Evening star., 1923-12-21
PRESIDENT FIGHTS
BACK At SENATE
Withdrawal of Thompson and
Haney Seen as ReprisaI on
Farley Rejection.
By DAVID LAWRENCE.

President Coolidge has served no
tice on the Senate that he does not
intend to be intimidated in the max
ing of executive appointments by
senatorial influences
The abrupt action of the President
IN Withdrawing from the Senate two
nominations which had been favor
ably acted upon because the Senate
commerce committee had rendered an
adverse report on another nomina-
tion-all three for the United States
Shipping Board-has behind 1t more
than appears on the surface.
Chairman Edward Farley of the
Shipping Board has been the center
of attack for several weeks from
different quarters. 1t was he who
refused TO permit the managing
operators to continue their famous
"M. % contract whereby their
commissions for operating govern
ment vessels were deducted from
gross receipts Irrespective of whether
the government actually made profit.
IT was he. who further incurred the
antagonism of ship operators BY de-
Ginning to recommend a plan whereby
the government feet would be sold
at nominal rates or leased on terms
that would permit private interests to
build up their own business with gov
Mr.. Farley it is charged has not
been the most tactful person by any
means in handling Congress but men
who come to Washington from the
business world accustomed to blunt
and direct methods rarely are as
suave as the persons who have been
bred in the political atmosphere.
Forces Fight to Open.
All this may or may not have had
something TO do with the adverse
report of the senate committee on
commerce-the President doesn't
know. But Mr.. Coolidge has forced
the fight into the open The senate
committee said its only objection to
Mr.. Farley was the fact that he had
been appointed from the Great Lakes
region when another man. T. V.
OConnor was already serving on the
same section of the country, the pres
ent law providing that only one
member shall be appointed from each
of certain sections of the country.
But the President points out that
the Senate itself confirmed the nom
ination of Mr.. Lasker, who comes
from Chicago-Mr. Farleys home
while Mr.. O'Connor of Buffalo was
serving on the board.
Is the technicality, therefore, the
real reason for fighting Mr. Farley:
The President is well aware that
there are interests hostile to the
operation by the government, ever
for the present. of the merchant ma
rine, and that there are persons who
would like to see the merchant fleet
, kept in chaos so that other shipping
lines might profit by the disorder.
Whatsver r, the afI Influences are. the
hostile forces to get the upper hand
Mr.. Farley is practical shipping
man and has familiarized himself in
remarkably short time with the
governments problem. To reorgan-
ize the board means further setbacks
and delays in getting the shipping
problem solved.
The nominations of Fred l. Thomp.
son of Alabama and Bert Haney OF
Oregon have been withdrawn, not
because these men are in any way
involved in the Farley controversy
but because the President may feel
1t necessary to appoint from their
sections of the country new men for
tho craftsmanship in case the Senate
insists on the technicality.