Evening star., 1929-11-23
WARE CASE FIRST
ON SENATE SLATE|
Indications New Tariff Bill
Will Not Be Completed
Before Christmas.
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

The portion OF the tar1H IeII unoone
as the Senate adjourns includes sugar.
This fact indicates that the tariff will
consume a considerable time out of the
new session. Sugar alone is easily
capable of using up week of Senate
debating. This suggests that it will be
Christmas at least before the country
has new tariff bill completed in both
houses.
When the Senate resumes on Decem-
Der it will not even take up the tariff
at once. A preferred place on the regu-
lar sessions program of business is the
nearly three-year- case of Senator
elect Ware of Pennsylvania. The Ware
case, under present conditions, should
not use up much time. 1t has been de-
bated over and over again. Also the
expected outcome Is fairly well under
stood.
The Ware case is almost the only item
of business that will constitute a neces-
Sary poStponement of reSuming on the
tariff. The Senate may, however, take
up other matters if it sees fit. There
are two judicial appointments, one in
Pennsylvania and one in Kansas, which
have been awaiting action by the Senate
for an inordinate time, the Pennsyl-
vania case especially. If the Senate
should take up these judicial appoint
ments, they might consume several
days, for there is controversy about
both.
Can Spend Four Weeks on Tariff.
Assuming the Senate does not allow
any interruption except the Ware case,
the body should be able to resume on
the tariff by, roughly, December or Z.
Thereafter the Senate could finish what
is left of the tariff within two weeks.
but 1t is also true that the Senate, If
it is in that kind of mood, can readily
spend as much as four weeks on the
remainder of the tariff.
Whenever the Senate finishes there
VII remain some time consuming neces-
sites before the bill is finally enacted.
The version of the bill written b the
Senate and the version written by the
House must go to conference in order
that differences between them may be
smoothed out and compromised. The
conference consists of a committee of
the Senate and a committee of the
House. 1t Is possible for the two COM
mittees to wrang1e long time. Under
the present conditions the two commit
tees may want to go back to their re-
spective chambers for instructions from
time to time.
The net of it is that no one can guess
how much time the conference may
consume. Because no one can guess
that, no one can guess when this tariff
bill will be enacted. Some hopeful per-
sons say by January /. Some Demo-
cratic leaders have predicted publicly
February /.
Delay Affects Business.
There is one condition making for
speed. Various persons, some of them
IN exalted areas of finance, have
charged that delay about the tariff has
been in part responsible for business
recession. AS respects the past, hardly
any well informed person in Washing
ton believes that. The vehemently re-
sentful retorts arising in Washington
have been approved in spirit by prac-
tically everybody. The future, how
ever, is a different matter. It is gen.
orally agreed that in the present condi-
ton OF the country any future delay is
unfortunate. At a time when every
business leader in the country is trying
t. bring about stability, 1t is conceded
that future delay with the tariff runs
counter to the common interest. In a
national effort to achieve stability it is
urgently important for business to know
early just what the tariff is going to be-
Heed will be given this argument and
this condition by Congress. No faction
and no leader will want to accept ac-
countability for prolongation of delay.
There is another factor that should
count for speed but may not. All the
factions and all the leaders, with neg
ligible exceptions, are now at a state
where they want or are willing to have
the same kind of tariff. The battles
have been won and the mental sur
renders have been made. The types of
tariff onw demanded or conceded by all
the factions are substantially identical.
This statement applies only to rates
and not to either the debenture plan
or the flexible provision. Such a con-
dition ought to make for prompt writ
ing of the rates and prompt decision
one way or the other on the disputed
provisions.
Much Depends on Popularity.
In fact. however, the possibility of
promptneSs is not SO great as this con-
dition would suggest. There is mutual
disinclination among the factions to
admit publicly the agreement about
rates which, in fact, exists. There is
disinclination on the part of some fac
tions and leaders to accept RESPONSE
bility for the bill. One reason is that
it remains. of course. to be seen whether
the tariff is going to be popular.
Whether this or any tariff Is popular
depends to some extent on the state of
business when the tariff goes into ef-
feet and subsequently,. AS to the fu-
ture of business in general, there Is at
least some doubt. Persons looking at
the future from a purely political
standpoint want to be able to choose
when the time comes whether they
shall point with PRIDE" or, on the
other hand, view with condemna-
ton" If it were certain that at elec-
ton time next year all sections of the
country will be prosperous, including
the corn belt. in that event everybody
the "off chance" that conditions may
not be satisfactory is the reason for