Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-06
Hawley-Smoot Tariff
Bill a Crazy Quilt
BY WILLIAM HARD.

BY WILLIAM HARD.
The ultimate political consequences
of the current tariff bill are proving
extremely puzzling in prospect to the
best minds Of both political parties
here in the National Capital. While a
lot OF Republican fury against the bill Is
manifest in the Northwest, an approx
mately equal amount of Democratic
fury against it is evidenced in the
complicatingly, the Northwest is We
hemently divided against itself. The
great progressive State OF Minnesota Is
determined that farmers shall not have
to pay higher import duties and there
fore perhaps higher prices on building
materials such as shingles. The great
progressive State of Washington, on
the other hand, is determined that
American workingmen employed in
protected in their wages by an American
tariff on building materials such as
shingles.
There II thus q split between the
westernerS. The Republicans Of that
great general region cannot agree
among themselves. Nor can the
Democrats, even the Southland, attain
to entire unity among themselves.
Eight Southern Democrats voted in the
House of Representatives last Wednes-
day for the Republican rule sending the
tariff bill to conference with the Senate
on the agreement that four-and only
four-items in the bill would come to
a separate vote In the House for the
~ m1lNyRyfVav tkam 70 tHH1nvry
its weight in favor Of lower dutiable
levels. Many more Democrats would
have added themselves to the Re-
publicans II they otherwise would
have encountered any danger Of lower
dutiable levels for crucial local COM
modities produced in Democratic con-
Stituencies.
The truth is that the bill is con-
Structed neither on an old-faShioned
logical Republican basis nor on an old
fashioned Democratic logical basis. 1t
is neither a consistently high tariff
measure to all interests effectively
desiring 1t; nor 10 1t q consistently
moderated tariff bill, giving only 8
balanced competitive protection against
foreign commodities to all interests i'm
partially. 1t Is q craZy-work quilt CIV
ing more than even Republican high
justice to some interests and giving less
than even Democratic low justice to
others.
1t is inevitable that such bill should
arouse promiScuouS sectional local dis
satisfaction. If the bill could have been
written entirely by the Republican Rep
reSentative Crowther of New York, 1t
would have given drastically protective
duty to virtually every commodity in the
whole United States, and that would
have been an understandable and In its
way just system under which to live.
If, contrariwise, the bill could have been
written entirely by the Democratic Rep
reSentative Hull Of Tennessee, it would
hcve reduced duties virtually all around
the circle Of our whole list of COM
modities for all industries and all sec
tons, and that also would have been
an understandable and in its way a just
system under which to live. The in
herent vice of the current bill Is that 1t
does not treat our industries and our
sections with equal generosity or with
equal chastisement.
The reason for this is that today In
the two Houses Of Congress put to-
gether there are not more than few
0O1CA1 Va AAtCn NaIAlO1lk IVA
Crowther and Mr.. Hul) who retain any
philosophical comprehensive impartial
attitude toward the tariff problem. Most
Of the others viii talk like rabid pro-
tectionistS and will mention only the
maintenance Of high American wages
when they are discussing the products
Of their constituencies and then imme-
diately afterward will talk like rabid
free traders and win mention only the
horrors Of an increase In the cost OF
living when they are discussing pro-
posed duties on the products Of the
constituencies Of other members. In the
memory Of the oldest observers In WASH
ington there never has been q time
when there was so little general tariff
! principle here and so much local and
sectional tariff grab.
+ = + r
The right Of the farmers to protec-
| ton against tropical vegetable oils, even
If In consequence the Philippines Should
have to be abandoned, is inherent in the
logical Republican tariff system, but
the farmers are not going to get it. Like
| wise, II the foods eaten by New England
| workingmen and the raw materials con-
SlImed by New England manufacturers
are to be tariff taxed, as they will be-
then the finished products of New
England deserve 10 get logically COM
pensated protection, which they are not
going to get.
Thereupon the farmers organizations
are Disseminated: and thereupon stimuli
taneously that leading New England
Democratic newspaper, the Boston Post,
! expendS wide columns and its best
blacklist ink on denouncing the Demo-
cratic national committee for Joining
itself, as the Post claims, to the senSa-
torial Western farm bloc in the despoil-
ing and running Of New England.
The Democratic party, says the Post,
as the mouthpiece Of much Northern
Democratic opinion, should cut itself
loose from the farmers Of the South and
North and should go out to represent
! and to dominate the urban conditions
! and sentiments extending from Chicago
to Boston.
(Copyright, 1s30.)
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