Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-12
SENATE CONFIRMS
-FOUR APPO|NTEES
Borah's Fight on Fletcher
for Tariff Commission
Is Futile.
lcontlnuea Frow FIRST Page.)

next best selection would be such an
annointnent as Mr.. Fletcher, mature
IN Judgment. patriotic and intelligent
and disinterested. Mr.. Fletcher is Q
lawyer, soldier with superb record
In the Spanish War and a diplomat,
who has learned to look at information
al relations from something other than
q paroclial point of view.
Held to Be Unbiased.
"He has no bias because of his own
selfish interests. He has never loboied
and he has never been on either SIDE OF
a tariff case. 1 cannot imagine bet
ter choice for chairman OF the Tarin
Commission If we wish the commission
to function as a court functions"
The effort to override the Presidents
appointees to the Tariff Commission
comes Immediately on the heels OF the
controversy between the Senate and the
President over the members OF the Fed
eral Power Commission, whose nominal
tons the Senate last week sought mel
fectually to have returned to It by the
President in order that the Senate
might reject the nominations 1t had
earlier confirmed.
It has been understood for some time
that the Presidents selections Tor the
Tariff Commission would be under flre
when the nominations were laid before
the Senate. They came up today under
a unanimous consent agreement entered
into some time ago.
Senator Borah, in arguing against
the confirmation OF Chairman FIetcner'
declared further:
"Tnere is a broader question: SAID
Senator Borah, and that is what are
we doing with these important COM
missions that we set up. A rev Gays
ago we confirmed-I suppose we dlo.
the Federal Power Commission. Iet
the chairman of that power commls.
sion knows nothing about the sunlect
of power, although it Is q supJect OF
Greatest Importance to the people. And
now we come to the Tariff Commission,
which is really taxlevying commission,
and we Mace at the head OF 1t man
who knows nothing about the tarn.
what kind Of q Inbred adjunct to our
Government are we setting up In tneSe
commissions? Congress Is repeatedly
surrendering its powers and delegatlhs
duties to these commissions"
senator Borah said that these COM
missions. although they are not re-
sponsible to any constituency. are SUD-
iect to influences brought upon them
6y the executive and legislative branches
of the Government.
Recalls Coolidge Plan.
apresident Coolidge felt the necessity
of having some control over the IarIn
Commission" continued Senator boran.
'He adopted the plan OF having tne
designations OF the commissioners Jones
placed in his hands, rather strong
irfiuence, I think, on the members OF
the Tariff Commission. I suppose IL
was done SO the President would be
able to reorganize the commission Wnen
A was found necessary to do 30, when,
I take 1t, the commission ran, counter
TO the views of the President
a'Iet us consider the tremendous pow
ers which have passed out OF the hanos
of Congress to these commissions. 1nsLe
IA the trust question, the tax question
and the power problem. The executive
branch of the Government and the
legislative branch ought to keep their
hands of of these commissions and men
SHOULD be appointed to the commissions
who are experts and who have given
their lives TO the study Of the questions
which come before them"
Senator Bingham of Connecticut
asked Senator Borah whether the Sen
ate had kept its hands on the Power
Commission and what 1t was doing
when it voted on Friday to reconsider
the confirmation Of three members OF
that commission because they had let
out Of ONCE employees of the old Power
Commission Wnom the SenaCe W1SlSo
retained in office.
Senator Borah replied that If he had
considered the power commissioners
had been properly confirmed by the
Senate, he would not have supported
the resolution for reconsideration.
Smith Not Worried.
At the Power Commission, mean
while, Chairman Smith said. he was not
worried by Senate threats to cut on
funds Of the commission as part Of the
campaign to remove from Office himself
and Commissioners Garsaud and
Draper. ~
The commission has funds to meet all
expenses, including the salaries Of all
i've commissioners, until June 80. The
salaries of the commissioners for the
six months total $4,000.
Pleased by Hoover Action.
Chairman Smith estimated an $4,000
balance remained in the commissions
treasury. He said he was pleased by
the stand taker by President Hoover.
Senate leaders Of the movement TO
recall the nominations were considering
returning the names OF Smith. Garsaud
and Draper to the Senate Interstate
Commerce Committee for an inquiry
into the dismissal of Solicitor Charles
A. Russell and Accountant William B.
King. The names Of the three COM
missioners were back on the Senate
calendar awaiting action today, al
though President Hoover had held they
were legally in office.
The vote TO put the names back on
the calendar was taken after President
Hoover had refused to resubmit the
nominations on Saturday.
Waiting on Walsh.
Some Senate advocates of sending the
names back 10 committee were waiting
for Senator Walsh. Democrat. Montana,
leader of the recall motion which car
ried the Senate. 44-S7 last week, 70
make the first move.
Senator Dill, Democrat. of Washing
ton. said he thought 1.-The best thing
to do" would be to have the names re-
turned to the committee and find out
who was responsible for tire dismissal
OF Russell and King. Dill said he un-
derstood Chairman Smith was chiefly
responsible for the dismissals.
Walsh withheld his decision on the
plan, but said he was inclined to favor
an investigation by the committee Of
the row between the two employees and
Frank Z. Bonner, former executive Sec
rotary of the commission.
YESTERDAY Senator Walsh said he
saw no way of hating the COM
mission from functioning since the
President had refused to return their
nominations. Senator Wheeler his
Democratic colleague. had started q
movement TO withhold salaries from
the three commissioners, but the bill
carrying appropriations for the group