Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-25
nv WILLIAM HARD.


One Of the Presidents great dificul-
ties ct this week end seems TO be to
find somebody who likes the tariff bill
Hordes Of visitors trample through the
White House executive wing, nobly and
periodically informing the President
and his Secretaries regarding the state
Of mind Of the country and regarding
the policies which the President should
pursue: but virtually never does there
arise from among them o single WORD
of praise for the bill or O single WORD
of exhortation to the President to be
sure to sign It, with an enthusiastic
golden pen and give the pen 70 tne
Farm Bureau Federation for q keep
sake.
Farming groups persist in assailins
the White House with lamentations
about the bill. Their cause has been
championed here not only by them
themselves, but by the Raleigh Tariff
Bureau. That bureau continues to be
one of the most potent influences here
existing for the creation Of unpopular
ity for tariff duties. It excels for this
sublime or dastardly purpose even the
Democratic national committee, under
the pungent management Of Jouett
Shouse and Charles Nicholson. 1t has
more statisticians. It employs them
here and It employs them at the Uni
versity of Wisconsin. It gets out cal
culations and tabulations in bales. It
is linked through personal associations
to certain Of the Northwestern PRO
gressive" Senators and to their peoples
legislative service" It's massive and
momentous statistical outpourings are
proof conclusive to many people here
Of at least one thing. That thing is
of the greatest possible illuminating
value to the probable future tariff his
tory Of the country. It Is as foi ole e..
not satisfy the farmers, no high tariff
bill ever win.
The Raleigh Tariff Bureau, fun OF
sympathy for farmers, has calculated
the difference between the present tarif
law and the new tariff bill in actual
or computed ad valorem rates" and In
percentages of increase. It says that
for all schedules put together the level
'of the new bill is higher than the level
of the old law by somewhere between
10 and "a per cent. It calculates at
the same time that the level Of the
agricultural products" schedule In the
new bill is higher than the level of
the agricultural products" schedule in
the old law by 81 per cent.
\ n X X
Some hasty observers from the IN
dustrial East have thereupon rushed to
the conclusion that the bill has been
constructed to the farmers liking. The
percentage of increase for the silk
manufacturers, according to the Raleigh
Tariff Bureau, In the new bill over the
old law, Is AZ per cent.
The percentage Of increase for the
rayon manufacturers is less than per
cent. The percentage of increase for
the paper and book manufacturers is
less than per cent. The percentage
protectionists, who engage in the manu-
featuring Of metal products, is less than
per cent. II manganese ore (Which Is
improperly in their "schedule) be de-
Quoted, their increase Is less than
nothing. The biggest increase in any
non-agricultural schedule Is in "sun-
dries" The "sundries" increase Ii ash
per cent. It Is for such reasons that
the industrialized Fasteners look ut
the agricultural products" increase OF
81 per cent and dream that the agri-
cultural regions Of the country should
be feeling triumphant and elated.
No such sensation is generally mani.
tested by them. Their missives TO the
White House and to Capitol Hill are
dominantly lnournful. Some, indeed
Of the highly specialized agriculture
upon manageable output for the
domestic market are satisfied. The
growers of basic crops seem for the
most part to be either coldly indifferent
or hotly hostile. They now, through
their representatives here, talk more OF
less a. follows:
1--WE asked for tariff. and We have
got lot Of 1t, on paper, but We note
two things:
basic crops, Of which we export o sur
plus. We demanded more tariff or
those basic crops, and we largely got II
on them, but we can't be kidded now
It does us no good.
Second. Other fellows got more tariff
too, and we think that their tariff In
creases will basically help them. Our
tariff duties--generally speaking--don't
work. Theirs do.
Conclusion: We. therefore. now are
sore and OF this game"
X \ X
Such is the principal-not the only,
but the neutrality-suspicious. senti-
ment now audible in washington. Its
effect can be seen upon the countenance
Of Senator Capper Of Kansas. Nc
countenance among US more quickly
catches the breath of the prairie winds
Senator Capper is great publisher, Q
great journalist, a great discerner OF
public opinion. He is not exhilarated
about the bill. He is depressed about
IT, He feels M fostering breeze OF
popularizing favor blowing upon 1t from
the great Western areas where men are
men and farms are farms and factories
are not.
Meanwhile, the owners Of factories
IN the big industrial helt fynpn ChicaRc