Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-23
The Political Mill.
By G.. Could Lincoln.

When Republicans of the old school
in Pennsylvania and New York begin
to talk about the tariffs being too high,
it is not unnatural to wonder what is
happening in the G.. o. P. The other
cay Representative Smell Of New York
declared in a speech in New York that
the tariff had gone the limit in height,
with the implication that it had gone
too high. And now Gen. w. w. After
bury, president of the Pennsylvania
Railroad, and until not very long ago
Republican national committeeman for
Pennsylvania. in a public speech takes
crack at the tariff system generally,
asserting that high tariff walls, not only
In this but in other countries, were
running the commerce OF the world. Is
it TO be supposed that the agitation Tor
another and a downward revision OF
the tariff is to be pressed by regular
Republicans as well as ProgreSSives and
by the Democrats in the coming Con-
gress? Or will there just be promise
on the part of Republicans that II they
are continued in power at the national
election next year they will do some
thing about lowering the tariff?
r
The Smoot- Hawley tariff isn't any
too popular today. 1t has been charged
with bringing about diminution of
our foreign trade. Other countries
have raised tariff walls of their own,
or they have sought in other ways not
to buy American goods TO the extent
they have done in the past 1t is said.
OF course, as long as the United States
was the principal If not the sole ex-
ponent of high protective tariff sys-
tenn, it worked we'll for the American
industries, particularly when those in
dustries were Of the so-called infant"
class. But there is belief growing
up that unless America can sell her
quantities hard times are not likely to
abate. At least that is the doctrine
that is being preached by opponents Of
the Republican tariff law.
-
Stanch defenders Of the tariff, how
ever, and there are still plenty of them
despite the statements of Mr. Smell and
Gen. At,erbury, insist that the domestic
market is far more important to the
American producer. whether farmer or
industrial worker, than is the foreign
trade. A lowering OF the tariff rates,
they say, will inevitably result in a
flood of importationS from European
countries which may sweep American
industries aside and result in lower
ing of wages and living standards in
this country. Anyway you look at it.
the tariff problem today is a tough nut
TO crack. The revised and remade
United States Tariff Commission is
functioning and if it speeds up in the
next few months it may bring about
such revisions of the tariff as will lessen
the demand for new tariff law There
seems little prospect of the possibility
OF tarlf revision at the coming session
OF Congress, for many reasons. One of
them Is that a national election is at
hand and Congress will be anxious to
get through its work as early as pos
slble for personal reasons of the mem
bers, and another is that individual
members of Congress are not anxious to
stir up the producers in their States
and district by new tariff legislation.
Furthermore, 1t may be impossible to
md combina ION of members of the
next House and the next Senate which
VIII stay hitched en- a general revision
of the tariff.
Gen. Atterbury in his address quoted
at considerable length from a speech
made in the West by Owen D. Young.
head of the General Electric board. and
declared that the remarks of Mr.. Young
on economic questions we're worthy Of
credence. Mr.. Young has been mem
bAOkACQ AiCQuCAlly 1OT Tile democratic
presidential nomination. much to the
disgust Of Senator George w. Norris
OF Nebraska, Progressive Republican.
Senator Norris seems to prefer Gov.
Franklin d. Roosevelt for the Demo-
cratic presidential nomination, and is
strongly opposed to Mr.. Young. 1t looks
as though Mr.. Young might have some
OF the Conservative Republican voters
for him, however. The Democrats will
gErt1n
please big business or Senator Norris
when 1t comes to picking a presidential
candidate. 1t now appears Perhaps
they VIII just please themselves
X 4
The agitation for a special session Of
the new Congress during the present
Spring and the coming Summer con-
tinueS. The JON Dewey group of Pre-
gressives, which sought in vain to get
Senator George w. Norris and other
Progressive leaders in Congress to start
third liberal political party, have put
forward a public statement in which
they ask the Progressives in the Senate
very pointedly why they permitted the
passage OF all the appropriation bills in
the last session of Congress, closing
March 4. and thereby permitted the
administration to escape without a spe-
cial session. The statement suggests that
Senator's Norris, La Toilette, Borah,
Brookhart ct al. were delinquent in
their duties when they allowed the APP
preparation bills to go through, for
failure to pass one or more of the big
annual supply bills would have neces-
stated session Of the new Congress.
Immediately after the Congress
closed. a conference OF ProgreSsives
ITyoc ExrH Drr
to meet in Washington to outline a
program OF progressive legislation
Prof. Dewey was not included. for the
senators did not want to have the
third party matter brought up, perhaps
TO the exclusion of other business. At
the conference the administration was
denounced for not calling a special
session of the Congress at this time.
Now Prof. Dewey and his followers ask
the Progressive Senators If they are
willing to forego their vacations and
undertake a campaign throughout the
country to rouse sentiment SO that the
administration may be forced to call
the Congress in special session. The
Dewey communication asks unkindly:
What has paralyzed the Progressive
Senators into acquiescence in the plan
OF exploiting interests to reduce the
American people to state Of industrial
feudalism and serfdom?" In conclu-
sion it charges that the Progressive
Senators gave the administration the
Sinews of war to continue the rule of
special privilege by permitting appro-
priations to be voted" and declares
they cannot escape responsibility for
their action.
y
Senator Simeon D. Tess, chairman of
the Republican National Committee.
has offered $4,000 to the Publicity Blu
reau of the Democratic National Com |
mittee on condition that Jouett Shouse |
can prove statement which Mr.. |
Shouse is reported to have made at a !
Democratic meeting in San Francisco |