Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-29
DEMOCRATS PLAN
HARD TAR|FEF:|GHT.
Battle Under Way Now to
Make Republican Measure
Unpopular.
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

In the Senate discussion of the tariff
that begins next week, the Democrats
announce a program which they de-
scribe as an intention to improve the
Republican bill. The attempted i'm
provement will consist of proposing al
formative lower rates for each OF many
commodities and schedules. II they get
n majority vote in the Senate for their
lower rates, they will be satisfied. 1t is
possible they may, because good many
orthodox Republicans either diSapprove
Of or are indifferent to many OF the IN
creaSes in the bill.
If the Democrats do not get majorities
for their lower rates, they will feel no
great disappointment. From the stand
point of the party management, looking
Forward to next year, the real and quite
natural wish of the Democrats is, first,
to make this tariff bill unpopular, and
thereafter to see 1t adopted by the Re-
publicanS.
which would make them perfectly hap
Nv would be to have the final Senate
vote extremely close. If they could bring
e about-and it is quite likely they will
work toward thiS-they would like to
see a tie. Then they would like to see
the deciding vote cast by Vice President
Curtis, in favor of the Republicans, OF
course. That would make the passage
OF the bill spectacular. What would
most suit the Democrats and give them
the most advantage would be an UNI
popular tariff enacted by the Repub-
hcans in a spectacular way.
Democrats Are Busy.
AS to the first part of the Democratic
program, making the bill unpopular,
they are busy at that every day. Ac-
10 On1nl0n
throughout the country, they are sue
cessful. Their method, for the present,
consists of daily attacks upon the bill
sponsored by Democratic Senators and
members of the Lower House. These
attacks are circulated to the newspapers.
Surveys of the press indicate that the
attacks are widely printed.
This campaign, supplemented by what
will be done in the Senate debate, is
counted on to give the bill a. bad name
Quite probably it will. The Democratic
campaign has now made such momen-
tum that it would be difficult to over
come it. For that matter, the Republic
cans are making no effort to overcome
1t. To get the Republican machinery
for reply under way is one reason the
Republican national committee Is go
ing to name a new chairman next
month. Survey of Republican newspa-
pers throughout the country shows that
as q rule they are Indifferent to the
tariff. Certainly they make no defense
comparable to the attacks from hostile
newspapers.
The Republican program in the SEN
ate Is to pass the bill. Very active in
the program will be the able and ener-
getic Senator David Reed of Pennsyl-
Vania. Critics Of the bill, and some
disinterested students of it. say Penn
slyvania has more advantages in the bill
than any other State or section.
Need Five Votes.
Everybody knows that the Republi-
cans, in order to pass the bill, must get
at least five votes of Democratic Sena-
tors. To get those five Democrats is the
present center of Republican strategy.
It has been the objective of Republican
strategy ever since the Senate took over
the bill Some of the rates in the Sem
ate bill are rather obviously written
with a. shrewd purpose to cause South
ern Democrats to come through"
The South really wants duties or in
ereases in duties on several commodi-
ties. In this lies the opportunity of Re-
publican Senators to crowd Democratic
ones against the wall. The names of
the five Southern Democrats who are
most expected to yield are common in
Washington gossip. They are under a
combination of persuasion and entice-
nent from their Republican fellow Sen
ators, coupled with pressure of sterner
kind from business interests in their
own States. No New England, or North
ern, or Republican Senator was ever
put under harder or more organized
pressure by their manufacturing con-
etituents, than some Southern Demo-
cratic Senators are now subjected to by
business organizations in their States.
That the pressure will succeed and that
at the least, four Southern Democrats
will vote with the Republicans, is al
most taken for granted. The Demo-
cratic party organization is fairly rec