Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1929-08-09
DistrHst Occurs Among The Re-
publican Members OF The Senate
Finance Committee.

Senator Couzens. of Michigan. went on
strike against the secrecy of the Repub-
lcan sessions Of the Senate Finance Com
mittee and announced that hereafter he
meant 10 make public the schedules as they
were agreed on. This decision on the part
OF the Michigan Republican will give the
Democratic members of the Finance Com
mittee the only information they can get
OF what the majority has in mind until the
tariff bill is dumped as a whole on the
Senate.
1t was not that Senator Couzens was
in ifferent to the plea of his colleagues
that the bill should be framed by the
majority. with the minimum of delay
which was the ostensible reason for ex-
Guiding the Democratic members-but his
instinct OF fairness was affronted when he
discovered that the others were not living
up to their pledge of secrecy. He found
that schedules that had been agreed on
IN the committee we're re-opened in order
to give consideration to objections by in
OF the committee obviously, would
not have known that there was anything
to object to unless they had been advised
surreptitiously what had been decided.
There is SO much of disineenuousness
and chicanery about the building of the
Smoot-Hawley tariff that it should cause
little surprise that the architects of the
tower Of extortion should be revealed as
not being on the level even with each
other.
Incidentally, Senator Couzens' first revela-
tlon is tribute to the power OF Democratic
solidarity. working with COuzens' fellow
Progressive Republicans. The probable
elimination Of shingles and some sorts
OF lumber from the dutiable list is the first
indication of a breach in the sky-scraper
tariff principle. II would never have been
made had not the Democrats reused the
country by their presentations of the alb
sence Of legitimate excuse for Sitting the
public purse in the interest of few favOrites
In the lumber business. That industry was
by no means united in favor of the levies
made by the Hawley bill.
The principle Of national conservation
OF the forests was in itself complete rea-
son against discouraeing the bringing in
OF lumber from Canada. for example
The building materials schedule was per-
haps the most barefaced and impudent of
the pretenses that the tariff raid had any
thing to do with making things easier for
the farmer, for it meant higher costs on
every farm house. barn, chicken house,
corn crib and slo he had to erect. The
changes mentioned by Senator Couzens,
though acceptable--assuming that the rates
are not put back in the final scramble. as
will be attempted-only partially avert the
projected injury.
II Is not only the farmer who was due
for shock on the building schedules.
Senator Caraway. of Arkansas, recently
presented some figures showing that on
a $4,000 cottage or bungalow. Of the usual
type. the price would be raised 5000
because Of the new exactions. He used
the familiar economic equation of the re-
lation Of the number of marriages to the
cost OF living, in pointing out that young
couple contemplating matrimony would
have to revise their budget or put off the
ceremony until they had put by another
years savings to get their home estab-
lished.
The sugar schedule is another of the
outTages that is in prospect. Democratic
opposition has brought out that it would
be cheaper Tor the American consumer il
the Government paid the beet sugar
growers outright double what they might
hope to earn from their crop than to lift
the duty to the figure contemplated by the
Hawley tariff. The echo of this from every
section Of the country compelled Senator
Smoot. the apostle of Sugar. to abandon
his original position and to suggest slid
ing scale subterfuee. Senator Simmons. Of
North Carolina. opposed the disineenuous-
ness Of this expedient by showing that the
sliding scale scheme. as Smoot wanted il,
would accomplish the same assessment on
the sugar bowls that the Hawley rates
entail.
II is not going to be easy to head off the
Republican administration from its purpose
Of making the farmers predicament the
opportunity for huge tariff grab The
intended beneficiaries want to realize on
the investment they made with their cam
paen contributions, and will fight to the
end to compel the promises, implied OF
expressed, they got when they signed on
the dotted line for their assessments
To Get New Water supply.