The Carbon County news., 1931-08-27
Attacking The Farmer

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tariff. Since Senator Robinson
let the world know that an "earn-
est effort" will be made to revise
the Smoot- -Hawley act in the next
session of Congress. Republican
leaders have worked themselves
into frenzy trying to get Demo-
cratic critics to lay their fingers
on the sore spots in the tariff
structure. Name the rates that
are too high. cries Senator Smoot,
chairman of the finance commit
tee. Came out from your hulwark
of generalities, shouts Senator
Watson. Specify the changes you
would make, says Dickinson. of
Iowa, to Harrison. of Mississippi.
But the Democrats lie low and
make no reply.
Do the iniquities of the Smoot-
Hawley act include the duty on
long staple cotton? One can see
Senator Pat Harrison vince at the
suggestion that long-staple cotton
should bear no duty. Would Sem
ator George, of Georgia, tolerate
reduction in tobacco duties?
What of bauxite, china clay, ca
sein, jute. hides, cattle and veg
etahle oils? Do these duties rob
the people, dam up the sources of
international trade, and contrib
ute to the economic arrangement? ?
No answer comes from the Sun
ny South.
Every one knows why the foes
of tariff protection refuse to an
swer these questions. 1t is doubt
full whether the Democrats could
assault the customs rate on any
commodity without alternating the
loyalty of good party members in
some parts of the country. They
know in their hearts that their
own constituents benefit from
many duties. Tariffs favorable
to their home States are always
excluded when they inveigh against
the Smoot- -Hawley act in eloquent
generalities. If Democratic poll
ticians could confine their remarks
to one locality they might be able
to tell Just what is wrong with
the tariff, but when the words of
each are waited to the whole coun-
try no one can risk opposition to
duties which sustain good Demo-
cratic communities in distant
States.
For this and other good reasons
the more astute Democrats are
saving nothing whatever about the
tariff. Members of Congress who
hail from the Farm Belt are es-
pecially wary. They realize that
the Smoot-Hawley act was passed
for the special benefit of agricul-
ture and that the farmer has gain
ed more from it than any other
class of producers. Before the
1880 act was passed agricultural
imports into the United States
were worth $3O0,0O0,0OO more than
agricultural exports. During the
first nine months under the
Smoot-Hawley act farm products
exported were valued at more than
agricultural imports. Indications
are that agriculture now has a
favorable balance of trade for the
first time in many years. III
There is no question that this
is due to the tariff. Free agri-
cultural imports gained in vol
ume during the last year in spite
Of the depression. Importation Of
dutiable, farm products fell off
nearly II per cent. That addition
al margin of protection gave far
mers better hold on the Ameri.
can market when vast surpluses
were being produced. AT the same
time the foreign market for Am.
erican agricultural output was moi
seriously reduced, although there
was a sharp decline in commodity
prices.
Industry has reaped no such
benefits from the recent tariff act
Imports of industrial goods have
held up much better than exports
The favorable balance of trade
for industry has been diminishing
while agriculture has been revers-
ing an unfavorable balance. This
is not surprising, because most o1
the increased duties in the Smoot.
Hawley act apply to agricultural
products. The agricultural in
creases as whole were more thar
three times as great as the in
creases in industrial duties.
| When Democrats move to repea
the Smoot-Hawley act they arr
making on assault upon agricul
ture. 1t is not surprising tina
Senator George has refused to CO
operate in the proposed Robinson
raid in the protective policy. How
could the party venture to intensity
the chaos of agriculture Farm
ers know that the last tariff ac
saved them from an orgy of dump
ing by foreign producers. Sur
pluses are being produced in al
the great agricultural countries
The situation of the farmer nigh
we'll have been infinitely worse i
Congress had not given him pro
lection. The surprisino thino i,