Evening star., 1934-05-18
doom" SOUNDED
ION c. O.P. REVISION
|0F TARIFF BILL
Senate Democratic Chiefs
Forecast Measure Will
| Be Passed "as Is."
DICTATORSHIP" TREND
| DEPL0RED BY B0RAH
Declares Forces Of Terror and
Fanaticism Seek to De-
stroy Democracy.
BY the Associated Press.

by the Associated Press.
Senate Democratic leaders marked
doomed today all Republican at
tempts to limit President Roosevelt's
powers under the reciprocal tariff
trading bill
Into the teeth of a gathering gale
of projected Republican amendments
the new deal legislative chiefs flung
their forecasts that the measure will
be passed next week-"as is"
Before Senators Borah, Republican.
OF Idaho and Long, Democrat, of
Louisiana assailed the meastlre in the
opening debate as an unconstitutional
, grant of the taxing power to the
President. Minority Leader McNary
indicated a farm-exemption amend
ment would be pressed.
Senator Harrison, Democrat. of
Mississippi, Finance Committee chair
man in charge of the House approved
Dill, refused to accept such an amend
ment on the groynd it would be
almost destructive" of the entire pur-
pose of the legislation.
Senator Robinson, the majority
leader, predicted that if the Repub-
licans brought forth such a proposal
1t would be defeated.
Senator johnson, Republican, of
Callfornla, prepared an amendment to
limit the presidentially negotiated
tariff agreements to industrial prod
ucts. Senator Vandenberg, Republi-
can, OF Michigan had one pending to
exempt all basic commodities under
the agricultural adjustment act.
Scores Of Amendments Ready.
These are only two of a score of
amendments the Republicans have
ready. One would require Senate
ratification of the trade pacts. An
other would exempt all products
under N. r. A. codes.
Robinson and Harrison believed all
| will be rejected.
Despite assertions by Harrison that
there were ample constitutional prece-
dents Tor the power proposed to be
granted the President to change
duties up or down by so per cent,
Borah, In what all observers agreed
was one Of his greatest speeches. de-
plored yesterday the trend toward a
dictatorship"
Il think we are just step by step
oeiegatlng away the one power
upon which parliamentary govern
ment rests" thundered the Idahoan.
Ihere Is no justification on earth for
you and to be here when the taxing
power is gone"
he warned that "Fascism, Naziism.
Communism, appealing to the forces
OF terror and fanaticism have buried
the individual beneath the schemes of
personal advantage and now they are
constantly ridiculing and attacking
democracy" because democracy STANDS
Ior personal liberty and free speech.
Liberty for Common People.
THE integrity of constitutional gov
eminent has never meant 50 much to
the average man and woman, to those
whom Lincoln was wont to call the
common people, as In this very hour"
Borah asserted.
Nowhere on this round globe today
40 the common people enjoy the bles-
sings OF liberty except in a constItu-
| tlonal democracy. There and there
| alone are to be found a free press.
Tree speech, personal liberty and all
those blessings which distinguish the
people OF a free country from the
helpless, haplesS, prosecuted individ-
uaIS VINO constitute the mere cogs of
some vast machine in an absolute die
tatorship."
Before the debate ended for the
day, Senator Long became the first
Democrat to oppose the bill. He
agreed with Borah's contention that
1t was unconstitutional because 1t gave
the President power exclusively re-
served by the Constitution to Congress
and then, in facetious vein, added:
If the President gets up in the
morning and decides the sugar in his
coffee costs too much, he could take
his pen and ruin the whole domestic
sugar industry by reducing the tariff
on Cuban sugar so per cent. or do
the same If he thought the chocolate
at his afternoon bridge was too high"
Precedent viii Be Established.
Striding back and forth behind
three or four desks in his vicinity and
rising on tip-toe to emphasize his
points. Borah declared:
81 know it has been said that this
delegation of power is for a limited
time and is to be given to one IN
whom the people have great conf
dence. but the precedent established
by Franklin D. Roosevelt will be
claimed and enlarged upon by all his
successors, whoever they may be;
precedents established by capable
hands for desirable purposes are still
precedents for incapable hands and
undesirable purposes"
He said neither Fascism. Nazi-ism
or Communism as a form Of govern
ment could exist for fortnight in the
pure atmosphere Of Intellectual free
dom"
Those governments" he continued,
rest upon the enslavement of the
masses, upon submergement Of those
who do most Of the working, the fight
ing, and the dying.
For personal aggrandizement they
live and they will continue to live only
so long as they put chains upon the
body and fetters upon the brain.
"The disturbing fact to me Is that
In the midst Of this universal on
slaught upon personal liberty and free
institutions democracy seems to be-
come apologize, distrustful Of its own
weapons Of warfare and Its own
weapons Of defense.
I'VE have suficient power. The in
strumentalities Of democracy are suffi-
cient. We have had emergencies be-
fore when the constitution was SUM-
cient."