Evening star., 1932-06-26

publican one, II goes on IHe
assumption that only one topic
Is important, that prohibition alone is
controversial and worth watching. But
how about the tariff?
In the Republican convention Sena-
tor Hiram Bingham of Connecticut,
demanding that his party be decisive
on prohibition, used effectively and to
the pleasure of the galleries, repetition
Of a phrase, come clean"
Is there among the Democrats any
one such as Senator Cordel Hull OF
Tennessee, who will demand that the
Democrats come clean" on the tariff?
Senator Hull really believes what the
Democratic party pretendS to believe
about the tariff. He believes, that is,
in low tariff; he believes in applying
the same broad policy of low tariff to
all industries and sections; he does not
believe in asking for any exception for
his own State, and he does not prac-
tice the making of deals or other log
rolling for the purpose of furtively get
ting high tariff on Tennessee COM
modify while making believe that he
supports the party policy of low tariff.
Will Senator Hull or any other DEM
ocratic leader insist on getting this
view of the tariff into the platform as
originally written by the Resolutions
Committee? And if he fails in the
Resolutions Committee, will he bring
in minority report as Senator Bing-
ham did about prohibition? And will
he, again as Senator Bingham did,
stand up In front Of the convention
and before the country and demand
that the Democrats come clean" on
the tariff?
The Democrats have an excellent op-
portunity to make a major mistake
about the tariff-a mistake Of dissimu-
lstion. With everybody watching the
political pea that is labeled prohibi-
ton, the Democrats have a chance to
5uggIe the pea named tariff. They
might get by with it for a little while,
but within the four months that this
campaign will last, the country will
have period in which they will think
about other issues, and will find out
what the Democrats have done about
the tariff.
G. o. p. Platform Fortnight.
The harshest critic of the Republic
ans must admit that on the economic
issues the Republicans were fortnight.
As 10 what the Republicans did about
prohibition there is still too much pas
sion. too much hangover of prejudice
from the period preceding the conven-
ton, to enable people TO have clear
Judgment.
Setting aside the continued wran-
ing ebcut the Republicans prohibi-
q plank, the rest CT the Republican
a.fC-m is, on the whole, the most
T-3cnt times. You may not like the
erection the forshrightness takes, but
the forthrightness is there.
The truth is the Republicans looked
upon the prohibition part of their plat
form making as disagreeable job
likely to bring them bricks from both
sides. Being in that mood about pro-
hibition, they wrote the rest of their
. platform in spirit Of hoping that its
directness Of treatment of economic
issues would attract public attention
away from the prohibition plank. THAT
has not happened, yet, but the quality
which the Republicans put into the
economic parts of their platform re-
mains there for all to see. It Is eX-
tremely direct and extremely conserva
tive
The Republican declaration support
ing the gold standard of currency is
the most unequiyocal, the most free
from any squint Of sympathy for fat
money advocates that was ever put into
the platform of any political party at
any time when there was occasion to
say anything whatever about currency.
The plank asserting belief in party re-
sponsibility and, therefore, party regu-
lar1ty, Is tainted by no concession to
the Progressive irregulars-it outlaws
them. The plank about veterans COM
pensation ssys-less directly than some
OF the other planks, but nevertheless
plainly enough-that the Republicans
believe in giving compensation only to
veterans who actually incurred disabil
1ty while IN the SerVice-and not, as the
fuH or
example, to suggest an extreme case,
incurred his disability in a speakeasy
brawl 13 years after the war ended.
In short, the Republican planks on
economic issues are direct and forth
right; they run in a consistent direction
and they make the Republicans the
party of conservatism. And the ques-
ton IS, will the Democrats be equally
direct in their economic planks?
Tariff Embarrassing.
To the Democrats the tariff is as en-
barrassing as prohibition was to either
Republicans or Democrats The DEM
ocratic record on the tariff in the Ses-
sion Of Congress just closing puts them
as respects this issue, on the defensive.
The Republican revision Of the tariff
called the Smoot- -Hawley tariff WIS
completed two years ago, in June, 1890
At that moment the election Of a new
Congress-the whole of the House and
third OF the Senate-was just getting
under way. The Democrats made their
campaign chiefly upon denunciat1on Of
the Smoot-HaWley tariff. In every
congressional contest the Democrats de-
nounced the Republican tariff and for
themselves promised better things. The
publicity organization of the Democratic
National Committee was then at high
Tl1p nd ~
denunciation Of the protective tariff
flowed out from it.
Millions Of American voters believed
mat by electing a Democratic House
they would get q lowered tariff Mil
mons voted the Democratic ticket for
that purpose. In the elect on of No
yember, 1890, the Democrats won the
House by majority o. Two. increased
10 some six by subsequent elections TO
flll vacancies. Announcement of The
success Of the Democrats in Winning
control Of the House was ACCOMPANIED
by practically universal expectation
that turning the Republicans ont and
putting the Democrats in meant low
ering Of the tariff.
The Democratic House that was
elected at that time came into being
on the 7th Of December last. 1t is
Just now adjourning. During the near
ly seven months of its life not one
schedule of the tariff has been reduced
No attempt has been made to reduce
any schedule
For this part Of the record there Is
excuse and explanation. Those voters
who thought the Democratic HousS
would undertake to reduce the tariff
right away hoped for too much. Tht
Democrats could and can make vail;
excuse to the effect that there is M
use attempting a downward revision @.
the tariff at a time when they con-
troll only the House, and that they vii
fulfill their promise so soon as theI
control both Congress and the pres!
denc7.
New Tariffs Enacted.
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