Word: flexed
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Chorus of Dissent. Despite this historical precedent and veiled assurances that the President would flex out imperfections which even 'the Republican National Committee admitted were in the bill, a great new sector of U. S. industry called imperiously for a veto. Normal protestants against tariff upping are importers (i. e. department stores) who bear the brunt of higher rates, and political opponents who plead in the name of the ''consumer." Now the chorus of tariff dissent was swelled by a third and more potent group, composed of big industrialists who have saturated home markets with their production...
Confused at this adverse tariff turn, Senator Reed Smoot, in charge of the bill, marched back to conference, where was patched up a second compromise under which only the President would have power to flex rates on specifications (limited to 50% up or down on the substantive law) supplied by the Tariff Commission...
...compromise had been evolved whereby the Senate gave up nine points for every one surrendered by the House. Under the present law the Tariff Commission investigates differences in the cost of producing a commodity here and abroad, lays its factual findings before the President who thereupon is free to flex the rate up or down any amount he chooses within the limit of 50% of the written law. The President thereafter may again alter the rate, with or without additional facts from the Tariff Commission...
Senate Leader Watson hopefully predicted the bill would be through Congress in ten days. First the Senate must approve the conference changes in toto; then the House must sanction the flexibility change and the new lumber rate. That the President would sign the bill and try to flex out its imperfections was a firm congressional conviction...
Last autumn the Democratic-Progressive coalition voted into the measure the Export Debenture Plan and a provision taking from the President his power to flex rates 50%. Later the Senate, passing the Bill, sent it to conference with the House with instructions to its conferees not to compromise. The House conferees returned to their body and received a mandate to reject the Debenture and non-flexibility (TIME, May 12). Because?their hands were tied, the Senate conferees were stalemated...