a whole.