Evening star., 1922-09-24
INCREASE OF THEPOWER
" IN HANDS OF PRESIDENT
Passage Of Tariff Bill Latest of Long
List Of Steps in Executive
=. Aggrandizement.

is it a case Of passing the buck" to
the executive?
Congress has voluntarily extended
tne powers Of the executive. or ac-
Quiesced In what might have been
called once, usurpation. After years
or controversy. It has not yet been
settled Just where the prerogatives
or the executive end and where the
authority of the Congress begins.
AS domestic problems have become
more complicated, touching the poll
tical future of members Of Congress.
tnefe mas been a tendency to place
the responsibility on the executive.
Many laws have been passed contain
In1 the phrase when in the opinion
OF the President"
Commissions and bureau have been
created and new ones enlarged; new
judicial onces have been created to
be nlled by the President The Presi-
dent Is made responsible for the OIL
eiai activity Of many thousands of
department and bureau heads He is
looked to for a peaceful solution of
strikes, and the settlement of class
olSputeS arising out Of economic and
industrial conditions.
Power Of Appointment.
The executive power of appointment
has grown tremendously. Today the
executive has the appointment of over
zoo key" officials in Washington. be-
sides at least 800 of more or less i'm
portance outside Washington. includ-
ing ambassadors, and other diplo-
mats, consuls and judges. There arc
over $4,000 presidential postmasters
to be appointed and over $4,000
fourth-class postmasters.
How much of this tendency to
larger executive powers is due to the
trend OF the times, and how much to
the voluntary action of Congress:
Has the dignity and the prestige OF
Congress declined? Is there danger
OF making this a bureaucratic and
executive government?
Now comes the new tariff law, cloth
Ing the executive and a federal bu-
rean with still greater powers. This
Is accomplished through what is
known as the flexible tariff"
Under the head of special pro-
visions the President is given the
authority G) to raise or lower any
cent; (2) to apply the American val
uatton plan OF assessing ad valorem
duties. and to exclude foreign articles
in special instances
Furthermore. the President is en-
powered to apply the system of
American valuation in any case, and
directed to increase or decrease any
duty TO .equalize competition between
American and similar foreign goods.
The law directs the President how he
shall determine the difference in cost
of production here and abroad In
all these matters the tariff commits
sion shall assist the President. and no
change In rates by the President is
allowed until the commission has
heard the case and rendered a de-
cision.
Given Power OF Exclusion.
The President is authorized to raise
rates of import duty or to exclude an
| article, IL its manufacture will tend
| to injure an American industry.
Thus IL will be seen that the eN-
| ecutive has had placed in his hands
the determination OF all tariff rates.
up or down within certain limits: and
the application of what is known as
! the American valuation system. The
law makes this fixed policy of gov
ernment, SO long az the act is in
force.
The executive of today is far differ
| ent from the executive of the first or
| middle period of the nation-or even
| the most recent period.
| Is this tendency of the country to-
ward Capitalization of authority, to-
| ward an expansion of executive au-
| thority, to be permanent?
Is 1t executive usurpation or con-
gressional abdication?
Is Congress gradually losing its
| eral government?