The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-06-09
The Tariff Commission.


by the Senate tomorrow. ALTHOUGH
there will be considerable Opposi.
ton manifested in various quarters
! The appointments do not give gen.
eTal satisfaction 10 senators. A few
gentlemen like BaVard, for exam
pie, expected the President would
select as commissioners able the
oretIcal experts, such as David A.
Wells, j. 5 Moore, Edward Atkin-
son and Others of similar character.
Bayard voted for the bill and adyo-
Gated is passage with this idea in hi
mind. he Is previously disap-
pointed. The great objection urged
against the commission is that nc is
composed of c0mparat Y.ly I'M
known men, ard that certain sue-
claI interests are represented to the
exclusion of other interests. The
PRESIDENT, in selecting the commits
sloD, endeavored TO avoid chOosiig
men conspicaOusly identified with
special Interests, and at the same
Time secure the services of practical
economists to make the investiga-
lions precedent to revision of the
tariffs. Phillips, of Missouri, has
positively refused to serve upon the
commission and a new man must be
nominated In his stead. The finance
committee of the Senate, to which
the nominations were referred
agreed to report them favorable.
Bayard and Beck, the onIytwo DEM
ocrats present, voting in the mega
tive. There was such a feeling
OF opposition to the appointments
on the democratic side, that a caucus
or democratic senators was called.
this afternoon, to see if a united or
position to the confirmation of the
nominees could not be arranged. It
was soon found that this Scheme
was impracticable. Senator Brown.
OF Georgia, had recommended Che
appointment of ex-senator Under
wood, of South Carolina and Sen
ator Jonas had recommended the
appointment Of Mr.. Kenner. the
louisiana sugar planter. There
were other senators who had Joined
III recommendations for the appoint
ment Of other members of the com
mission.
Immediately after the adjourn
ment Of the Senate, twenty-four
democratic members assembled in
caucus FOR the purpose of inter-
changing views in regard to the fit
mss of the Presidents nomination
for tariff commissioners. No at
tempt was made to secure CAUCUS
action, and at the conclusion of
the conference, which lasted
an hour and a half, every sen
ator was left free to vote in
executive session. It was Developed.
however, that democratic men bers
of the Senate are practically unani-
nous In holding that the commits
sion is unfairly constituted, and
should be rejected. The giound
taken by nearly all the speakers,
including Bayard and others
who voted for the commission
bill, is that the proposed member
ship is wholly Inconsistent with the
avewed purposes of the bill, which
contemplated an impartial inYesti-
CATION, and looked to recommends.
tiOns that should be free from the
suspicion Of self interest. It was
asserted that two Of the nominees,
LOyes, of Massachusetts, and Gar
land, of Illinois, are salaried officers
Of the protective high tariff assOcia-
ton, and third, Porter, is stipen-
diary Of the same organization.
Oliver, Of Pennsylvania, and Ken
ner, of Louisiana, were criticized as
appointed for special interests, who
might well be expected to combine
with the above named in the in
terest Of high tariff generally.
Underwood, of Georgia, was referred
to as ''an obscure old man." nomi-
mated at the instance OF Georgia
prOtectiOnists, and Amber, of Ohio,
whom Senator Pendleton declared
he had never heard of until nomi-
mated for place on the commission,
although regarded to an extent as
an unknown quantity" was gen
orally believed. by the members of
the caucus, to be also the friend Of
of high tariff. The seventh gentle
man nominated for membership,
Phelps, Mo. was spoken Of as a
tariff refOrmer, but it was also an
nounced that he had declined the
appointment. So far as can be aScer-
tanned tonight there are only two
democratic senators willing to vote
for denomination of the comisSion
ers, Brown, of Georgia, and J 0nas, of
Louisiana. both of whom feel meas
urably bound to do so by reason of
their having respectively recon-
mended two of the members ap-
pointed. On the other hand, it is
understood that VanWyck and In
gals will vote with the body OF
democrats against the confirmation.
In this event the determination of
the question will probably rest with
the two members of the indepen-
dent party in the Senate-DaYid
Davis and Malone. n