Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-28
FLEXIBLE TARIFF r
VOTE DUE TUESDAY
Ballot by a. O'Clock to Be
Sought by G. o. P. Leaders.
in Senate.

A vote by pm. Tuesday on reten-
ton of the flexible principle in the pend
ing tariff bill will be sought by Senate
Republican leaders.
Chairman Smoot of the finance COM
mittee said it was present intentions
| to carry out this plan If all absentees
could be rounded up by that time.
The prospect of vote on the flexible
issue made today's recess merely an op-
portunity for leaders of the contending
sides to work harder than ever to line
up their forces.
After four days of debate. enlivened
with vigorous attacks by Democrats and
Republican independents upon the ad-
ministration's proposal to continue the
flexible principle in effect with little
change, the issue appeared so closely
| drawn that leaders of each group, while
claiming majority, predicted a very
close vote.
Both Sides Confident.
Senator Simmons of North Carolina
ranking Democrat of the finance COM
mittee and leader of his party's attack
on the Republican proposal expressed
a willingness to have the roll called
before the week end recess was taken,
but Chairman Smoot, leading the ad-
ministration forces. preferred to have
1t 60 over.
Countering Simmons display of con-
fidence in the result. Smoot said he
believed at least six Democrats would
vote with the Republican regulars for
the amendment he sponsors, under
which the President would continue, as
he desires, to hold authority to raise
or lower tariff rates as much as SO
per cent upon recommendation OF the
Tariff Commission.
Whether the Smoot proposal will be
given priority in the voting was not
clear today. Simmons, who had an
amendment looking to repeal of the
flexible provision of the existing law
pending, has introduced a substitute
with view to having 1t brought TO
a vote first. His substitute amendment
would take away the Presidents power
to change rates and authorize him
merely to transmit recommendations OF
the Tariff Commission to Congress.
An idea of the significance which
some of the Republican regulars at
tach to the outcome of the issue. mean
while, has been given by Senator Sack
EFT of Kentucky. Saying he would
rather see the rates of the present law
continued than have new law en-
acted without continuing the flexible
policy, he predicted:
LAS goes the flexible provision, so
goes the bill"
Norris Contention.
His objection that the Simmons sub
stitute proposal, If adopted, would open
up the whole tariff question every time
a rate change was recommended to Con-
gress by the Tariff Commission was
countered with a suggestion by Senator
Norris, Republican, Nebraska, that the
law be made to stipulate no amendments
could be introduced under such circum-
stances unless they bore directly on the
rate or rates under consideration.
The Norris suggestion made favor
able impression on Senator Gillett, Re-
publican, Massachusetts,, who had been
arguing in favor of the Smoot proposal.
on the ground that "some machinery
is necessary to correct inequalities in
herent in every tariff law" point
stressed in President Hoover's statement
on the subject.
Support of the flexible principle by
6airying interests, which the President
cited as having obtained valuable re-
lief under its operation, has been called
to the attention of Senators, meanwhile,
by A. M. Loomis, Washington repre-
sentative of the American Dairy FEEDER
Continued on Page 2. Column So