Evening star., 1932-09-30

cooling his heels in the shade OF our
tariff walls. We may not have the
astuteness in some forms Of interna-
tional diplomacy that our more expert
enced European friends have, but when
1t comes to good old fashioned barter
and trade-whether 1t be goods or
tariff-my money Is on the American.
There cannot and shall not be any
foreign dictation Of our tariff policies.
Next the Democrats propose to &C
oomplish the necessary reduction
through the agency of the Tariff Com
mission.
"The Log Rolling Process"
I need not say to you that one of
the most deplorable features OF tariff
legislation Is the log-rolling process by
which it has been effected by Repub-
lican Congresses Perfectly indefen-
sible rates are introduced through an
understanding usually implied rather
than expressed among members, each
of whom IS interested in one or more
such. 1t is q case Of you scratch my
back and I will scratch yours. The
evil must be recognized by even the
most ardent supporter Of the theory OF
protection. To avoid this, as well as
other evils in tariff making. a Demo-
cratic Congress in 1916 passed, and a
Democratic President approved, bill
creating the bipartisan tariff COM
mission charged with the duty OF sup
plying the Congress with accurate and
full information upon which to base
tariff rates. 1t functioned as scien-
tific body until 1922, when by the in
corporation of the so-called flexible
provisions of the act that year, 1t was
] t,.,, rfr,., init
Under these provisions-re- enacted in
the Grundy tariff of 1930-the COM
mission reports not to a Congress. but
to the President. who is empowered
upon its recommendation to raise or
lower the tariff rates by as much as so
per cent How perfectly ineffective
this method of removing from the tar
if some of its inequities-a wag said
its iniquities-I do not delay to detail.
At the last session of Congress, BY
the practically unanimous action OF
the Democrats Of both Houses. aided by
/ liberal minded Republicans led by Sem
ator Norris, Of Nebraska, a bill was
passed by the Congress but vetoed by
| the President, which. for the purpose
Of preventing log rolling, provided that
a report having been made on a par
ticular item with recommendation as
to the rate Of duty it ought to bear, a
bill to make effective such rate would
not be subject to amendment SO as to
include any other item not directly
affected by the change proposed by the
/ bill. In that way each particular tar
/ i'll rate proposed would be judged upon
its merits, and upon its merits alone.
am confident in the belief that
under such a system rates would be
adopted generally so reasonable that
there would be very little opportunity
for criticism of even caviling as to
them 1 am sure that it is not that
any duties are imposed that complaint
is made, for despite the effort, repeated
/ in every campaign, to stlgmatiZe the
/ Democratic party as free trade party,
there never has been tariff act passed
since the Government came into ex-
istence in which the duties were not
/ levied with view to giving the Amer
/ ican producer an advantage over his
/ foreign competitor. And / think that
you will agree with me that the diff
ference in our day between the two
major parties on the subject Of the
tariff is that the Republican party.
whatever may be its professions. would
put duties SO high AS to make them
practically prohibitive, the Democratic
]
preservation of the prosperity OF
American industry will permit.
Approves Public Counsel.
Another feature of the bill to which
reference has been made, designed to
obviate tariff log-rolling. contemplated
1 the appointment of public ccurscl
who should be heard on all applica-
/ tions for changes in rates before the
commission, on the one hand, for in
creases sought by producers, often
greedy, or for decreases asked by i'm
porters, equally often actuated by
purely selfish motives, or by Others
seeking such reductions. hope some
such change may speedily be enacted
1t will have my cordial approval.
One other factor enters into the dan-
gerous emergency in which you farm
ers find yourselves at this moment. For
more than a year / have spoken of the
actual calamity that impends on ac-
count of fam mortgages. Even since
my nomination on July l. have ad-
vocated immediate attention and i'm
mediate action looking to the preser-
vation of the American home to the
American farmer. I am not at the
head of the National Administration
nor can / be until March 4 next To
day l read in the papers that for the
first time the administration of Presi-
dent Hoover has discovered the fact
that there is such thing as a farm
mortgage. At least We can take q
crumb of hope from his proposal foi
another conference of some kind tc
discuss the situation. All I can tel
you is that with you I depiore the in
excusable and reprehensible delay Of
Washington, not for months alone, but
for years. i have already been spe-
ciflc on this subject in my Topeka
speech. All I can promise you is that
I will continue to preach the plight Of
the farmer who is losing his home
and that when the authority of ad.
ministraron or recommendation i;
placed in my hands 1 will do every
thing in my power to bring the relief