Evening star., 1934-05-28
The Political Mill
By C. Could Lincoln.


The Roosevelt reciprocity tariff bill
may be brought to vote on its pass
| age in the Senate before this week
! is ended. The agreement to limit
debate on the measure beginning on
Wednesday is the first step toward
final vote and usually an effective one
No one in the Senate seems to have
the slightest doubt that the bill will
pass in the shape that the admin
istration desires. There will, however,
be q tug of war over some of the
amendments proposed, particularly
that advanced by Senator Hiram
johnson of California, which proposes
to exempt from the operation of the
bill all agricultural products except
apples. The apple growers have asked
this exemption, favoring the tariff bill.
In other words If the johnson amend
ment should be agreed to, the Presi-
dent, in making reciprocal trade
| agreements with foreign nations,
would not be permitted to raise or
| lower the tariff duties on agricultural
products by so per cent in making his
deals with the foreign nations. The
\
would hamstring the whole reciprocity
tariff bill, it is admitted by admins
| tration leaders. But when they are
asked Just what duties, on what agri-
cultural products, the President is
going to use in his trading with the
foreigners, there Is singular lack of
response. 1t will be difficult for some
of the Democrats from agricultural
States to vote against this amend
| ment. Either the administration is
going to lower duties on farm prod
ucts, some OF them, in these trade
agreements or it is not. If it is not,
then, say the supporters of the John
son amendment, why not write it
into the bill?
\ X
That the fight will be hotly waged
about the johnson amendment is
clear enough, for in agreeing to the
limitation of debate on the tariff
bill. the Senate still held that each
Senator should be allowed a solid
hour to discuss this particular amend
ment. On other amendments-and
large number have been proposed
the Senators are limited to fifteen
minute speeches. Not all OF the
Senators are going to talk on the
johnson amendment, but If thirty
of them should desire to use up an
hour each on this proposal, the de-
bate would pe extended three or four
days.
There are a number of Democratic
Senators who do not look forward
with relish to the passage of this
reciprocity tariff bill anyway. They
have been told that business Of all
kinds is afraid of the measure; that
it will create lot of uncertainty and
distrust, merely because the power to
cut the tariff duties in half on all
articles on the dutiable list will be
hanging constantly over all kinds of
industry and business in this coun-
try If the President makes use OF
this trading power, then Americans
| will have to give something in ex-
change for what they receive. If the
President does not make use of it,
then what, critics of the legislation
say, is the need of passing the bill
at all and keeping business stirred
up?
But the Senate Democrats by and
large are prepared to 60 along with
the President on this tariff bill. 1t
has been estimated that perhaps half
a dozen Democrats in the Senate will
vote aainst the bill Senator Huey
Long of Louisiana, and probably his
colleague, Senator Overton. are ex-
pected to be in the lineup against
the tariff bill. Long has been one of
the most industrious opponents of the
tariff bill during the debate in the
Senate. Which other Democratic
Senators will vote against the tariff
bill remains to be seen. They have
SO far not been vocal in their opposi-
ton to the measure.
If final vote is had on the tariff
bill during the coming week, as is con-
fidently predicted by Senator Pat Har-
rison of Mississippi. in charge of the
bill, a new record for quick action or
tariff bills will have been set in the
Senate. The bill will have been under
debate for less than three weeks
Three months has been more like the
length of time required to debate a
! Jdl Ill Jill LII IIlC SClideS IA NAAS PesSN'
This Roosevelt bill, of course, Is not
general revision of the tariff in the
sense that every tariff schedule and
! duty is written into the bill. However
the power given to the President is to
cut by so per cent every tariff duty in
the whole list, if and when he con-
siders that it is advantageous to Amer
ican interests. To that extent, al
least. it is general tariff bill. A LOT
of people are wondering what duties
If any. are to be cut in carrying out
the provisions of the bill. The Presi-
dent has said in his message to Con-
gress that there is no purpose to hurry
into these reciprocal trade agreements
| and that every consideration will be
given to the American producers II
seems quite clear that when the first
of these cuts are announced, there Will
be a roar that will be heard across the
country. It will come not only from
the industries Immediately affected
but also from a lot of other industries
which will fear that their turn is next
x 4
What are Wisconsin's Progressive
members of the House going to dc
about the new Progressive party which,
under the leadership of Senator Robert
M. La Toilette and his brother, Philip,
former Governor, is now being or
ganized in that State? They did not
attend the convention in Fond Du Lac
at which the new party was launched.
But it is apparent that sooner or later
| they must make up their minds
whether they are going into the Re-
publican primaries next September to
seek denomination for the House or
whether they will seek the nomination
of the Progressive party. If they stick
to the Republican primaries, then the
new Progressive party is likely to put
candidates into the field against them
in the November election. Indeed, it
is the plan of the new party to have
full list of candidates for Congress
and all the State and county offices.
There is no present intention on the
part of the new party's leaders to
carry the movement for the Progress
| Sipe party into other States at this