The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-07-31
EXPLODING A TARIFF BOMB

LaFOllette's problematical merits as a statesnan, there is no doubt that as a bomb thrower he stands among the fore most His latest effort is to ask of the tariff commission why it has held up so long it's report of the inquiry into the cost of sugar production. The Amer ican people are paying tariff on sugar, and nobody knows how much more than a tariff, for the price has gone up several degrees higher than the mere addition of the duty to the price would appear to warrant. Mir. LaFollette is not the only one who would like to have the facts in this case. The Democrats opposed the increasing of the sugar tariff, and were unable at the time nor since to discover any reason for it, except that the Re publicans perhaps hoped to put the sugar barons on a parity with other manipula- tofs who are making unearned fortunes out of the tariff at the expense of the American people. There was consistency in it-from the Republican viewpoint.
 The peculiar part of Mir LaFollette's query Is that it immediately threw the tariff commission into a strange state of perturbation, and into a voluble ex- planation of the delay. To be sure, the commission has been engaged in the in vestigatiOn only a little more than two years, or since St. Patrick's Day, 1922, to be exact What are two years to a commission, particularly a Republican tariff commission? If it should be found that the cost of producing sugar is too low, then the tariff would have to be re- duced by the president, and that would never do, for the political purpose of the tariff has not yet been fully served It is true that anybody other than a tariff commission with party fetich to guard could have gone to the archives of the departments of agriculture of the United States and of Cuba and discovered fairly accurate data as to the cost of producing sugar, all within the space of a sum mer'S day. But a commission must be HWY SOA1(ACnS4O0S GA1GA GA6Ss 1I must not shiEk its work by such shortcuts as accepting figures already authenticated. It must go out into the wilderness of facts and figures and iassO it's own con- cluSi0ns. If a commission were to turn in its report within the few days that a business firm would aIIOt to a similar finding, there would be due confidence in it's good intent and efficiency.
 It is understood, however, that there are differences within the commission itself, which have obstructed its eff ciency. For example, when the inquiry into sugar began, Commissioner Culbert- son made strenuous objection to the par ticipatiOn therein by Commissioner Classic, whose family connections are said Ito be heavily interested in sugar prOduc- ton. Commissioner Classic and his col leagues stoutly protested his fitness for the inquiry. For who would be more sym pathetic with sugar than one so closely affiliated with the industry! COmmis- S4OACA OAADCAESOAAy MOHCNCAg AS 0AAl1G4 q man of considerable backbone and has had more experience in the field covered by the commission than any of his col leagues. Therefore, he carried the ques- ton of Mir. Classics fitness to congress, and congress promptly debarred the lat ter from participation in the inquiry.
 What the other internal differences within the commission are is not brought out. Whatever they may be, the result upon the efficiency of the commission cannot help but be bad. If the inquiry into sugar has consumed nearly two and a half years, with no report as yet in hand, what must be the fate of other items that must be checked by the com mission in order that the president may be kept informed? The provisions of the flexible" tariff require that the president change the schedules whenever conditions alter so as to make such a course necessary or desirable. If the pres ident has really been concerned as to the propriety of the sugar tariff, the commission has been of no service in relieving his concern. The commission, it is true, now hastens publicly to de clare that the report will be submitted within a week. Perhaps that week was all that was really necessary to discover the facts and compile the figures. Only the tariff commission knows.
 CIcES OF DTCTPTCT,C CROwTH