The Washington times., 1924-07-29
WILL TEL
WHY
FAIL s
Action on Rates Blocked BY
Friends Of ''Interests'' on
Commission, Is Claim
BY WILLIAM HARD

) 7
John w. Davis, the Democratic
candidate for the presidency, viii
make the tariff his main issue,
combining It with the issue Of al
legged scandals in the Government
at Washington.
He win charge that the RepubIi-
can United States tariff commits
sion at Washington has wiIfully
failed to carry out the promise Of
President Harding to the effect
that the so-called flexible pro-
visions" Of the present tariff law
would be used to reduce excessive
duties and used to reduce the cost
Of living for the American con-
sumner.
Personnel Attached.
He WIN charge that this alleged
eAilure by the Tariff Commission
b due to the present and former
personal affiliations between certain
members Of the Tariff Commission
and certain great protected inter-
eSts.
The tariff this year win be the
same grand old continuous doYnl.
naHit issue that 1t always has been,
plus lot Of new fancy modern.
tettc wrinkles in the line of alleged
scandals due to the existence OF
the modernistic administrative body
called the Tariff Commission.
: The President has been urged TO
change the personnel OF the Tariff
Commission in order to enable 1t to
set some work done and to show
some achievements before tho
November election.
The same idea has heen taken up
urgently by interested Republicans
with Bascom Slemp, the Presi.
dents secretary.
May Make Charges.
For months the President has
given the situation in the Tariff
Commission his earnest thought
and 1t Is believed likely that some
action by him may be Imminent.
1t is no exaggera.ion to say
that a personal and political crisis
In tariff affairs has been reached.
In four articles, of which this
~ the first, this writer WITH en-
deavor to summarize the present
tariff situation as creaIed by the
three following factors:
One. The achievements, or lack
Of achievements, of the Tariff Com
mission.
Two. The business affiliations
and origins Of memoirs Of the
Tariff Commission.
Three. The characters and in
tentions Of Calvin Coolidge and
John w. Davis.
Failure Admitted.
At the outset It Is admitted on
Ill hands that the Tariff Commits
sion has spectacularly failed to be
able to live up to the predictions
made for it by President Harding
and by such United States Senators
as Smoot Of Utah.
Smoot, who 10 one Of the most
convinced and confirmed protec.
tionists In the country. affirmed
nevertheless in the Senate that, II
conditions became normal" he ex-
pected the flexible provisions Of
the present tariff law to result in
the lowering Of ''the majority Of
the rates"
Almost two years later the Tariff
Commission, operating through re-
ports to the President, has lowered
precisely one ne-tarin rate.
The rate is the rate on by-product
feeds from wheat. It was reduced
from 10 per cent ad valorem to
~ per cent. Thus, as the repre-
sentative here Of an organization
OF consumers remarked, the cost
Of living was reduced for the
horned cattle which eat bran and
Shorts" and. other by-products Of
wheat after the flour from 1t has
been sent away for human con-
sumption.
Other Rates Raised.
On the other commodities on
which the Tariff Commission has
reported 1t has advised the Presi.
dent to raise the rates and he has
been lnoraily-as well as statisti.
cally- driven to do so. ...t',...
These other commodities, after
al, however, are in number only
three. One Is wheat and flour.
The second is sodium nitrate. The
third 10 barium dioxide.
Neither sodium nitrate nor barium
oioxide Is a commodity OF any wide
Importance.
In the course Of almost two years
SINCE the passage Of the present
tariff law the cold fact is that the
tariff commission, under the ''flex.
tble provisions" Of the law, has
made only one report of any. i'm.
portance--n namely, the one in which
1t reported on wheat and flour and
wheat by-products simultaneously
Wheat and flour by-products being
IN fact the same commodity, it can
precisely and fairly be said that in
the course Of almost two years.
under the FLEXIBLE nroYiaions,, 81