Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-11
The Political Mill
BIZ C. Could Lincoln.

Daspite the drive made in many
quarters against the Republican pro-
tective tariff and the moot-Hawley
tariff act, Republican leaders in the
East, the Middle West and the West
are not lightly going to give up the
tariff now nor are they going to agree
that there must be a revision down.
ward. Representative Ramseyer of
Iowa, a veteran of the House and a po-
tentisl candidate for the Republican
nomination for Speaker, is strong
tariff advocate, although he halls from
q State where there is much unrest
because of farm conditions, q State
which delights in re-electing Senator
Smith w. Brookhart who wears no
mans yoke. In a statement put out
through the Republican National Com
mittee Mr.. RsmSeyer says today that
the Democratic opposition. now raising
It's voice against the tariff law, has
aligned itself with the foreign competi-
tors of American farmers and Ameri-
can workers in the interest Of foreign
farmers and foreign workers.
X 4 4
Look at it any way you like the
G. 0. p. has always had the advantage
III tariff debates with the Democrats
simply because the Republicans have
been able to say that they are working
In the interest OF Americans and the
Democrats have been on the side of
the foreigners. 1t is the old nationalist
argument against the argument of the
internationalist, in one form. The Dem
lie tPlia ha
the zeal interests of the American peo-
pie at heart when they oppose the
tariff; that they are seeking to aid the
poor man against the industrial giant
and monopoliSt. But, somehow or an
other when the Republicans begin to
compare the wages of the woTkingman
in foreign countries to the wages paid
to the American workers, this argu-
ment does not go down 30 well with
the American voters.
~
Mr.. Ramseyer undertakes q defense
of American tariffs from a somewhat
different angle. He has made q study
of the tariffs levied by European and
other nations on imported goods and
finds that instead of Uncle Sam being
the horrid tariff man of the world. he
is somewhat modest in his tariff duties
levied, not just recently, but for many
years by some of the nations with
which this country does business.
1t may be q surprise to great
many people to learn that foreign ma
tons levy duties on merchandise from
the United States and have done so for
years" says Mr.. Ramseyer. And no
one has ever heard q Democrat or an
internstiOnalist announce the fact that
we admit more items duty-free than
most OF our customer nations.
For instance, France levies duty
on 80 per cent of our goods while we
levy o duty on % per cent of theirs;
England levies q duty of SIS per cent
of our merchandise while we tax 40
per cent of theirs Belgium levies a
duty of "a per cent on United States
products while we collect duty on 81
per cent of Belgian products; Germany
collects on III per cent OF our goods
while we tax only "a per cent OF theirs.
The Democrats have committed
themselves to the foreign born plan OF
attempting to pull other nations out
of the depression by pushing the United
States farther In. They have plan
for prosperity, but the joker In 1t Is
that 1t is q scheme for European pros
perity 10 be achieved at the expense OF
can farmer, merchant, industrialiSt and
workingman will be forced " pay the
bill
The Democrats have also given
willing ear TO the plan for solving Eu-
ropean unemployment-wh which Is much
worse than ours--by throwing Ameri-
can workers out Of their jobs In order
that the wheels of industry may turn
at faster rate in European countries.
There is another Republican member
Of the House who Is not only potential
for the Republican nomina-
ton for Speaker but who Is an actual
and active candidate, Representative
Bertrand H. Smell of New York. Mr..
Smell In an address delivered in New
York not long ago said in effect that we
have gone the limit" in the matter OF
high protective duties. Immediately
this remark was seized upon by the
Democrats and interpreted as testimony
from a high Republican source that the
tariff was q mistake and that the DEM
ocTsts after all were right about 1t.
The wide publicity that the Smell re-
mark on the tariff received, coupled
with q ste tement by Gen. w. w. At
terbury, president of the Pennsylvania
Co and formerly Republican
committeeman from the Key
stone State, to the effect that tariffs
we're too high, gave some OF the regular
leaders distinct pain. Some
OF them admitted their disgust with
MI Smell and his speech.
Mr.. Smell found to his diSmay that
while his speech may have helped him
in the West, 1t hurt him with many Of
the regulars. 1t is not surprising, there
~ oil i'm 10
straighten out the Interpretation of his
earlier speech with a statement he has
Just issued denouncing the efforts of
foreigners attending the Intsrna tional
Cha mber of Commerce meeting in
washington, which closed Saturday, to
tear down American tariffs In his
statement we find the old Mr.. Smell,
chairman Of the Rules Committee. who
stood valiantly by the tariff while in
the making.
He denounces the demands of Euro
pean nations and the Democrats for q
reduction Of our tariffs. And so MI.
Smell sets himself right again in Re-
publican eyes. There seems to be life
in tine old tariff issue yet.
or the five members Of the Senate
with the longest records Of continuous
service four are up for reelection next
year. The fifth Of these veterans, Sen
ator Borah OF Idaho, who ranks second
in length Of service, was reelected last
year Senator Reed Smoot OF Utah
who stands at the top VI the list for
service, entering the Senate March 4,
1908 Senator Duncan U. Fletcher of
Florida, the third in rank Of service
Senator Wesley l.. Jones vi WaShingt ton.
and Senator Ellison D. Smith
OF South Carolina, fifth, are all ex-
pected 10 seek denomination and re-
election. Smoot and Jones are Re
publicanS. Fletcher and Smith, Demo-
Gratis The two Democrats have merely
to win nominations III their States.
Once they have been nominated. their