Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-29
BY WILLIAM HARD.

The Democratic party is swinging
into new alignment In its night against
| the Republican tariff bill. The period
| Of simple alliance with the purely agri-
cultural insurgent Republican Senators
OF the Northwest Is over. The Demo-
cratic party Is moving now to battle
Of its own against the Republican reg
ulars on principles much broader than
| farm relief"
To this writer Senator Key Pittman,
Democrat, of Nevada, has made a state
ment significantly expressive of the
broadening tendency now apparent on
the Democratic side of the Senate
chamber. Far from continuing to de-
| mand that revision of the tariff be con-
fined to agricultural products, in har-
mony with the recent Borah resolution,
fer which the mass Of Democratic Sen.
atorS voted. Senator Pittman states
that ne will earnestly support the pro-
posal for new duty on silver and that
the standpoint Of the principles of the
Borah resolution, but from the stand
point of the principles of the Demo-
cratic platform adopted last year in the
Democratic national convention at
Houston.
Senator Pittman In that convention
was the chairman Of the committee on
resolutions. He Is reputed to have been
the chief immediate author Of the
tarin plank, That plank laid down no
distinction between agricultural prod
ucts and other products, 1t asserted
universal proposition which covered all
products and which was worded as fol-
lows:
Actual difference between the cost
OF production at home and abroad, with
adequate safeguard for the sale OF the
American laborer, must be the extreme
measure Of every tariff rate"
Senator Pittman states that he stood
by that proposition then and stands by
it now. and will guide his conduct to-
his judgment, the time has now gone
by when this bill could be successfully
and properly confined to a revision of
the agricultural schedule. AS he looks
at 1t, the whole subject Of the tariff,
from top to bottom and from ocean to
ocean, has now been uncloSably opened
up and each item which Is pressed for
revision must be considered on the basis
Of its own individual Just merits.
For silver Mr.. Pitthnan maintains that
the vast volume Of imports and the
a more than fully adequate justification
for the removal of that commodity
from the free list to the dutiable list.
$3.50
An extremely large number Of Demo-
cratic Senator'S with q somewhat diff
ferent standpoint make out vigorous
beyond doubt or denial that President
Hoover, while running for the presi-
dental once last year, informed the
people Of the West that without q
tariff duty they could not hope to be
able TO produce manganese. The
Presidents recent recoil from o man
ganese duty viii be assailed by numer-
Gus Democratic Senators as CONTRA
ietion In his record and betrayal ray OF Of
maintained on the Democratic side that
it Is highly perilous for us nationally
to rely for our supply Of so essential q
commodity as manganese upon q source
so distant and in war time so uncer-
tain aS Russia. It seems distinctly
possible that by Democratic efforts the
duty on manganese may be restored to
Another mineral. graphite, will re-
port for better tariff treatment, especially
in view Of the fact that there are notable
deposits of graphite in the South.
In fact, the following lightly ex-
pressed but seriously intended general
ization begins to be possible.
The Democratic party in this special
session, starting of In alliance with the
Northwestern agricultural insurgent
Senators, was devoted with sort of
concentrated enthusiasm to agricultural
duties and got committed to the pro-
lection Of animals and vegetables. Now
it has broadened out into being party
at least Of animals, vegetables and min
erals.
X y 4
But the broadening process has by
no means stopped there. Enthusiastically
the Democratic party has recollected
the conditions and the tendencies of its
members in such States as MaSsachu-
sets and Rhode Island and New Jer-
sey, where important industries and
large industrial populations exist and
where elections for United States Sen
ators will occur next year. A regard
for that region was clearly manifested
ct Boston recently by Jewett Shouse,
chairman Of the Democratic national
committee. Mr.. Shouse is an extremely
forethoughted and sure-footed political
manager who does not make public
statements except after full considera-
tion and except after much conference
with other leading members Of his
party. His pronouncements at Boston
were of crucial importance. He frankly
asserted:
Internationally there are industries
that require and deserve protection un-
der the tariff that are not receiving 1t
now"
That was o complete denial Of any
commitment TO the idea that tariff re-
vision should be wholly confined to the
products Of the farm. Additionally,
however, Mr.. Shouse even assailed GER
tain agricultural proposed duties. He
impartially declared: