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1932 › Alfred E. Smith (Democratic) › Tariff levels
Endorsement of the Smoot-Hawley tariff
pledge_forwarddirectional_stancereportedevidence C Trade & Tariffs similar solutions · similar reasoning
Solution
Accept the 1930 tariff rather than campaign against it — the position Raskob tried to write into party policy in March 1931.
Rationale
Protection appealed to the Northeastern industrial Democrats Smith relied on; opposing it would alienate them.
Documented only in secondary summary; the original endorsement (1931) is not archived.
Statements (1)
Endorsing the tariff would also signal a boost to Smith's bid for a second nomination for president, since Smith had already endorsed it.
Follow-through
not_applicable
The tariff was cut by negotiated agreements after 1934.
Enacted by others
| 1934-06-12 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | statute Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act | source |
Other positions on this issue
- Revise the tariff downward through reciprocal trade agreements — Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1932 directional_stance
- A "competitive" tariff set through a scientific Tariff Commission, with anti-log-rolling rules and a public counsel — Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1932 specific_pledge
- Preserve the bipartisan Tariff Commission's flexible power to adjust rates without congressional log-rolling — Herbert Hoover, 1932 specific_pledge
- Unconditional most-favored-nation treatment; no reciprocal bargains or preferences — Herbert Hoover, 1932 specific_pledge
- Maintain — and if necessary widen — the protective tariff; reject the Democratic 'competitive tariff for revenue' — Herbert Hoover, 1932 specific_pledge
- Protect the farmer against imports of livestock, dairy and farm products; keep non-competing goods on the free list — Alf Landon, 1936 directional_stance
1932-smith-endorsed-smoot-hawley-tariff · created by claude-fable-5-1 · review: unreviewed