Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1933-02-22
TARIFF DISBURSEMENTS

TARIFF
Importers and the international bankers who supported
the Democratic ticket in the 1892 election under the as
sumption and with the belief that Democratic victory
meant a drastic reduction of tariff schedules and a con-
sequent strengthening of investments abroad at the ex-
pense of American agriculture and industry must be get
ting some unpleasant surprises when they read the tariff
debate in congress these days. This debate indicates that,
while the Republican party is still the backbone of the
protective tariff movement in the United States, there
are a great many Democratic statesmen opposed to sacri-
ficing the American market to the importers in the fond
belief that we will somehow get some benefits abroad.
One shock must have come to the internationalists In
the action of the senate in passing by a vote Of Al to II an
amendment to the treasury postoffice appropriation bill
combining government purchases to American-made goods
so far as this is practicable. Of the Al votes for the
amendment, 90 were furnished by Republicans and Is by
Democrats, showing the cleavage in the majority party
on the tariff question. As one newspaper writer put it,
common sense instead of partisanship prevailed"
But there have been other ''eye-openers'' for the inter-
nationalist on the tariff question. Some of these have
come in the stand taken in the debate in congress on the
various tariff measures before that body. There has been
much bipartisan support given to measures designed to
correct the unfair advantage in our markets of foreign ma
tons which have gone off the gold standard and are now
flooding the markets with cheap goods-goods made
cheap by starvation wages and the payment of such
wages In "tn money"
The amendment to apply the ''buy American move
menC TO government purchases noted ABOVE was sponsored
by Senator johnson, of California, and it succeeded in
bringing a real tariff split in the majority ranks. Senator
C~ostigan, Colorado, pleaded with his Democratic brethren
not to join in this "buy American move but his plead
ings were in vain, although he asserted that the "buy
American movement was a tariff in its worst form.
When the vote was taken and the protectionists won,
Senator Gore, Democrat, Oklahoma, offered them his con-
gratulations, declaring in part:
''Protectionism has not only triumphed in it's own field,
but has crossed the aisle and captured half the members
on this side. And that half has gone over, horse, foot and
%dragoon."
Senator Walsh, of Massachusetts, stated the case for
those Democrats who joined the "buy American move
ment, when he said:
II still consider myself a good Democrat after having
voted for this. As | understand the Democratic doctrine,
my party is for a just tariff, and I say here and now that
unless the Democratic party recognizes that new condi-
lions exist in the world and that therefore we must take
a different attitude on the tariff, we are likely to run in
to some serious difficulties"
Senator Walshs statement is sane and far-seeing when
compared with the theorizing of the free traders, and it
furnishes food for thought to those internationalists who
hoped to work their will in the new congress. In spite of
the "blah-blah" of that part of the metropolitan press
which represents international finance, the American peo-
pie are still protection minded. The "serious difficult
les' which Senator Walsh a~pprehends for a majority
lacking comprehension Of present day difficulties might
easily crystalline in the congressional elections of 1884.