Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-12
Borah's Attack on Henry P.
Fletcher Fails to Halt
Hoover Nominee.
NEXT STEP IN POWER
ROW UNDER DISCUSSION
Move to Send Names of Commits
sioners Back to Committee
for Probe Seen.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

The nomination of Chairman Henry
p. Fletcher of the United States Tariff
Commission was confirmed by the Sen
ate today without roll call vote.
Several Senators, including Senator
Borah of Idaho and Senator Norris OF
Nebraska, voted mo" when the viva
voca vote was taken, however.
In short order the Senate also con-
firmed the nominations of Thomas
Walker Page of Virginia, vice chairman
of the Tariff Commission, and John Lee
Coulter of North Dakota.
Alfred P. Dennis, Democratic APP
pointee from Maryland, was confirmed
next.
Before the Senate voted on Mr..
Fletcher's nomination, Senator Borah
of Idaho launched an attack upon Mr..
F1etchers appointment. The Idaho
Senator made it clear that he had no
criticism to make Of Mr.. Fletchers in
tegrity. He attacked his appointment,
however. because Mr. Fletcher was not
an expert on tariff matters.
Congress- Senator Borah said, has
given up many of its powers and dele
gated them to Federal Commissions,
among them the Tariff Commission.
Recalls Arguments Used.
ut will be remembered" said Senator
Borah, that when Congress gave up
its tax-levying power in part to the
Tariff Commission the argument was
advanced that this was a duty which
could only be properly performed by
tariff experts. It was said that Con-
gress could not be properly informed
about the tariff, and besides, that Con-
gresS was too unwieldy. Therefore 1t
was necessary to delegate this power to
a Tariff Commission.
II have no objection to Mr.. Fletcher
as an individual. If his name was here,
appointed to an office in line with the
work to which he has devoted his life
the diplomatic Service-I could support
him, perhaps enthusiastically. But 1t
appears from the testimony before the
Senate Finance Committee that Mr..
Fletcher has studiously refrained from
knowing anything about the tariff,
although he comes from the great State
of Pennsylvania. 1t may be said that
he has wilfully neglected to learn any
thing about the tariff. 1t has been said
that he had no desire to be named a
member of the Tariff Commission and
that he at first declined. That is all
the more creditable to him"
Senator Reed of Pennsylvania
stanchly defended the appointment OF
Mr.. Fletcher.
Defended for Position.
IF thGre existed any such person in
the world, described by Senator Borah,
he should be appointed to the Tar1f
Commission" SAID Senator Reed. But
there Is no such thing as disintereSteo
tariff expert. Men become tariff ex-
perts because they are retained by In
terests on one side of the tariff ques-
ton or the other. They become tariff
experts because they are importers and
1t is a matter of bread and butter TO
them to get their goods imported at
the lowest rate of duty. Or they are
tariff experts because they are manu-
facturerS and wish to have their goods
protected at the highest possible rate OF
duty.
1T we put in the law provision that
only dlSinterested tariff experts should
be appointed to the Tariff Commission
it would never be filled. What, then,
can we do? We have the choice of ap-
pointing men to the Tariff Commission
who have fixed ideas on the tariff, fol-
example the president of the New York
Importers Association. Or We could
put in one of the great manufacturers
who would be favorable to the highest
possible duty. Neither would be proper
appointees to this commission. The
ideal appointee would be the disinter-
ested tariff expert. There is none. The
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