Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-15
DEMOCRAT HEADS
TARIFF BODY TODAY
Dennis. However. May Re-
tain Post Only Until Mid
night Tonight.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

When the United States Tariff
Commission met today Chairman
Marvin of Massa achusetts. Repuh.
lican. retired in favor nf Vice Chair
man Alfred Dennis of Maryland. Dem
ocrat. but At the White House it was
stated that President Coolidge had
until midnight tonight under the law
10 designate new chairman.
The incident Is OF national i'm
portance. because on the appointment
of a new chairman may depend the
whole policy of the commission
toward tariff changes. The commits
sion is bi-partisan-three Republicans
and three Democrats-but the Re-
publicans have had the aid OF Dem
ocratic member. Henry Glassie of the
District of Columbia. so that by
ma jority of TO they have made
most OF the decisions in recent
months.
Chairman Has Wide Power.
The chairman wields good deal OF
power in saving what cases shall ne
considered and in eyrediting action on
pendinc business. Two new nomlna-
tions have YET o be submitted q he
ments so that in effect 4 reorcaniza- a
tion of the commission is in progress.
Mr.. Dennis. who IS acting chairman.
is a Democrat. but also \ close per
sonal friend of Mr.. Coolidge. He wrote
for a magazine during the last presl
dental campaign hioSra phical !
sketch Of Mr.. Coolidge. which was re
garded as the hest picture of Mr.. Cool
idse's personality that had been pre-
Is
was commercial attache in Berlin and
London for :he Department Of Com
merce and WAS then made assistant
to Secretary Hoover. so his experience
along economic lines is in conformity
with the work before the Tariff Com
mission.
II Mr.. Coolidge permits Mr.. Dennis
to remain as chairman 1t will be the
third governmental commission which
by the rotating process has Demo
crat In charge Thus Mr.. Nucent is
al the head of the Federal Trade Com
mission and Mr.. Eastman is the new
chairman Of the interstate Commerce
Commission In the latter two cases.
however, the commissions do not i'm
pose so much power In their chair
manships.
Change Held Imminent.
There are evidences that Mr.. Cool
idse would like to cure the tarih
A citation by making the flexible pro-
visions OF the tariff law effective.
NJ. Dennis has recently taken issue
with his colleagues on the ground
that they never permitted duty 10
be lowered and always advocated IN :
creasee. The commission recently
advocated an increase in the duty
on cotton gloves. but President Cool
idre refused to accept the recommen-
dation. Under the law he regards the
recommendations Of the Tariff Com
mission as purely advisory. 1t is indl-
Gated that he does not want the com
mission to look at its task In one
sided way and that he really wants the
opinions of economists rather than
politicians to govern.
The mere change in chairmanship
will he taken by the commission AS
q sign Of changing policy and as an
index of the White House desire to
make flexible provisions of the tariff
law really "feX.' as one member has
remarked.
Undoubtedly there will he a con-
cressional investigation Of the Tariff
Commission. Mr.. Coolidge knows
this and realizes that some change
might better be made now while the
initiative is his than when the con-
gressonaI committee by its dis
It. Is possible that Mr.. Coolidge will
designate a Republican as chairma n.
naming a new man TO one of the
vacancies on the board.
Copyright 19H6l