Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-03
The Fate of the Tariff Bill.

The Democratic Republican Progress
sive coalition yesterday defeated the adj
rninistration forces in the Senate con-
test over the flexible provisions of the
tariff. The coalition demonstrated its
power, provided 1t sticks together, to re-
write the entire tariff bill. changing
rates in many of the schedules or even
going to the limit of the proposal of
Senator Borah of Idaho, who has de-
manded that tariff revision be restricted
to the farm and related" schedules.
But will 1t stick? There lies the rub.
The Democrats and the insurgent Re-
publicans who do not like the admins
tration find It comparatively easy to
unite in an attack on the Chief EXecu-
tive, as they did yesterday. But when
1t comes to uniting on specific rates Of
duty, when 1t comes to taking the
measure Of protection demanded by in
dustries located in the States of many
Democratic as we'll as Republican Sem
atorS away from those industries, the
picture Is somewhat different. Senators
who are willing to belabor the Presi-
dent may not be so ready to cast aside
the wishes of some Of their constituents.
The victory of the coalition in the
Senate yesterday is comparable to the
victory by a coalition composed almost
identically Of the same Senators when
the farm relief bill was before that body.
At that time the coalition was demand
ing the enactment into law of the de-
benture plan for aiding the farmers
President Hoover, in a public statement,
denounced the debenture plan as unwise
and against sound economics. But the
Senate coalition voted it into the farm
bill. The House backed the President
and in the end the Senate coalition was
forced to yield to the House and the
President. The alternative was no farm
legislation and members Of the coalition
hesitated to go to that extent in their
desire to hit the President. The same
hesitancy may save the tariff revision
bill.
For the fight on the tariff measure
has really just begun. II the House
which is strongly Republican and
strongly pro-administration, backs the
President In his demand for retention of
the flexible tariff provisions of the bill.
enabling the Chief Executive to raise or
lower by nifty per cent the tariff rates
on commodities entering this country,
following investigations by the United
States Tariff Commission, long strug
gle is likely to ensue. The House, which
particularly feels its responsibilities in
regard to revenue legislation, is inclined
to resent efforts Of the Senate to discard
the tariff bills written in the House.
Many of the rates carried in the House
bill may be changed by the Senate.
Indeed, that has been the threat of the
coalition. This, too, will not add to the
good temper Of the House when the bill
has been returned to it by the Senate.
A failure of the two houses to get
together would result in no tariff leg
islation. The farmers have been prom
ised the aid of increased duties on their
products. The pending bill carries
many such increases. Manufacturing
interests, employing hundreds Of thou
sands of workers, also have been prom
ised aid. Stiff -necked legislators, If
they prevent final action on the bill,
may have a good deal of explaining to
do later-with a campaign coming rext
year.
While the victory today is with the
Senate coalition, the Chief Executive in
the end will have much to do with the
matter. If he considered the matter
serious enough, he could veto the tariff
bill II it comes to him without the
flexible provisions. Those provisions
in the main, are in the existing law
There they would remain, for, in all
probability, a two-thirds majority could
not be mustered to pass the tariff meas
ure over Mr.. Hoover's veto.
The ease with which thi. anti Hoover
coalition in the Senate has joi-ed hands
In an effort to defeat the President, first
on the debenture plan in the farm bill
and now on the flexible provisions Of
tt1S tAIl1 Ull, duSuio q StUiHly pntA
ahead for administration legislative pro-
posals. The President may have to
rely more and more on the support of
the House. And If the House prevails,
as 1t did in the farm-relief bill fight, it
becomes the dominant body on Capitol
Hill and the Senate's prestige is low
cred.