Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-04
GEBENTURE DEFEAT
IN HOUSE REGARDED
AS HOOVER VICTORY
Retention of Flexible Clause
in Tariff Also Is Held
Score for President.
MANY OTHER PROVISIONS
GO BACK TO CONFERENCE
Fight in Senate Is Expected to
Keep Amendments in
Measure.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.


President Hoover scored twice in the
House Yesterday when that body by sub
stantial votes turned down the deben-
tlIre and flexible tariff amendments TO
the tariff bill adopted by the Senate
The House voted 23l to 1871 against
the debenture clause. This decisive
vote is regarded as making 1t certain
that the debenture proposal will in the
end be stricken from the bill.
BY an even more decisive vote the
retention of the flexible provisions OF
the tariff law, which the Senate coah-
ton sought to kill with an amendment
to the pending tariff bill. The vote
stood 236 to 154 against the Senate
amendment. Party lines were more
closely drawn on the flexible provision
than on the debenture. The Senate
coalition sought to take from the Presl-
dent the power to raise or reduce tar1n
rates by so per cent of the rate estab-
lished by law after inquiry and report
by the tariff commission.
President Hoover had registered a ms
amendments. They are, indeed, the only
items in the tariff bill on which he has
made any direct statements since the
consideration of the tariff revision Dill
was begun. The Senate coalition, COM
posed of insurgent Republicans and
Democrats who early in the tariff max
ing took control of the situation in the
Senate, was responsible for both these
provisions to which Mr.. Hoover OBJ
lected.
Senate Fight Expected.
While the House has indicated its
support of the position taken by the
President in regard to debenture> and
the flexible provision, the Senate Is
still to be reckoned with. The opinion
has prevailed in the past that II the
House rejected the debenture by a
large vote in the end the Senate would
yield on that amendment and permit
it to 70 out OF the bill At the same
time the opinion has been expressed
that the Senate would fight hard to
preserve its amendment which does
away with the power OF the President
To change tariff rates under the flexible
provision of the present law. The
Senate amendment provides for action
by Congress on individual items In the
tariff law, after the Tariff Commission
shall have made investigation and re.
ported to Congress on proposed
changes. It Is possible that some COM
promise may be worked out dealing
with the amendment, which would
give the President power to act If Con-
gress did not, or vice versa. The vote
In the House yesterday, however, may
kill the whole Senate amendment.
In some quarters-particularly among
Senate coalitionistS-it was declared
last night that If the House persisted
In its opposition to these two Senate
amendments, the bill might yet be de-
feated in the Senate, with the result
that the tariff revision would fail ut
terly. However. it was pointed out the
bill passed the Senate by So to 81 on
March "A; that there has been a gen.
eral demand from many interests in
the country, including agriculture, that
the tariff bill be passed and become
law, and that so many OF the senators
have thousands Of constituents in their
States anxious to have the bill become
q law that in the end q sufficient num-
Der will be found to agree to the con-
ference bill.
How Parties Voted.
The vote on the debenture clause in
the House showed 81 Democrats vot-
ing against that Senate amendment
and 48 Republicans voting for it.
Against the debenture were recorded
1914 Republicans, and for 1t, 113 Demo-
Gratis. The Democrats who voted
against debenture included many from
New York and the New England
States. For example, the four Demo-
cratic members of the Massachusetts,
delegation all were recorded against
debenture, Representatives Connery,
Douglass, Granfield and Mccormack.
The support of debenture on the Re
publican side Of the aisle came from
the States of the West and Middle
West, with few votes, very few, from
the East.
While IL Republicans voted for the
Senate amendment to the flexible pro-
vision, including several from Wiscon-
sin and Minnesota, the great mass OF
Republicans voted with the President
on this matter. Eight Democrats, In
GLIDING those from Massachusetts,, OPP
posed the Senate amendment.
Senator Smoot Of Utah, chairman OF
the Senate finance committee, said last
night that the conference report would
be laid before the Senate as soon as
possible. 1t will be necessary flrst
for the conference committee to meet
again and take cognizance Of the action
of the House on the separate items In
the bill. including in addition to the
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