The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-28
GOSSIP FROM WASHINGTON
BY WALTER HARPER

Washington, December 27.-tSpeciaL) ) I The plot deepens.
 1 Ominous clouds are gathering about l the national capitol. The storm will
 break shortly after January 3. It IS
 to be the greatest battle in the his tory of American politics. Two great parties each divided into two jealous factions are to be pitted against each other in a death struggle. It will con tinue until the people decide the con test at the ballot box next Novem- | Der.
 Interest in the impending contest overshadows the festivities of the Christmas holidays. There seems to be no rest among the politicians and 1 statesmen.
 oscar Underwood, the leader of the democratic party in Congress, is per | haps the happiest and most contented | of the entire bunch. He has the as surance of his conscience that he is
 battling for the right and that what ever the result may be the people will give him credit for doing his best. rIis duty is clear, His course lies before him like an open lane. He is willing and glad to take the one true
 course and hold it. True, he will have to fight, but he loves to fight Up at the White House, President
 Taft is spending part of his Christ
 mas reading special edition of the Life of Job" At the same time he
 has his ear close to the ground with
 wireless connection with oyster Bay
 His smile is a happy one but no one believes that he is entirely satisfied with conditions. The future cannot be bright with promise for him He is too wise to be deceived by those friends who try to assure him that everything is all right and that all will end well.
 Henry Watterson declared in Att
 lanta a few days ago that the re-
 publican party is split irreparably. He
 was not joking. He never uttered q sounder truth. The progressive ele-
 ment of that party is suspicious of the
 regulars and just now when their help is most needed they refuse to line up with the party leaders.
 They are already exposing the de-
 ception that will be practiced by the regular leaders in the framing of a tariff bill to defeat the plans of the democrats in honest revision. The smartest republicans on the floor of the House and Senate are progressives and they will not hesitate to expose trickery of the regulars on the open floor.
 They are already claiming that tho regulars in framing minority bill re- vising the wooden schedule will try to rob the democrats of credit, and will use subtle methods to deceive the people in making figures appear to do what they will not do, and continue the high protection to manufacturers
 that now exists in the discredited Payne -Aldrich bill.
 There will be six or more large print
 ed volumes of the tariff boards report.
 They will be full of confusing figures
 and statements that may be made to
 mean anything. Experts can juggle fig
 ures so that they appear to mean any
 thing. Tariff schedules are compli-
 ca ted things that but few people can
 understand. There are but few mem
 bers of Congress who really understand
 the tariff. But there are some who
 do. And these men who do under
 stand the business are very well dis
 tributed through both parties and the
 various factions.
 No man or any party or faction un-
 derstands the question better than
 Oscar Underwood of Alabama. It is his
 hobby and the manner of his playing
 with a chaos of figures is delightful. He
 gives life and action to them. He
 knows them as a child knows it's Christmas toys
 No juggling will deceive him and he