Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-03
Commerce Courts Friends
Forecast Presidents Action.
BELIEVE COURT is SAFE
House and Senate Conferees Vote to
Abolish Body.
SECRETARY'S SALARY REDUCED
Cut of $500 Proposed for Presi-
dents Right-Hand Man-Consoi-
dation of Bureaus Planned.

Friends of the Commerce Court are OPP
timistic in the belief that President Taft
will veto the legislative, executive and
judicial appropriation bill if 1t contains a
provision for the adjustment of the Com
merce Court. even though the judges are
retained as additional circuit judges, as
proposed by the conference report on the
bill submitted to both houses of Congress
last night.
AS both houses had agreed to provisions
in somewhat different form for ending the
existence Of the Commerce Court the
conferees could do nothing else but agree
to provision with that purpose
The Senate. however, proposes also &c
legislate the Commerce Court judges ou'
Of office; and 1t was that question with
which the conferees had mainly to deal
At the time the Senate took Its action
it was contended that the leSislatins OF
the judges out of Office was in violation
of the constitutional provision that fed
eral judges are to be appointed for life
or during good behavior. The con-
ferees took this view.
Seek Added Powers.
There have been reports that the Presi-
dent would not veto the bill. even though
the Commerce Court was knocked out, il
the judges were retained as circuit
Judges But friends of the court point
out today that officers of the government,
and others close to the administration
have recently been urging legislation te
give the court greater power; and from
this they draw the conclusion that the
President is determined to disapprove
any bill, even a big appropriation Dill
that eliminates the Commerce Court.
The effort of the House to curtail the
los hyp
elimination of many officials and clerks
in the State Department with relations
to the consular service was COMPROMISED
by the conferees on the legislative Dill.
The Senate's amendments providing Tor
the director of the consular service al
81 200 a year. for the counselor of the
Department of State at 1850 per year,
for eight officers to aid in important
drafting work at 81 800 and $500 each.
assistant solicitor at 5000. law clerk at
were accepted by the House conferees'
but the Senate conferees gave up the
provision for resident diplomatic omcer
at Sc, 800 for three clerks and for S2O.34
for meeting occasional and unforeseen ex-
penseS arising in connectlon WIN WI n
of the department.
Bureaus to Consolidate.
The provision for the consolidation Of
the bureau of manufactures and the bu-
reau of statistics Of the Department OF
Commerce and Labor was agreed to by
the conferees. in the form proposed by
the Senate; but the Senate amendments
for a chief of division OF compilation at
5000 and for four additional clerks
over the force provided by the House for
the combined bureau Of foreign and do
nestle commerce were eliminated. The
House yielded to the Senate in providing
for a chief clerk of the bureau at $3.50
The House conferees, too. granted the
Senate's provision of $6O,OOO to further
promote and develop the foreign and do
mestic commerce OF the United states.
without improving the split infinitive, but
the Senate's conferees gave UP to the
House the provision OF $4,000 for pay
ment of services of experts and other
expenses connected with tho collection
of facts relative to the internal and
foreign commerce of the United States.
The House practically won its fight for
a reduction in the number Of collection
districts for the collection of internal
revenue. The conferees agreed to a pro-
vision cutting the number to sixty-three
instead Of sixty-two. as proposed by the
House. The reduction is to be made by
October /, 1912.