The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-05-27
fNEA Service WrItcr)

Washington. --- General Winfield
Scott Hancock, nominated by the
democrats for the presidency In
1880, said the tariff was u local In
sue. They laughed at him and
pcited him with ridicule and hc
was defeated.
But the tariff was local" issue
and has never seemed more 10
than In the fight which began In
the senate over the provisions IN
tho tax bin which would levy i'm
port duties on oil. lumber. copper
and coal.
II became n local issue with
nearly every member this time. al.
most aB much no an IL u general
tariff bill had been up.
These are the facts behind the
strange situation which developed
Into d threat TO tic up tho senate
indefinitely and which led TO tho
remarkable promise OF speaker
Garner and House Majority Leader
Smell to Keep the senate In session
through the national conventions "
II didn't pass q revenue BILL,
Adding Fat 10 the Fire
rho bill was theoretically u pure
tax bill. The lobbyists brought
pressure, engineered com binations
and made II q tax bill and tnrlff
bill at tho Same time.
At n time when nearly everyone
was aiming to balance the budget
through u tax bill and nm economy
bill, both extremely controversial
measures In which members wero
under extreme pressure from oil
types of lobbyists. u third contro-
versiaI igsue--tariffs- -wag brought
In, All II TO make dinicult matter
worse.
The duties on the four COM
m0ditics were inserted IN the
senate finance committec'S tax
measure on the pretense that they
would help raise needed revenue.
Claims and Counter Claims
rho generous calculations OF the
tariff advocates were that they
would raise $G.O00.000 - year. y
relatively trivial sum, EncmioB OF
the duties concluded that the tar
IFS would result IN complete en-.
barg0tS and hence would raise no
money ut all.
rho oil, lumber, copper and coal
lobbyists and senHtors had made
mighty efforts TO obtain tariffs on
their commodities during the for.
mutation OF the Hawley -smoOt tar.
In bin. They failed. But they came
back into this session OF congrcss
repeating their story OF great de-.
precision In their industries and got
their tariffs into the tax bill.
fph. dam nnRatta Marty which
constantly assdiIs the republican
party for its high tariffs. was cm-
barrasscd all over again when
some democratic members of the
finance committee who represent
coal, oil and copper tariffs coon
crnted with republicans In log
rolling tho duties into the bill.
Whereas Walsh Of Massa chu-
sets, Costigan Of Colorado, Har.
rison OF Mississippi, George OF
Georgia and Hull OF Tennessee re-
turned n sIaBhlng minority report
expressing bitter contempt for the
duties, Barley OF Kentucky, want.
cd TO protect coal, Connal1y Ut
Texas and Gore Of Oklahoma were
working for oil, and King Of Utah
was thinking In terms OF copper.
From had tO Worse
The four tariff democrats. natur-
ally, were considering the vocifer-
Gus demands OF their local indus
tries ana presumably Of their
chances OF recollection. 80 were
other democrats and republicans
waiting on the floor to support the
bin.
But, aside from bitter opponents
OF high tariffs who objected to tho
new duties on principle, there were
many senators whose own constitu-
ents were beginning to demand
why they weren't also being con-
sidered in I he tax bill. X, after all,
II were going 10 be a tariff Dill al
well.
Their best hope seemed to be to
beat the tariffs out Of the measure
entirely. II they could do that they
wouldn't be heckIcd all summer
and fall with demands as to why
they didn't do AZ much for their
local people as the oil. coal. 1un'-
Der and copper senator's had done
for. theirs. That sort Of thing was