Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-20
PASSAGE OF TARIFF
MEASURE IS SEEN
within 10 DAYS
Senate Breathes New Life
Into Bill by Giving Con.
ferees Free Hand.
DEATH OF DEBENTURE,
VICTORY FOR HOOVER
Committee Meets This Afternoon
to Seek Adjustment of Items
in Dispute.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.
The smoot- Hawley tariff bill, after
its long and rock-strewn journey last
ing more than a year, appears to be
nearing final disposition by Congress.
Within week or 10 days it will, in
all probability, be passed and sent to
the President for his approval.
When the Senate voted yesterday to
give its conferees a free hand in deal
ing with the debenture and flexible
tariff amendments of the Senate It
breathed new life into the bill, which
had been threatened with death in o
deadlock between House and Senate
conferees.
Debenture Fate Decided.
When the Senate voted yesterday on
these matters it also decided the fate
of the debenture and the amendment
of the Senate designed to take from the
President the power to raise or reduce
rates by so per cent after report
by the Tariff Commission. Written into
the bill by the old Senate coalition" in
ton of the bill, 1t is now believed they
are finally out of the measure.
The House recently by overwhelming
vote declined to concur in these amend
ments. Their death will be q victory
for President Hoover. He has publicly
declared his opposition to both these
proposals of the coalition" It has
been understood he would veto the bill
II 1t were presented to him carrying
The conferees of the two Houses met
at 2 O'Clock this afternoon to seek ad-
justment of their differences over those
items in the bill in dispute. There are
nine major items to be considered-sil-
yer, cement, sugar, lumber, the Nc
Master amendment providing in SUBJ
stance that all information secured by
the Tariff Commission should be ac-
cessible to any Senator, the cost of
| organization Of the Tariff Commission,
the flexible provision and the debenture.
House Already Voted.
The House has already taken separate
votes ON practically all these amend
ments. Besides turning down the
debenture and flexible amendments Of
the Senate. the House also turned down
! the Senate amendments placing silver
and lumber on the dutiable List and ac-
cepted the Senate sugar amendment and
the Senate cement amendment with an
amendment.
| It is believed that the conferes will
now be able to reach complete agree
ment and report the bill to their re-
| spective Houses. While Senate con-
ferees will still urge agreement to the
debenture and flexible provisions in the
end they will be forced to yield on those
proposals.
A desperate effort to Ill the bill will
| be made by its enemies in the Senate
when 1t comes back from conference.
The effort seems doomed to failure In
the light of what took place yesterday.
A canvass Of the probable Senate vote
on the bill shows that supporters of
the bill have at least 40 votes In the
other Senator's, three are said to be
In doubt and A are assigned to the
| opposition. Forty-nine votes is the ma
jority In the Senate, though bare
| majority.
Expect Grundy Vote.
Among the ~ expected to vote for
the bill is Senator Grundy of Pennsyl-
vania. It has been suggested that he
might In the end vote against the bill
because he believes 1t does not give
| high enough tariff duties on manufac-
| tured products.
Should he do so, and the three Sen
| ators listed as doubtful should also vote
against the bill there would be tie.
Vice President Curtis would. under such
| circumstances, be called upon to vote
and pass the bill. It is unlikely, how
ever, that tie vote will develop.
| Final passage Of the tariff bill and its
approval by the President viii throw
| the tariff into the coming congress
sional campaigns. Had the bill been
allowed to die the Democrats would
have been minus this issue upon which
to attack their Republican opponents.
The Republican leaders say they viii
| welcome an opportunity to go to the
country in the campaign on the tariff
issue.
The death of the bill was averted by
the narrowest possible margin late yes
( terday when Vice President Curtis
broke 42-42 tie and voted to free the
Senate's conferees from a previous
agreement binding them not to recede
from the Senate's flexible amendments.
A few minutes before the Senate had
voted, 43 to Al, to release its con-
ferees from similar restriction with
! respect to the debenture amendments.
Had either vote had the opposite re-
| suit all were agreed that the tariff bill
would have died in conference, as the
House managers had declined to con-
tinue negotiations unless the Senate
conferees were given a free hand.
The Senate's action was regarded as
| a victory for President Hoover, who
has been open and vigorous in his OPP
position to both of the Senate amend
ments, which were written into the bill
by the acknowledgement Repub-
lican coalition.
Under the flexible provisions Of the
present law the President is empow-
cred. upon the recommendation of the
Tariff Commission, to increase or de-
crease customs rates within limit of
so per cent In order to equalize costs
Of production. The House bill would
make an equalization of competitive
conditions the basis OF such executive
rate changes.
Shouse Urges Rejection.
| Jouett Shouse. chairman Of the Dem
ocratic national executive committee,
last night issued a statement asserting
that after Vice President Curtis vote
there could be no question of the adj
ministration's responsibility for the bill.
He urged, that the Senate reject the
measure on the final roll call.
s-- -
Moseley Repor..,S1. Through.
LONDON, May 20 (P.-It was UNDER
StOod this afternoon that Sir Oxua1d