Evening star., 1923-03-18


or rather divorcing the pol
iticiains from tariff making
was an alleged object of the
so-called elastic tariff provisions
of the Fordney- McCumber tariff act.
But right at the start of the enforce
ment of the new law trouble appears
on the horizon.
1t is six months since these pro-
visions went on the statute books
authorizing the President. acting
through the Tariff Commission, to
adjust tariff duties. within a so per
cent radius up or down, to meet con-
ditions as they arose. About a hun
dred applications for changes in va
Tious schedules have been filed with
the commission in that time. Further
more. the commission by a majority
vote adopted a program providing
for the investigation of some of the
schedules for which application had
been made. and also providing for
Investigating. on its own initiative.
other scedules in which the consum-
ing public has a keen interest, as
they bear on the cost of living.
Appeal to the President.
The adoption of this order was fol-
lowed by a quick appeal to the Presi-
dent by william Burgess. a member
of the Tariff Commission. it is re-
ported, or. at any rate. by persons
close TO the President, acting for Mr..
Burgess. The Tariff Commission, il
was reported TO the President, was
about TO tear the republican tariff
law wide open. because it proposed
to investigate the duties on crock
on woolen manufactures and some
other things about which no formal
complaint had been made to the COM
mission. but in which the public has
a considerable interest.
The President, who was just on the
eve of starting for Florida, and act
ing upon what had been told him.
called "a halt, urging that the pro-
ponents of the proposed program
take no further action until after his
return to Washington, when, 1t is un-
derstood, he will tackle the question.
Disagree as to PalIcy.
The truth of the matter is that
there has for a long time been dis
agreement among the members of
the Tariff Commission in regard to
the flexible or elastic tariff provisions
OF the new law. On the one hand is
William S. Culbertson, vice chair
man of the commission. who strongly
advocated the adoption of these pro-
visions, believing that they would go
far to provide a just and scientific
tariff and In a great measure take
the tariff out of politics On the
other hand is Thomas o. Marvin,
chairman of the Tariff Commission,
and William Burgess, another repub-
lican member of the commission. Mr..
Marvin is a high protection tariff
man, and is credited in some quar-
ters with having virtually written
the now famous schedule k-the
wooden schedule-of the Payne-Ald-
rich tariff law.
Mr.. CulbertSon has been strongly in
favor of having the commission go
ahead under the terms of the elastic
tariff provision of the law and under
the executive order of the President
issued October Z last, directing that
all applications and requests for re-
lief under the elastic tariff provision
be filed with the Tarifr Commission
and investigated by the commission
fn accordance with rules adopted by
the commission.
Program Finally Adopted.
But delay after delay occurred
Finally the showdown came. The
commission adopted resolution Of
fered by Mr.. Culbertson providing a
program Of investigation. This pro-
gram was opposed, as has been said,
= by Mr.. Marvin and Mr. Burgess. but
the democratic members of the COM
mission and "progressives' voted
with Mr. Culbertson.
The President after he returns
from Florida will have to decide
more specifically than he has already
done the scope and lines of the COM
missions fact-fnding Investigations,
which must precede any changes Of
duty which the law empowers him
alone to make.
1t is understood, of course. that
while the commission. under the law,
must make the Investigations In re-
gard to the tariff schedules and report
To the President, it is the President
in the end who must proclaim any
changes in the duties that appear
necessary. The language Of the law
is that whenever the President, upon