The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-20
HARMONY RULES LIVELY CAUCUS
 OF DEMOCRATS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE D


 the insurgents and he believed the country expected Cannonism to be wiped out on a small scale as well as on the larger one. He said there may be two caucuses of the republicans, one of the regulars, the other of the insur- gents He did no. believe the majority should decide what policy it would pursue until 1t was known what the republicans intended doing. He want ed to reserve the power to take such action as would seem advisable.
 The Fitzgerald resolution, directing the speaker to appoint committees. was voted down shortly before midnight.
 Following this Oscar W. Underwood was elected chairman of the ways and means committee.
 The caucus adopted the resolution empowering the ways and means com mittee to name the other committees of the House.
 Representative Clayton of Ala bama in calling the caucus to order said:
 Clayton's Address
 "It has been suggested that the first important duty which will confront us in the next House of Representatives will be the consideration and passage of tariff leg islation-democratic legislation-not meas ures prepared by the beneficiaries of pro- tectionism or formulated according to the dictation of selfish and special interests, but such legislation as will show proper regard for the taxpayers and consumers who bear the burden of the government. Perhaps 1t is unnecessary to remind you, my fellow democrats, that our oppo- nents have heretofore defended their un- fair and class tariff tax laws by saying, Let well enough alone and by declaring that they would stand pat on their highly protective and prohibitory tariff sched- ules. It must now be painful, history to our opponents that they promised in the last presidential campaign a revision of the tariff downward from the high rates of the Dingley law, and it must be an equally painful recollection that they broke this promise and passed the more | burdensome Payne Aldrch bill, and doubtless many republicans now desire | to forget the panegyrics pronounced by them last summer and fall on the supe- rior justice, wisdom and perfection of the last republican tariff enactment.
 Mistakes of Opponents | But, without dwelling upon these mis- | takes of our opponents, let me call your | attention to the present status of the republican party on this great economic | questionable tariff That party is now divided into groups holding divergent I 1 bound republican protectionists. who art | still standing pat upon the old-time doc. | trines and utterances of their party | Again, there are some republicans who favor some sort of revision of the tariff by schedules.
 Every effort heretofore made by dem ocrats to pass particular bills reforming or lowering particular tariff schedules ha. | been denounced by republicans in tn, House of Representatives as mere unde sirable patchwork and unwise piece-mea legislation, and thoroughly unsclentific And, again, there are other republicans l who favor a commission to consider an, report upon tariff Legislation, subjec that for many years the republican part, has said in platform and by it's conduc that the republican party thoroughly un derstood
 Let it be admitted that so far as tn interests of the rich and powerful bene | ficiaries of the republican tariff laws ar Nconcerned, the republican party did am Soes understand the tariff question: An lot us also admit that the knowledge tha ] those who pay the taxes are concefAe