The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-07-30
PERSONNEL
AWARDING
LEGACY
Three Fixed Protectionists
Fight Investigations and
Embarrass coolidge
BY WILLIAM HARD.

3
The personnel Of the Tariff
Commission is one Of the legacies
bequeathed President Coolidge BY
President Harding. Under Denao-
cratic attack it is becoming almost
as embarrassing to him as the
legacy which consisted Of Secre-
tary Of the Navy DENLY or as the
legacy which consisted Of Attor-
ney General Daugherty.
Harding Named Three.
President Harding appointed three
new members to the Tarfff Com.
mission. The total membership OF
the Tariff Commission is six. The
three new members appointed by
president Harding were all Of them
drawn directly from intimate asso-
citation with heavily protected in
dustries.
On the commission they continu.
ously have retarded the progress OF
inquiries into tariff rates and they
nave given President Coolidge some
OF his most difficult moments,
They are conscientious convinced
protectionists who are not moved
BY the idea of displaying to the
country any reduction OF tariff rates
under the famous flexible pro-
visions" which were put by the
Republican party into the present
tariff law and which were claimed
by President Harding to be the
means by which the Republican
party would reduce tariff rates from
time to time as they were shown
0y inquiry and investigation to bs
too high.
Resist Tariff Probes.
The three new members appointed
ny President Harding have tended
TO resist Investigations rather than
to promote them and are respon.
s1ble for the present situation in
which the Tariff Commission has
failed to Investigate numerous high.
" important basic Industries while
finding time to investigate numer.
GUS unimportant ones.
Among the commodities now be.
Ing investigated by the Commission
are gold leaf, straw hats. Swiss
pattern files, taximeters, wall peck.
cts and paint brush handles.
Among the commodities not being
investigated by the commission are
pottery and woolens, although an
investigation into those two basic
and widely-used articles Of COM
merce was ct one time in fact
ordered by. the commission.
The omission now of those two
commodities from the, Commissions
list Of Investigations is being pointed
out by the Democrats as an Illus
tration. of what they claim to be
the necessary result of President
Hardings appointments.
Chairman .''Hard-Boiled."
The three new members appointed
by President Harding were Mr..
Marvin, Mr.. Burgess and Mr..
GraSsie.
Mr.. Marvin was editor Of the
periodical called 1.-THE Protectionist''
for the ten years ending in 1921.
He was secretary of the great his
toric determined New England pro-
tectionist organization called 1.-THE
Home Market Club for the ten
years ending in 1921.
In 1921 President Harding made
him a member Of the Tariff Com
mission: and he is its chairman,
with large powers over its prac-
! teal operations because Of being
the working administrative head
and manager of 1t.
He enjoys the distinction Of being
the one member of the Tariff Com
mission who opposed even the one
solitary rate reduction which the
Commission has recommended
namely, the reduction of the rate
on Mill-feed for cattle.
The classic recent protected in.
dustry Of New England Is wooden
goods. In March Of last year,
against Mr.. Maryin's wishes, the
Commission, with Mr.. Grassie not
yet appointed to It, ordered pre-
llminary inquiry into wooden goods.
In September of last year the
expert Advisory Board" OF the
Tariff Commission completed q pre-.
Eminary inquiry into wooden goods
and reported it to the Commission.
Inquiry Side-Tracked.
Nevertheless no investigation pur.
suant upon that preliminary INQUIRY
has been put underway.
The expert Advisory Board, in
December Of last syear submitted a
preliminary report on earthen and
china tableware-that is, on pottery.
Nevertheless no Investigation
pursuant upon that preliminary
inquiry has been undertaken into
pottery.
The second new member an.
pointed to the commission by Presi.
dent Harding was Mr.. Burgess.
Mr.. Burgess's father was a jobber
Of pottery. Mr.. Burgess became q
then became the president OF the
International Pottery Company AZ
Trenton, N. J. He then became A
leading officer Of the United States
Potters' Association. He repre-.
scented that association as its leRisIa.
tive spokesman in the hearings De.