Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-29
COUNTRY At LARGE
STIRRED BY LOBBY
Bingham -.Grundy Episodes
Declared Dangerous to SIen-
der G. o. P. Majority.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.


Current events on Capitol Hill have
accomplished one prompt and concrete
result-they have aroused the country
from its apathy over the tariff bill. To
an unprecedented extent, old congress
measure has Signally failed to interest,
to say nothing of exciting, the country.
But suddenly the folks back home have
taken cognizance of the fact that the
tariff Is the big act on the national
stage and demands their attention.
The only thing is that 1t Is likely from
now on to receive not only popular
attention, but popular condemnation.
The combined Bingham and Grundy
episodes. In other words. are giving the
Nations attitude toward the tariff stu
alton an entirely new and wholly UNI
expected twist BY common consent,
they have been of more deadly damage
than all Of Pat Harrison's speeches and
the reams of Charley Nicholson
Democratic national publicity put to-
gether.
White House Attitude.
Authorities in the know are convinced
that the White House views this sud-
dsn development with something more
than equanimity. 1t has not been Presi-
-
thinks Of the Hawley-Smoot bill, and
he has maintained silence about it
with the single exception of his appeal
for retention of the flexible rate pro-
vision. But everybody knows that the
measure, as enacted by the House and
as approved, in essence, by the Senate
finance committee, Is miles away from
Hoover's idea Of what tariff revision at
this time should b.
ID - To
special session last April, recommended
some limited changes" IN the industrial
schedules and in the administrative
clauses of the Fordney cCumber law.
Wholesale Revision.
Such wholesale revision of rates up
ward as the Hawley- Smoot bill proposes
were never dreamed Of by Mr.. Hoover.
He regarded them, and still regards
them, with exceptions, as unnecessary,
unreasonable and 'injudicious.
The President went as far as he
could, in his special session message, to
restrain Congress from enacting tariff
rates which would jeopardize our for
eign trade. He asked House and Senate
to take into account the broad inter-
estS Of the country as a whole, and
such interests include our trade rela-
tions with other countries"
. Having in mind the United States
SIC. 600, 600 900 export trade-largely de-
veloped under the Hoover secretaryship
Of commerce-the President declared
that sit is obviously unwise protection
which sacrifices greater amount OF
employment in exports to gain a less
amount Of employment from imports.
Congress has ignored all these admoni-
tions.
People Take Notice.
But what has agitated the country
was when Senator Bingham, Repub-
lican, of Connecticut and "Old joe
Grundy of Pennsylvania bounded sem
sationally into the tariff picture that
the people in the States sat up and took
notice. With that fair for the dra-
matte and the sensational which Is
characteristic of our people, the Bing-
ham and the Grundy incidents imme-
diately appealed to their imagination,
The Bingham business had the element
Of complete novelty. The superlobbying
Pennsylvania Manufacturers Associa-
ton, were not so new, but they had
never before been brought to public at
tention so graphically.
Broad Revelations.
A man calmly confessing to a Sem
ate committee that he had drummed up
half a million dollars or more for the
Republican party's 1923 campaign chest,
in the ayowed expectation that it was
bread cast upon the tariff waters. was
a revelation. To most citizens, WASH
ington politicians assert, it is shock
ing revelation.
Already leaders of both parties are
busily specializing about the likely re-
suits of the Bingham Grundy affairs.
That these have materially leSsened the
prospect of tariff legislation at all Is
coming to be generally conceded. That
they will play havoc with Republican
prospects in the 1880 congressional elec-
tons next year Is almost as widespread
a conviction.
That the slender regular" Repub-
lican majority of six or seven In the
Senate may be entirely wiped out Is a
contingency now being seriously reck-
oned with.
Stalwarts Up Again.
The G. o. p. stalwarts up for re-
election next year include Capper OF
Kansas, Deneen of Illinois, Gillett of
Massachusetts. Goff of West Virginia,
Gould of Maine, Reyes of New Hamp-
shire, Hastings Of Delaware, McNary
Of Oregon, Phipps of Colorado, Sackett
of Kentucky and Warren of Wyoming.
Not all of these Republicans are in
peril. Capper of Kansas. for instance,
who was reelected in 1924 by major
ity Of nearly 100000, can withstand
almost any storm, even If 1t devastated