Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-05-08
SOUTHEAST FAILS.
TO GET MAN ON
COMMERCE BODY
(The Atlanta Journal News Bureau)
623 Riggs Building.
BY TaEODORE FILLER


WASHINGTON, May 7.-Removing
the last hope that a man from the
southeastern states would be named
to fill the only remaining vacancy on
the interstate commerce commission,
the president has sent to the senate
the nomination of Mark w. Potter, of
New York. The selection of Mr.. Pot
ter fills the only vacancy on the rate
making board, and the contest Waged
by southern senators has come to
naught.
A few days ago the president filled
two of the three vacancies on the
commission. He named a Princeton
professor and a former vice president
of the American Federation OF Labor
from Massachusetts. Selection OF
these men from New England encouf-
aged southern members of congress
to hope that the remaining place
would go to some competent man
from their section, and 1t was ad-
mitted that Mr.. Maxwell stood out
among the candidates named. How
ever, the president settled the thing
by sending in the name OF New
York lawyer. Mr.. Potter is also
product of the Carolina, Clinchteld
and Ohio railroad-but that is as
near as the south comes to getting
Ehe southeast's Arguments
The action of the president is re
norted to have created considerable
discussion in senate Hobbies among
senators from the southeastern
states. Although the interstate COM
merce commission is not a sectional
board, it was argued in statements
presented to the White House InaI
the entire southeast. from the Vlr-
ginia coast to the gulf, had no repre-
sentative on the commission, ana Hde
not had since the r ets Of
Judge Judson C. G. Clements, OF
Georgia, several years ago. When the
president recently sent in the names
Of Henry J. Ford. OF Prlnceton' anu
James Duncan, of MASSACHUSETTS,, as
two members of the commlsslon, Ctl9
up and believed that the final ap-
Dointment would certainly go 70
someone from their sectlon' MI. T olu
is a professor and the author OF sew
eral books; Mr.. Duncan is IoT TIa5
vice nresident of the American Fed
grafton of Labor and former head or
the Granite Cutters union. Nav
The president now goes TO New
York to fill the only other vacancy
on the commission, and his seIecIloh
ators from the southeastern tier OF OF
states. Senators E. D. Smlth, OF
South Carolina; Senator Lee over
man, of North Carolina; SENATORS
Georgia, and Senator Simmons are
among those who are disappointed
hv The latest selections How far
their opposition will go has not peen
determined, but they seemed toqay
to be inclined to raise conslderapIe
protest against the failure to recog-
nize the southern section OIL inc
When the president began to fill
vacancies on the interstate commerce
commission, he had three seIectlonS3
to make One was brought ABOUT
by the retirement of Commissioners
Harlan. The two additional places
were authorized in the CummlnS-ESch
railroad bill which passed congress
several months ago. u1,o.,
Southern members of congress
urged the White House to recognize
that section in filling at least one
of the three places. The only man
a southerner is Commissioners WOO
ley, of Virginia, and Mr.. Wooley mas
lived in Washington and KENTUCKY
for a number of years.
Before his appointment he had long
been a Washington newspaper cor
RESPONDENT and was manager OF the
Wilson publicity campaign In 1910:
BEFORE that Mr.. Wooley was Speclal
statistician of the Stanley steel N
vestigating committee when lnVesCl-
gated the steel trust at the dlrectlon
Of the house of representatives ABOUT
seven years ago. - 49,,
The probabilities are, however, that
the presidents nominations Will go
through, and if the south wants rep
resentation on the st, commission m Sa01in II
in the name of Mr.. Potter the presl-
dent grievouSly disappointed nu1ner-
Gus senators who talked of their dis
pleasure and even limited at sen@
torial opposition, but the chances arr
that the nominations will stand, ano
the southeast states, with their
freight rate and port problems, Will
wait for some other vacancy.
Senator Harris, of Georgia, made
the following comment on the latest
nomination:
| commissioners would be some one
from a southeastern sta state ca as s.. the tn
great interests of the five southeast-
ern ports, together with the new
freight rates from the middle west
make our position vital. Naturally,
| I wanted to see Georgian appointed.
We must be alert in fighting to pre-
serve our natural advantages, and
those which have come to us through
years of hard work"