Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-10

Believe it or not, the flexible ma
| chinery of the tariff law Is getting in
| it's deadly work. The duty on pipe
organs has just been reduced and the
duty on bicycle bells has been raised.
| Let no man henceforward assert that
the inequalities in the Hawley-Smoot
masterpiece are not being ironed out
according to schedule. The United
| States Tariff Commission, on whose
recommendation pipe organ and bicycle
| bell rates have just been adjusted at
| White House command, Is scattering
| to the four winds for the Summer, SO
| fleXing is over for the immediate future.
Despite these intensive efforts to right
the wrongs of the law, indications
multiply that Old Man Tariff will be
with us in 1882, as of yore, in the guise
| of a paramount issue. Joe" Robinson S
blast is intended to be the opening
gust in the big wind the Democrats
are preparing to let loose. They intend
in particular to lambast President
Hoover for not bringing about changes
in rates on important commodities like
pig iron, hides and skins, olive oil and
cheese. The Californians alibi, when
signing bill VIGOROUSLY not to his
liking, was that it contained the
mechanism whereby it could and would
be adjusted. The Democrats general
charge, in light of the feeble operation
| Of the flexible clause, will be that the
administration sold the country tariff
gold brick.
A certain distinguished member OF
Congress now in Europe evidently
| thinks his postal Thanking privilege
| follows him wherever he goes. At any
| rate, recent mails from the other side
have just brought to various Wash
ington friends of the statesman in
question post card greetings which had
| no stamps on them. 1t cost each
recipient 6 cents In postage due to
hear from him.
| Former Senator Atlee Pomerene of
Ohio dropped onto couch in the Office
of the solicitor general at the Depart
ment of Justice the other day, an
nouncing that he was dog-tired. He'd
/ just been making a motion in the Fall
case before the District of Columbia
Supreme Court. why, Senator" re-
marked an attache Of the solicitor
| generals division, "a man like you who
paigned all over Ohio oughtn't to be
upset by a 5-n1inute speech in court
| room" Quoth Pomerene: well. you
see, in court fellow has to do some
thinking"
Somebody suggested to a high British
official in Washington that the mora
torium business was settled in London
a couple of weeks ago when Uncle
Andy" Mellon and Montagu Norman
governor of the Bank of England, got
together. 81 doubt it." replied the
Britisher. ''They probably talked about
pictures, and not debts" The Secretary
of the Treasury's passion for paintings
is proverbial. What Is not so generally
known IS that the head of John Bulls
central bank is portrait artist of nc
mean distinction.
The very latest Republican vice presi-
Dental dope ranges around the worthy
name of Ogden L. Mills, Undersecretary
OF the Treasury. He would supply the
Eastern note which wiseacres say the
Hoover. ticket will have to take on this
time and strengthen the President in
the heart of the country's biggest finan-
oial district, where his stock is not high
Mills gave AL Smith pretty stiff race
for the New York governorship in 1926
Since then he has grown in stature
through his work at the Treasury
capped by late performances during the
debt-honday negotiations. The Presi-
dent thinks highly of Mills, who was ar
original Hoover man" in 1928.
n r II
Attorney General william De Wit
Mitchell waded unabashed into a hor-