Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-23
'BECK FLAYS NEW
| FLEXIBLE TARIFF
Confers Taxing Power on
President and Changes Gov
ment, House Is Told.

The flexible provisions of the Repub-
lican tariff bill, under which the Presi-
dent is given additional authority ir
raising or lowering import duties, were
assailed in the House yesterday by Rep
resentative Beck, Republican. Pennsyl-
vania, as involving 'momentous and
utterly indefensible change in the char
acter of our Government"
Before a crowded chamber and amid
lively applause from the Democratic
side, the solicitor general under Hard
ing and Coolidge tore into the proposed
new flexible tariff with a vigor that
recalled many of his. court appearances
as the Governments leading lawyer. He
declared the bill If enacted; in its pres.
ent form ultimately would go to the
Supreme Court.
While he was not prepared to say
that 1t may not receive the POLITICAL
absolution Of that great court" he ex-
pressed the belief that the highest tri-
bunal would, If called upon, decide that
Congress had gone too far in delegating
Its taxing power.
Called Taxing Prerogative.
The present law provides that the
49,
commission, may raise or lower duties
as much as so per cent to equalize diff
fernces in cost of production OF foreign
reclassify articles.
The pending bill carries this authority
a step farther by permitting the Execu-
tive to base changes on differences In
conditions of competition and tc
change, II necessary, the method Of val
uation by adopting the American selling
price instead of foreign value, and tc
reclasify articles.
ITO enable the President thus tc
exercise the most ancient prerogative
of Congress that has been held in any
legislative body in any free country In
the world-namely, the prerogative OF
imposing taxes-was to his mind" said
Beck, 1.-The most far-reaching transfer
of power to the President of any sug-
gestion that has ever been made In the
halls of the American Congress-
New Clause Blamed.
He said the new flexible clause was
far different from that in the existing
law. which the Supreme Court upheld
as constitutional. The new proposal
he added, must have originated, not in
the minds of the Republicans Of the
ways and means committee, but in zone
of those theoretical economists who had
recently graduated from some college
and who are as full Of ideas as dog is
fleas."
He said he supposed the economist
persuaded the Tariff Commission, the
commission persuaded the Treasury and
the Treasury urged it upon the tariff
framing committee.
And as an administrative measure,
he continued, the committee thinks
the greater wisdom of the executive
branch of the Government should pre-
vail. and thereupon this provision to
transfer an almost absolute power OF
taxation upon the determination OF
no precise or tangible facts, but upon
the simple economic theory necessary
to make the transfer of such an un-
exampled power in the history of the
English speaking world, Is adopted"
1.-The greatest menace to the perpe-
tuity of our institutions" he continued
is the aggrandizemeft of the President
and the self-destruction of Congress by
the voluntary surrender Of its powers
Beck urged that the flexible provi-
sions either be opened to amendment
on the floor or separated entirely from
the measure, so that 1t might be dis
cussed thoroughly as an individual bill