The Washington times., 1924-05-31
INEMB rs
Of BOARD
OPPOSED
President Anxious to Have
Whole Law Enforced, Hard
Believes
By WILLIAM HARD.

Suddenly the tariff question
emerged today as a question which
Is producing q convulsion in the
preparations for the making Of 3
platform in the Republican ma
tional convention in Cleveland
week after next.
Shall the. so-called flexible
provisions in the present tariff
law be endorsed by Congressman
Burton in his key-not speech +?
Shall they be endorsed in the plat
form?
eff SO, does it mean that the
President is going to get rid Of
the three members Of the United
States Tariff Commission who are
well known to have stood steadily
in the way Of the enforcement Of
the flexible provisions?"
Problem Worries Burton.
That is the problem which is Civ
ing concern to Mr.. Burton and to
the President and to all Republicans
here who have the responsibility of
helping to determine the utterances
Of the Republican party in its ma
tional convention In Cleveland.
AS the convention approaches
there is Increasingly study by
leading Republicans here Of the
work accomplished by the tariff
commission and there is increasing
ly a strong conviction that some
firm stand has to be taken about it.
It has been strongly represented
to the President that the high duties
Of the present tariff law were enact.
ed only because 1t was understood
that the FLEXIBLE" provisions of the
law would be used and the high
duties would be revised downward
In accordance with exact statistical
findings by the tariff commission.
Reports on Revision.
The President has been asked to
note that only three reports so TAR
have been made either to President
Harding or to him regarding re-
: visions of duties and that in each
of these three cases there was .
revision upward. 4t5
: Senator Smoot of Utah, one OF
the most vigorous protectionists in
the Senate, is quoted as having told
the Senate year before last:
II expect the Tariff Commission
to lower the majority of the ratee
in this BILL
Western low-tariff Republicans
are now raising a tumult to find
out why this prediction has not
been verified.
The President is known to be
taking a deep personal interest in
the problem. He has been much
disturbed by the controversies with.
In the Commission and by the criti-
cisn1s and the hostile actions which
these controversies have aroused
IN Congress-.
Coolidge to Act.
It Is confidently surmised that he
ana other leading Republicans may
have 1t in their minds to make a
different showing in the work of
the Tariff Commission between now
and next November.
In particular it is surmised that
some action may be taken regard.
ing Tariff Commissioners who by7
previous employment or by present
financial interest are linked to in.
dustrieS on the products Of which
an investigation Of the present
tariff duties has been demanded
but not granted.
The Commissioners in this class
are Marvin. Burgess, and Classic.
The Commissioners in the opposite
class are Culbertson,, Costigan and
Lewis.
Marvin for many years before his
appointment to the Tariff Commits
sion was Secretary to the Home
Market Club Of Boston which is
devoted to the promotion of tariff
protection for American industries
In general and for New England
Industries in particular.
Marvin Stand on WoOlens
Among New England industries
there is notably the manufacturing
Of wooden goods. Mr.. Marvin il
known successfully to have opposed
all suggested Investigations by the
. Tariff Commission into the duties
on wooden goods.
Mr.. Burgess. before his appoint.
ment to the Tariff Commission, was
for many years a representative In
s-- -u.-