Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-21
The Political Mill
BY G. Gould Lincoln.

1allH Clme Will soon arrive In the
Senate and House again. For the last
three weeks the Smoot-Hawley bill has
been IN conference" with five mem
bers OF the House and five members of
the Senate adjusting the 1900 or so
d1herences between the two houses.
Now, it appears, the conferees have
composed their differences on the rate
structure Of the bill, reaching COM
promises In some cases, and one or the
other group yielding on many items.
The conferees still have to tackle and
settle the "debenture" amendment
adopted by the Senate and also the
Senate amendment doing away with
the flexible provision of the law under
change rates by so per cent, provided
a thorough investigation and report has
been made by the Tariff Commission.
These are prize parcels of the Senate
coalition. They were adopted while the
coalition was Sitting pretty" and be-
fore the urge of protecting local indus
tries had smashed the alliance, as 1t
did in the final days of the tariff bill
consideration in the Senate. The bet
ting has been that the debenture clause
would finally be eliminated and that
the flexible provision would be COM
promised.
If the tariff dopesters are correct, the
conferees will finish their labors before
the close of this week. Then the meas
ure must run the gantlet again OF the
House and Senate. 1t is possible that
the bill will have been finally disposed
of by the middle of May, though that
is still a matter of conjecture. The
bill is year old and has been the
subject of more printed columns in the
newspapers than any other piece OF
legislation, largely due to the fact that
it has been before one house or the
other continuously for more than a
twelvemonth. Probably there will be
still a kick in it when the debate OF
the conference report is taken up in
the Senate. But the country has grown
tired of waiting for this particular bill,
and the interests in every State of the
Union affected by it, made themselves
felt effectually before the measure A.
nally got out of the Senate. It is ex-
pected that the combination of Sena-
tors whose constituents believe they will
be helped by the measure will be suffi-
GENTLY in the majority to put the bill
President. The House has no unlimited
debate rule and will act promptly. Nor
has the House had an effective "coali-
ton" of Progressive Republicans and
Democrats to upset the apple cart in
that body.
AS soon as the bill has passed and
become law, claims of all kinds will
be put forward. The Democrats will
urge that the bill Is an iniquity and
that had it not been for their stalwart
efforts it would have been worse. The
Republicans will picture the measure
as n panacea for all ills, and Progress
sives from the West either will con-
denim the bill outright or will take
credit to themselves for whatever good
may be found in it. AS matter of
fact, if the bill becomes law and bust
ness picks up a little this Spring and
Summer, the Republicans will get all
the credit for their tariff bill. That is
the way of politics.
X X X X
"Old Joe" Grundy, in his campaign
for the Republican senatorial nomina-
ton in Pennsylvania, has advanced the
idea that as soon as this tariff bill is
out of the way another revision should
be begun, with much higher rates than
the pending bill carries. No wonder he
has the support of the Pennsylvania
Manufacturers Association. One thing
appears pretty certain, however, whether
Mr.. Grundy is successful in his race
against Secretary Davis of the Depart
ment of Labor or not, the Republicans
are not likely to undertake another
tariff revision while they continue in
power-that is, not for another decade.
Once every or 10 years is enough
Should the Democrats gain control of
the Congress and the White House in
1882, they might feel it incumbent upon
them to adjust the tariff, though many
Nf vNlA x,,;f L,
the Republican tariff just now. They
can blame the Republicans for any
evils that grow out of it and at the
same time can reap the benefits. il
there are any.
X ***s
Henry Allen Cooper, who represents
the first congressional district of Wis
consin, is to have the support of con-
sentative Republicans as well as Pro-
gressives in his district, it now appears
Mr.. Cooper has been a familiar figure
in the House for years. He came to the
House away back in 1891, and, except for
one term, he has served continuously
ever since. In the fights in the House
between the Conservatives and the
ProgresSives he has been a stalwart fig
ure in the Progressive ranks. The
GAINESVILLE GaZstte, published in his dis
trict is strongly conservative. But not
withstanding Its opposition to the La
Toilette candidates for office, it has edi-
torially Endorsed the reelection of Mr.
Cooper. 1t has said:
Representative Cooper should have a
clear field for nomination in the first
congressional district this year of 1890
once nominated he cannot be defeated
Opposition is futile as rule-has been
but once since 1891. Whatever objec.
ton there was at that time has Iona
since passed away. He Is the NestCr OF
the House, one of the most popular
members in 1t, Is constantly active in
behalf of the people of this district and
while his political attachments are not
always in harmony with those of the
majority of the first district, it has been
coldly demonstrated that as a vote get
ter he has few equals. Then we should
say, with all the attributes Of a good
and successful candidate why enter upon
a campaign in order to tickle the ambi-
ton Of some aspiring politician, who
may have the obsession he is a states
man? Mr.. Cooper should be permitted
through the Suffrages of the voters OF
this district TO stay in Washington as
long as he desires, which probably will
be until the day he passes on and no
longer answers the roll call. He is 79
years of age and as active as any of the
Congressman of half that age. He
attends to business of the district and
perhaps no member stands higher in
the esteem and friendship of all mem
bers of the House than Henry Allen
Cooper"
X X X
One day before long Senator J.
Thomas Hef1in is going to blow the lid
off of the Alabama Democratic Situa-
ton, in an address to the Senate, If
his present plans are carried out. He
intends telling his colleagues, but more
particularly the people of Alabama
just what is the trouble with a Demo-
cratic organization which denies him
the right to be a candidate for the DEM
ocratic senatorial nomination in the