Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1929-09-20
Friday MOrnins ..-ssptembe 20. 1929
Opponents Rushing The Fight
Against The Tariff Bill.

scored significant victory when by a vote
OF 81 to II they put through the resolution
prepared by Senator Simmons, of North
Carolina. ranking Democrat on the Finance
Committee. and approved by all the mi
nority members on the committee. making
available for inspection the income tax
returns of corporations affected by the
tariff bill. Every Democrat and twenty-one
Republicans voted for it. Voting with the
hard-and-fast Republicans against the reso-
luton was Senator Allen. of Kansas,
White House spokesman.
Though no legitimate argument could be
advanced for Withholding the income tax
figures from the Senators. it is worthy of
remark that the stand-pat administration
Senators almost to man voted against it.
The first result Of the verdict will be to
demolish the plea Of certain pampered
corporations that they must have the added
duties on their products because they can
mol compete with foreign goods otherwise,
for II they have been truthful in their
sworn statements of income, most of them
will show that they have been enjoying a
period Of conspicuous prosperity-as the
reports Of the Department of Commerce
show.
The pauperism of a company paying rs
per cent dividends on inflated capitaliza-
tion and piling up surplus in addition,
ought to be the banner joke OF the season.
he ~ he ID ~ L..
resolution is the size Of the affirmative
vote. II was fairly indicative Of the oppo.
sition to tariff bill which has been freely
and frequently characterized as the worst
ever presented to the Senate" Further
more. the preponderant vote was in the
nature OF a warning to those Republicans,
or administration Senators. who embraced
the opportunity Of revising the tariff act to
bestow special benefits upon certain pro-
tected interests which have contributed gen.
erously to the Republican campaign fund.
These quid pro quo Republican Senators
now realize the opposition to a maraudng
tariff bill has no intention Of standing by
while legislation for the further protection
Of pampered pets is enacted.
The New York Telegram on the eve Of
the vote on the Simmons resolution shot
this bolt
"A body blow will be struck at the pend
ing tariff bill il the Senate Progressives
and the Democrats are successful in OBJ
tanning from the Secretary of the Treasury
records Of profits of corporations affected
by the bill.
Except for few scattered instances.
we venture to predict that probably most
Of these records show such immense profits
OF the highly protected corporations that
their pleas for still higher tariff rates would
be shown to be Unsuitable greed.
Democrats who supported the resolution
made it clear that the information sought
was not to harrsss any industry, but was
desired as a source Of light and guidance to
the Senate. Arguing for the resolution,
for example, Senator Harrison, Democrat.
OF Mississippi, said that it was absolutely
necessary to get at the facts regarding the
condition Of business in order to know what
tariff protection is required. and that was
the sole object of the resolution"
Senator Couzens, Progressive Republ-
can, said Il have always been uncom-
promisinely for the publicity Of govern.
ment records"
The adoption Of the Simmons resolution
means also that the worst tariff bill ever
presented to the Senate" will have to be
shOrn Of many Of its glaring extortions and
iniquities before it can win the support Of
the Senate dissenters. 1t must be reshaped
to resemble in some respects. at least the
promised picture Of tariff revision held up
to the farmer IN the Hoover campaign.
That the pending bill sponsored by Sena-
tor Smoot and his Republican colleagues on
the Finance COMMITTEE bears not the slightest
resemblance to the relief through tariff
legislation that Mr.. Hoover and his cam
paien spellbinders pledged the farmers is
pointed out by the observant Kansas City
Star In an editorial captioned THE West
Is Dissatisfied" the concluding paragraph
Of which follows
This revision was undertaken as a
part Of the farm relief program. II the
final measure does not meet that objective
then why should any farm State member
vote for 1t. Nothing would be gained by
taking from the farmer in industrial traits
what he might gain from agricultural du-
ties."
This same thought is echoed in a state
ment by Senator 0verman. Democrat, of
North Carolina. who says: THE farmer
will come out Of the little end of the horn
Of the pending tariff bill. For every ounce
Of benefit he will receive. already highly
protected industries will receive an addi-
tional pound Of protection. The farmer is
treated as a minor factor 10 the equation. :.
Having been prominent party to the
declaration that the Republican Congress
Of this Administration intended to write
tariff bill with the object Of placing agri
culture on parity with industry in steady
view. President Hoover thus far has failed
to reveal himself as dissatisfied with the
monstrosity now before the Senate. This
Is SO notwithstanding leading Republican
tariff thinkers Of the House and the Senate
have conferred with him at various stages
of the bills preparation. One word Of dis
approval from him would have been effec-
tive as a corrective. yet those who are
supposedly in bis confidence apparently
are wholly in Ignorance Of his state Of
mind as regards the bill. The shadow of
his veto would change the bill materially,
yet no such warning has appeared.
Senator Tydinss, Democrat. Of Maryland,
says:
mo one in the whole United States can
say definitely whether Mr.. Hoover is for or
against Il: whether he likes or dislikes II !;