Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-03
May Refuse Request of Sen
ate Committeeman to
Change Appointment.
ACTION ON UTILITIES
BODY MAY BE DEMANDED
Executive Represented as OF Opln-
ion That Change Would Be
Unjust to Nominee.
BY j. RUSSELL YOUNG.


Coolidge will decide whether or not
to accede to the wishes expressed
by members of the District commit
tee of the Senate to withdraw the
name of Benjamin F.. Adams, whom
he nominated along with John w.
Childress TO serve as civilian mem
bers of the newly created Public Util-
tiles Commission. and to substitute
therefor the name of some one else.
1t is learned from authoritative
sources that the Republican members
of the Senate District committee who
have had these nominations in charge
informed the President yesterday that
Mr.. Childress probably could be con-
f1rmed, but that Mr.. Adams, the Re
publican appointee. could not, and ad-
vised the President to substitute
name in the place Of Mr.. Adams be-
fore it was too late to bring about
combinations.
May Insist on Acceptance.
At noon today the President had
not complied with the suggestion from
the District committee Republicans.
ConfidantS of the President are in
clined to feel that he will refuse TO
submit to the Senators request. and
that he will send word during the
afternoon to the Senate insisting that
these nominations, along with that of
Ralph ID. Fleharty, to be peoples
counsel of the Public Utilities Com
mission, be disposed of before the
present Congress comes to a close.
The Presidents attitude in the mat
ter has been described as being
prompted by feeling on his part that
inasmueh as there has been adduced
no real objection either to Mr.. Adams
or Mr.. Childress for the commission.
or even for Mr.. F'leharty as peoples
counsel. he cannot understand why
the Republican leadership of the SEN
ate District committee does not take
some decisive action.
Seen As Injustice.
The President was represented
further as being of the opinion that
1t would be an injustice for him to
withdraw his name of Mr.. Adams at
this time without any good reason.
other than merely to satisfy members
of the District committee, but would
also be unfair to himself. AT the
same time. 1t was pointed out that the
President may feel forced to accede
to the Senator's request in order to
save the nominations.
The President Is satisfied that the
men selected by him for these places
have clean records and are thorough.
ly competent and otherwise well
equipped to fill the places to which
he has named them. In the absence
of any real charges against them,
the President feels disappointed that
the Senate has failed to act favor.
ably upon the nominations before this.
Moreover. the President Is known to
resent the attitude of the Senate, not
only toward these local nominations,
but others that he has made to Dis
trict Offices within the past year.
The President conferred at length
today with Attorney General Sargent,
who has assisted him in making the
selections for the public utilities COM
mission, during which time the ad.
vices from the Republican leadership
OF the District committee regarding
the withdrawal of Mr.. Adams name
was discussed.
May Offer Recess Appointments.
Although the Attorney General de.
clined to discuss for publication his
talk with the President, he made no
secret of the fact that the Public Utili-
ties appointments was the subject be-
fore them. The Attorney General has
been represented by one of his close
associates as disapproving the with
drawal of Mr.. Adams name and IL Is
thought he advised the President to
this extent during their talk today.
In the event the President does
stand pat on these nominations and
the Senate fails to act upon them 1t
is thought very likely that, as a mat
ter of courtesy, he will offer the ap-
pointees in question recess appoint
ments. It is doubtful, however,
whether recess appointments would be
accepted because the appointees would
be prohibited from receiving any pay
until they had been confirmed by the
Senate. which would not meet until
next December.
The prolonged filibuster In the Sen
ate may prohibit another executive
session, in the case of which the Presi-
dents appointees-whether or not ap-
proved in committee-will remain un.
confirmed.