Evening star., 1929-01-03
Politics at Large
By G.. Could Lincoln.

AOSN
ington on Sunday or Monday, depend
ing upon when his train arrives IN the
Capital. There has been lot OF poi
itics" in the air while Mr.. Hoover mas
travelled in South America. But 1t has
been largely like Hamlet" with Hamlet
left out. After all, Mr. Hoover will
pick his own cabinet. He will be the
man to decide whether a woman is to
go into his official family or not. and
whether Mrs. A. T. Hert of Kentucky,
vice chairman of the Republican ma
tional committee. or Mrs. Mabel Walker
Willebrandt, Assistant Attorney Cen
eral. shall have such an appointment.
1t has been reported that DR.. Work. !
chairman Of the national committee, is
backing Mrs. Hert for the job of Secre-
tary of the Interior, his own old job in
the cabinet II is not difficult to under
stand the excitement which such an
appointment would create in Senate
circles, particularly among the West |
erners who are demanding man who
is familiar with the problems of the
public land States.
When Mr.. Hoover arrives he will have
to decide, if he has not already de-
cided, what he will say about the pro-
posal to put through the McNary farm
relief bill at the present session, in or
der to avoid a special session of the new
Congress soon after he has been in
augurated President. There are some
friends of Mr.. Hoover in Washington
who insist that Mr.. Hoover has no in
tantion of backing away from a spe-
cial session, that as a matter of fact
he will welcome one to deal with the
farm problem. On the other hand, 1t
has been represented that the present
administration is very anxious to have
farm bill put through at the present
session of Congress, as kind of cap
stone of achievement of the Coolidge
administration. If that is the case, Mr..
Hoover will occupy rather a delicate
position. He may be expected by the
administration to do all he can to help
push the farm bill through now. At the
same time he will be urged by some OF
his most earnest supporters during the
campaign to allow the matter to go over
to a special session of the new Con-
gress. 1t is exceedingly doubtful that
even Mr.. Hoovers recommendation that
the McNary bill be put through would
be successful in bringing about that re-
suit before Congress adjourns March 4.
Some of the Western Senators are in
clined to go to the length of fllibuster-
ing against the measure now. Even
some of the most conservative OF the
Republicans in the Senate are taking
the position that the farm bill and the
tariff should be dealt with promptly III
a special session.
x X X
If there is to be tariff revision, it is
argued by some of the Republicans, 1t
would be well to have it in the coming
Spring With the bill passed and In
operation early this year any danger
to the party from uncertainty about
a new tariff bill in the campaign which
begins year from now would IN large
measure be obviated. If the tariff re-
vision is held up until next Fall, as pro-
posed by Speaker Longworth and others,
the bill would not be on the statute
books until the first of 1880, and there
would have been no opportunity to learn
how 1t works before the congressional
election would be at hand. Members
who must stand for reelection, partic-
ularly in the industrial States, which
are demanding prompt revision of the
tariff, would much prefer to have the
matter attended to without delay.
X Il X X
Whatever may have been said during
the recent campaign by the Democratic
candidate for the presidency and by
some of his supporters to the effect that
an election of a Democratic President
would not mean a demand that the
tariff be reduced is not borne out by
statement issued by Representative
Cordell Hull of Tennessee, prominent
member of the House ways and means
committee. Mr. Hull has been a student
of the tariff for many years. He de-
mands now revision of the tariff
downward, instead of upward, as pro-
posed by the Republicans. Mr.. Hull
agrees that protection should be af-
forded where it was economic and vital
and that adjustments should be brought
about in the most careful and gradual
and scientific manner.
* X *
Mr. Hulrs statement on the tariff
however has been regarded as rallying
cry to the Democrats who believe in low
tariffs. The effort to make 1t appear
during the campaign that the party
was abandoning its traditional opposi
tion to the principle of the Republican
protective tariff is squarely met in this
statement of the Tennessee Represent
ative. However, it is quite clear that
the economic value of the tariff has
been impressed on number of the
Democratic members of the Senate and
House for some time. Southern indus
tries are anxious for their measure of
protection just as are the industries of
other parts of the country. Mr.. Hull |
said. in part. In his statement:
1T is safe to say that our productive |
capacity today Is 25 per cent in excess |
OF our ability to consume. High tariffs |
cannot save us from growing SURPRISES. !
Some OF the serious results already are !
the doubling and trebling of distribl- |
ton costs in frenzied efforts to dispose |
OF increasing Surpluses at home. much |
idle labor and vast aggregations of idle |
capital. billions of which have gone into |
stock brokers' loans for gambling pur-
poses, thereby seriously affecting the |
stability of both our money and trade |
structure; many loans abroad made |
more hastily than prudence and good |
investment policy would justify; fever |
ish efforts by many industries, through |
devices and tacit arrangements, to cur |
tail production so as to maintain an |
equilibrium between production and |
consumption, thereby avoiding price |
dislocation; growing annual surplus |
in an increasing number of industries. |
such as agriculture. coal, the textiles, |
oil and long list of Others"
For the last two or three weeks there |
have been repeated assertions in some !
newspapers that DR.. Work, as chairman |
of the Republican national committee, |
intended to become the arbiter in chief |
OF Federal patronage. 1t was intimated |
that the chairman, residing in WASH
ington, would have a great deal to say !
about whom the new President should |
appoint to Federal office. DR.. Work
has now come forward with an en-
phatic denial that he has any such plan
in mind. In the past the Republican
Senators and Representatives have
been ell powerful in the matter of !
for appointments to
Federal offices in their States. 1t Is
clear that If any attempt were made to
disregard this old practice, there would