Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-04
Limited Revision.

Inc OUTLOOK IOE a. llLnlUGQ ISNlSlOIl
Of the tariff is Frightening. The coali-
ton in the Senate has the whip hand
strengthened just now by the Senate
lobby investigation. Joseph n. Grundy,
president of the Pennsyivania Manu-
faetufsrs' Association, who. practically
declared that he would rewrite the
Constitution of the United States and
cut en- the power Of Senators from
smaller States in order to assure the
passage of such a tariff bill as the
manufacturers desire, has made the
passage of the bill in the form in which
it was put through the House or re-
ported to the Senate out of the ques-
ton. Nothing could happen which
would have more solicited the coalition;
made it more difficult for the high pro-
tectionists in the Old Guard to pick
off votes here and there when needed.
The consequence has been that the
West and the South have taken COM
mafld in the Senate, so far as tariff
writing is concerned. This may be
bitter pill to the East and North, but
n is one which the representatives OF
those sections have largely forced upon
themselves. President Hoover meant
what he said in his message to
Congress when he recommended
limited revision of the tariff, to aid the
farmers and such industries as have
been hard pressed by foreign compe-
tition in recent years.
1t is no secret that the general re-
vision contained in the House bill was
not satisfactory to him. After the
House had put through such bill, the
Senate became the only hope for a
limited revision. The Western Repub-
licans, many of them stanch friends
of the President. have taken the lead
in demanding lower rates on many
manufactured products. That is the
position taken by Capper and Allen Of
Kansas, for example. 1t Is true that
the extremists from the West went fur
Their and in a combination with the
Democrats struck from the bill the
flexible provisions, which give the Presi-
dent power to raise or lower rates by
fifty per cent, after investigation and
Recommendation by the Tariff Commits
sion. In that respect they have rnodi-
fed the bill in opposition to the wishes
of the President. They also, through
the same coalition, put into the bill the
debenture plan for aiding the farmers,
to which the President is strongly OPP
posed. Nevertheless, the coalition Is
now apparently in q position to make
possible the limited revision Of the tariff
which the President recommended.
There are some members of the coali-
ton who believe that If the rates of
the tariff bill can be rewritten 20 as
to aid the farmers and at the same
time not give so many and such large
increases to the manufacturers of goods
the farmers must buy, the effort 60 kill
the flexible provisions of the tariff and
to enact into law the debentufe clause
may be abandoned.
The situation is not yet Strengthened
out by any means. The House must
be considered. The large Republican
majority in that body may make
vigorous flght against the rates Of the
bill as they will come from the Senate
coalition. 1t is even possible that the
House majority might sacrifice the flex-
ible provisions and permit the deben-
ture plan to be written into the meas.
ure In order to win concessions on
some Of the rates in the bill. A bill
passed by both houses and sent to the
President under such conditions would
place Mr.. Hoover In q position where
he would have to take debenture or a
bill minus the flexible provision, in
which he believes, or kill the measure
by a veto. There is a good deal of
politics in the maneuvering Of the SEN
ate coalition, as well as 4 desire 10
rewrite rates so as to benefit the farm
ers and the consumers of manufactured
articles. 1t is anti-Hoover politics, de-
signed to put the President In q hole
If it can be done.