The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-03
THINKS SAVOYARD
 WRITES UNJUSTLY
Col. Sam Will John Resents AIIu- siOns Made to Congressman
 Underwood

To the Editor of The Age- Herald:
 Surely your attention was not called to the very strong denunciatory, vicious and untrue attack made by "Savoyard" on Hon. o. W. Underwood in this morn ing's Age eHerald.
 Under the very bold headline, "Pur- suit of the Villain" he wrote of the bill to revise schedule K of the tariff law, which was prepared by our rep resentative Underwood and will always be called by his name. "An expert" made the bill, land who the devil ever heard of an expert that was in the pay of the people? The interests" have the "experts" It was a sham on it's face that the tax was required for revenue. It was purely for protection and only for protection. Its sole tendency is "the preservation of the protection prin- is the grandson of Joseph R. Under wood, who was one of the inventors of the nome market" measure, that was brought forth when infant industries" got old enough to be preached. Champ Clark, who only yesterday wanted to wreck every custom house from "tur- ret to foundation stone" stood with Un- derwood for this very cornerstone of protection. They picked off & weak kneed fellow here and another there and so it went till Randallism got the ways and means committed on the wool schedule on the hip. etc., and winds up his diatribe with this line. And the villain still pursued her. To be con- tinued in our next"
 By indirection and yet pretty direct, "Savoyard" charges Hon. O. w. Under wood with being a villain expert not in the pay of the people but in the pay of the interests" and that he is the au- thor of bill purely for protection and only for protection"
 Every intelligent man, who has given any attention to the fundamental diff faculties between a bill for protection and one for revenue only knows that the republican protectionist always in corporates In his tariff laws Compound, specific and compensatory duties" whereas the true democrat always levies only an ad valorem duty.
 Following this well known democratic principal. MT. Underwood wrote in his bill this provision: "On blanket and f1an- nels, composed wholly and in part ots wool, the duty shall be 90 per cent ad va ,orem: provided that on flannels com posed wholly, or in part of wool, valued at above 50 cents per pound, the duty shall be 40 per cent ad valorem."
 This short extract Is fair sample of the whole bill which reduces the average tax from A to 20 per cent. and which is framed so as to lay the tax heaviest on those best able Go pay it. and in that respect is just the reverse of the repub- lican tariffs. In the democratic platform, adopted at Denver in July, 1908. is this declaration: "That gradual reductions should be made in such other schedules as may be necessary to restore the tariff to & revenue basis.''
 savoyard knows all this, but chose to ignore it all, in order to rent on our rep resentative dislike he seems to have had for his grandfather!
 Every man who was at all familiar with MT. Underwood's views on tariff re- form knew that he favored a gradual re- duction of tariff taxes. laid upon the proper democratic principles till there was not one dollar of taxation levied to 'protect" any man, or class. or article.
 That Savoyard Is entitled to his own views, and entitled to express them as he sees fit, no one denies, but for one, pro- test against his making such unjust and false charges against @ man of open. up- right life. one whose democracy and in tegrity has never been doubted or ques- tioned by any honest man who knows him. repeat that do not believe that this false and defamatory screed was caIlad to the attaution of the editor of The Age Herald before 1t was published.
 SAM WILL JOHN.
 Birmingham, July ?, 1911.