Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-21
On the Last Ian.

The tariff bill, the bone Of conten-
ton in the Senate for more than six
months, may come to a final vote in
that body by tomorrow night. So often
has the day for voting been advanced,
however, that it is still necessary to
qualify a statement that vote is to
be taken on the measure for which
American agriculture and industry have
been compelled to wait for year, since
Congress was called into special ses-
sion last April to consider it and farm
aid legislation. 1t does appear, how
ever. that the end of debate is in
sight.
In recent weeks the Senate has re-
senbled the King of France who led
his army up the hill and then down
again, except that the Senate, having
descended the tariff hill, has been on
the upgrade so far as duties are con-
cerned Probably never in the history
of tariff making have there been so
many reversals of votes in the Senate
on important items. The Senate has
made itself ridiculous more than once
during the consideration of this bill,
but never more so than in the manner
in which il has voted first on one side
of a protective duty on sugar, lumber
and other important items, and then
on the other. There is desire, how
ever, to have the Senate end its worry
ing of the tariff rates and send the bill
to conference.
For months the hope has existed
that out of conference viii emerge a
bill that will be satisfactory, as tariff
bills go. There has been an impatience
to see the bill in the conference stage,
in the hope that in conference it would
be possible to eliminate Objectionable
features from it. Undeniably there
will be a struggle over the conference
report on the bill. The old Senate
coalition is likely TO be disappointed in
regard to some Of the amendments it
wrote into the bill. But in the end the
conference report will be adopted and
sent to the President for his approval.
The fact Of the matter is that too many
of the Senators have now real inter-
est in this measure to permit 1t to fail.
The manufacturing and agricultural in
terests have been aroused from one end
of the country to the other. They have
demanded protection and they mean
to have it. That may explain in large
part the recent shift in votes In the
Senate.
Some Of the items of increase In the
duties now made in the Senate are not
calculated to popularize the bill, and
the Democrats win endeavor to make
the most of that fact. However, the
increases have been made only through
the aid of Democratic votes, which may
soften the blow to the Republicans.
The Republicans do not appear to be
abashed. Indeed, already they are
claiming that once the tariff bill has
become law it win give an impetus to
business generally, with a consequent
improvement in employment. In many
quarters there is feeling that business
is bound to be on the upgrade in this
country within few months anyway.
If this turns out to be the fact, the
Republicans naturally will claim that
their tariff bill is responsible for the
better conditions. Under such circum-
stances, the Democrats will have to seek
another issue for the congressional cam
paign this Fail. On the other hand, II
business conditions do not improve and
employment lags, the Republicans will
be denounced from one end of the land
to the other because Of the tariff bill
1t may be that the changes in the
tariff will have no bearing really on
the situation in the country. But that
will not prevent torrent of talk, on
one side or the other. Whatever the
outcome, let us have a tariff bill and
end the suspense.