Evening star., 1934-05-03
The Political Mill
BY G. Could Lincoln.

dent silverite, has made good on his
promise to bring a showdown on sill
yer legislation in the Senate at the
present session. Despite presidential
opposition he has offered an amend
ment to the Glass bill, designed to
extend further credits to industry
through operations of the Federal Re-
serve Banks. And there she stands.
1t may be voted down, and its oppo-
nents say that undoubtedly 1t will be
voted down, but at any rate 1t Is 60
ing to put on record the membership
of the Senate again on this vexed
question, and some Of the Democratic
Senators hailing from silver States
may have to decide whether they pre-
fer to stand by the President in this
fight and take their chances at the
polls next Fall. There are some of
these Democratic silver Senators whose
constituents are beginning to be de-
cidedly restive, according to reports
from the West. Their constituents, it
Is said, are beginning to believe that
they are, after all, merely silver
coated.
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silver bonbshell into the Senate late
yesterday afternoon there was some
confusion, out Of which came the
statement from Senator King Of Utah
that the Silver Committee of the Sem
ate was to have another conference
with the President at the White House,
at which it was hoped some salts
factory compromise on silver could
be worked out. The conference, it is
now said, will be held Saturday
Earlier in the day it had been ex-
planned at the White House that the
President was not willing to go ahead
with mandatory silver legislation at
this time. compelling him to go into
the market and buy silver. The
harder headed-or hearted-silver
Senators insist that since the Presi-
dent IS not willing to accept any sill
yer legislation with teeth in it. fur
ther conferences are futile They pre-
fer to go ahead with the effort to
force through silver legislation such
as they demand
According to Senator Borah of
Idaho the liquor manufacturers legal
and illegal. continue to take their
huge profits from the American pub
lie The question was hurled into the
Senate debate yesterday by the Idaho
Senator The recent statement of
Joseph H. Choate, jr, Federal alcohol
control administrator. who warned
that the bootleggers were still doing
tremendous business in this country
was in part the text Of the debate
Senator Borah, however, declared his
opposition to reduction Of the Gov
eminent tax on liquor, as advocated by
Mr.. Choate in move to cheaper legal
liquor and so defeat the bootlegger.
Mr.. Borah claimed that it would be
we'll to look into the profits Of the
liquor manufacturer before taxes we're
reduced There certainly seems no
good reason why Americans should be
compelled to aid in the development
OF whisky millionaires-legal or illegal.
If the manufacturers are making huge
profits, as charged, then the people
ought to know about it,
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There is remedy for the situation
in which America finds itself as result
Of dozen years of prohibition. That
is to remove the tariff duties on i'm
ported liquors. Such a step would
bring into this country a very con-
siderable amount of aged liquor. 1t
could and would pay the domestic tax
on liquor. But it would certainly have
the effect of reducing prices to the
American people. And is there any
particular reason why the American
people should be compelled to help
create a new group of millionaires
dealing in liquor? If conditions in
this country were such that a suf-
ficient quantity of good straight
whisky could be produced to fill de-
mands of the people, there would be
no reason for lowering the tariff
duties. But it has been admitted on
all sides that the American people
will have to be content with blends
and rectified liquor for long time to
come. The administration. however,
does not appear to desire at this time
to take such a step as lowering or
doing away with the tariff duties on
liquor.
The reciprocity tariff bill. with an
amendment providing for hearings"
not public hearings, but hearings
of representatives of industries which
may be affected by the proposed in
ternational trade agreements has
been reported to the Senate from the
Senate Finance Committee. This
amendment is expected to have the
effect of solidifying Democrats in
support of the measure, and it has
been said that it may win over some
Republican votes in the Senate, too.
However, Senator McNary of Oregon,
G. o. p leader of the Upper House,
has called q conference of the Re-
publican Senators for tomorrow to
discuss the plans for attack on the
tariff bill. 1t is possible that the
hearing" amendment may help to
lessen the debate on the measure and
bring it to a speedier vote. That,
however, is merely a matter of con-
lecture, since once a tariff debate
begins in the Senate no one on earth
can predict with entire accuracy when
it will end. The last Republican
tariff bill kept the Senate in session
practically all Summer. The con-
stitutionality of the proposed grant
of power to the President, allowing
him to increase or lower tariff duties
by SO per cent in making trade agree
ments with foreign nations, will be
assailed by some of the opponents
of the measure. But more partic-
ularly will the opponents picture the
plight of American industry and agri-
culture if it is left in suspense re-
garding the tariff, subject at any
time to have the protection of the
tariff duties cut in half.
Former Senator Tom" Hef1in of
Alabama appears to have been de-
feated in his effort to stage a come
back into the political arena. He
entered the Democratic primary on