Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1933-05-17
TROUBLE AHEAD?

One of the major parts of the administration program
for congress is the giving of the president power to make
tariff and trade agreements with other nations. Although
the reducing of tariffs would bring great protests from
various parts of the country affected, it is believed that
congress would give the president the authority, just as
it did in the matter of government retrenchment and sal
ary reduction. For the political headaches would come
later and then the statesmen representing a protectionist
district could if he so desired lay the blame all on to the
administration and thus escape the political consequences
so far as he was personally concerned.
But there are some indications of trouble in the offing
even now. 1t will be remembered that the previous con-
gress gave protection to the oil, lumber, copper and coal
interests, by means Of an import tax. Now the only way
TO get around this import tax and to give the administra-
ton a free hand is to repeal the tax. But this is bound to
cause a protest from the sections of the country interested
in the production of these commodities, sections which
do not care to have the country flooded with lumber from
Canada and Russia, oil from Venezuela and Russia, coal
from England and Russia and copper from Congo Land.
In addition to free lumber, Canada would like to have
Uncle Samlgo in for free wheat, free cheese and free but
ter, all of which would not make a decided hit with the
northwestern states which supported Mr.. Roosevelt so
ardently last fall.
But to get back to oil, coal, copper and lumber, there is
bound to be some kick-back if an effort is made to repeal
the import tax on these commodities. But maybe congress
can find a way to give President Roosevelt authority to
repeal these taxes all by himself. If so, everything may
end happily yet-until the tariff gets to be a campaign
issue again.
But the trouble may not all be of the negative variety.
There is some evidence that statesmen from the oil pro-
ducing states may ask for an even higher tax on imported
petroleum than that which is now levied. They say, with
some justification, that the compromise tax levied on
petroleum and its imports was not high enough to halt
the flood of imported petroleum and petroleum products
and that it ought to be increased.
Just what will become of the tariff taxes remains to be
seen. Ii they are not repealed they are bound to cause
embarrassment when the matter of adjusting interna-
tional trade barriers come up. And if an attempt is made
to repeal them, there will be a different kind of embarr-
assment for those making the attempt.
The reason we know that the presidents embargo on
gold was a good thing for Uncle Sam is that France, Eng
land and Germany greeted the move with "pained sur
prise.'
A rattlesnake appeared recently at fashionable Revere
Beach near Boston. How do they get that way on 3.2
per cent?
We believe that the fellow who collects the installments
on our radio and electric washer could get that money
which Europe owes us if all other methods fail.
j. Pierpont Morgan is going to Washington to testify
before a senate committee and the Capitol will be lucky
if 7. doesn't leave with a first mortgage on the dome.