Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-19
Action Brings Senate Again
Into Direct Conflict With
House and President.
SAME COALITION
VOTED LAST YEAR
Administration Leaders Expect
House to Continue Firm Stand
Against Plan.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

bI u. GUILD LANCOLNs
The debenture plan of farm relief, in
modified form, was voted into the tariff
bill this afternoon by a coalition of
Senate Democrats and Republican
ProgresSives.
The vote was AZ to "a.
The action of the Senate today will
bring that body into direct conflict
with the House and the President once
more, 1t was predicted by administra-
ton leaders. Last Spring the same
coalition placed the debenture plan in
before the Senate by vote of Al to A.
The House finally rejected it with a
vote of $50 against debenture, 113 for
1t, 2 voting absent and IS not voting.
The overwhelming vote in the House
caused to Senate finally to recede and
permit the farm bill to become a law
without 1t. At the time the farm bill
was allowed to pass, Senate supporters
announced they would seek to have the
debenture plan incorporated an the
tariff bill when that measure came up.
House May Stand Firm.
Administration leaders expressed the
belief today that the House would con-
tinue to stand firmly against deben-
ture and that in the end the proposal
would have to go out of the tariff bill
or the bill could not be passed.
The Senators, in an effort to speed
up the tariff bill, met at 10 o'clock
this morning with the understanding
that the vote on debenture would be
taken at l pm. Senators were limited
to 20 minutes for speeches on the bill
or any amendment thereto. There was
little excitement about the Senate. Ad-
ministration leaders, including Senator
Watson, the leader of the Senate, ad-
mitted the debenturites had the whip
hand.
Their only opinion was that the de-
benture amendment, offered by Senator
Norris of Nebraska, a Republican pro-
gressive, would carry by five or six
the debenture plan in the farm relief
bill was active in its support today.
When the vote was taken in the Senate
on debenture last Spring, all of the
Democrats supported 1t except four,
King of Utah, Ramsdell of Louisiana
Wagner of New York and Walsh OF
Massachusetts. Thirteen Western Re-
publicans broke from the majority Of
their party to support it. President
farm bill denounced the debenture plan
Certificates for Farmers.
The debenture plan calls for the
issuance of debentureS or certificates on
exported farm products. amounting to
one e-half of the tariff rate On the re-
spective products. In the case of wheat,
on which the tariff is AZ cents buShel,
the debenture would be 81 cents. The
certificates would be issued to farmers,
ioki or al1i lfxa ion
corporations and would be receivable at
face value in payment of import duties.
The idea is that the certificates, being
negotiable, would be purchased at their
full face value, or with only slight
discount, by importers for use in paying
customs duties.
The Norris amendment adopted
today was virtually the same as that
adopted by the Senate when the farm
bill was up. Senator Norris added a
section, however, directing the Secre-
tary of the Treasury to redeem deben-
ture certificates at not less than SO per
cent of their face value. This was put
in by Senator Norris in answer to the
criticism that debentures would be sub
ject to hurtful Speculations.
Senator Norris, who opened the de-
bate today, said: This is an oppor-
tunity, and the only opportunity in
connection with this bill, to redeem the
Republican campaign pledge to the
farmers and to redeem the pledge OF
Herbert Hoover on the stump"
The Nebraska Senator said the de-
benture plan would have the effect Of
raising the farmers price on all COM
nodities to which the plan might be
applied.
Question of Veto.
It had been argued, Senator Norris
said, that adoption of the debenture
plan would cause the tariff bill to be
vetoed by the President. He did not
think the Senate ought to be moved by
what the President might or might not
do.
THE debenture plan" said Senator
Norris. sis simply an effort to give the
farmer the benefit of the tariff, or
rather one-half the benefit of the
tariff. Either we must do this or tear
down the protective tariff structure"
Some of the Republican members Of
the Senate from the West who voted
against debenture, expressed the opinion
that the adoption of the debenture plan
would throw monkey wrench into the
whole plan of farm relief adopted by
the administration, which looks to the
development of farm co-operatives on
large scale. Senator Capper of
Kansas insisted that there had been
little real demand for the debenture
plan in his State. He indicated that
he wished to give the new farm relief
act full opportunity to be tried out
before turning to any new plan Of
farm aid.
Thomas Changes Vote.
Senator Thomas, Republican, OF
Idaho, who voted against debenture
when it was offered as an amendment
to the farm bill, announced on the floor
his purpose of supporting debenture to-
day He said that he had all along
been in favor of it, but had voted
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