Evening star., 1911-05-31
CONVICTIONS KELY|READY FOR BATTLE
Wickersham Expects Grim House Leaders will Not Shirk
inaI Action Against Trusts. Contest With Bryanites.
TESTIMONY AT INQUIRY FREE WOOL MADE AN ISSUE
Attorney General Formerly Advised Warm Debate Democratic
tho Steel Combine. Il the Forecast
QUESTIONED FEES PAID CHAIRMAN UNDERWOOD ANGRY
stinson Deceived Charges
100000 for Work In the Disrupt Party Which
Sugar Prosecutions Him.,
House Leaders will Not Shirk
Contest With Bryanites.
FREE WOOL MADE AN ISSUE
Warm Debate In Democratic Caucus
Il tho Forecast
CHAIRMAN UNDERWOOD ANGRY
Charges Bryan With Attempt 20
Disrupt Party Which Has Often
Honored Him.

We do not want q fight. there should
be no occasion for one. but IL you must
have 1t. IL you really cannot set along
without it-why. let's go to IT,"
This. In effect, is what the House lead
ership and the majority of the ways and
means committee will say to tho Bryan
free-wool democrats In tomorrov's eau
Gus OF democrats OF the House. II there
is hight within the party lines hetwaen
the old Bryan wing and the present domi-
mating element in the House. It will be
the FIRST dissonant note In the splendid
chorus OF party harmony. which has thus
far prevailed. and the House leadership
Will disclaim responsibility.
But, with the publication yesterday OF
Mr.. Bryans statement charging she tar
in-for-revenue democrats practically with
being democratic Aldriches." the pa
tience Of the House leadership was ex-
hausted and the gage OF battle was
thrown down In a statement issued last
night by Mr.. Underwood. chairman OF
the ways and means committee and floor
leader OF the democrats.
Regarded az Inexcusable.
Mr.. Underwood said:
Il would like to say exactly what I
think of the action Of Mr.. Bryan. That
a man who has received so much ss he
has from the democratic party should
come to Washington and attempt 20 break
up the party. advising democrats to bolt
their caucus. is not only inexcusable, but
Is worthy Of much harsher word.
1T IL not through his efYor.s that the
democrats are in control OF the House.
challenge.
If the Wilson bill. for which Mr.. Bryan
voted, was an honest reduction OF the
tarin In the interests OF che people, Q
goods. which the people buy. to a point
as low as the bill Bryan voted for and
advocated certainly cannot be q pro-
tective measure from his standpoint"
1t Is no exaggeration to state that the
House leaders and the ways and means
committeeman are exasperated over Mr..
Bryan's course in attempting to dictate
the policy OF the House. in regard TO the
wool schedule. also over the means he
has adopted in urging his views. while
they wax sarcastic as they call attention
to the new affiliations OF Mr.. Bryan.
namely. with the democrats from the
eastern manufacturing districts. whose
people. II is claimed. are more concerned
in the intrinsic question of free raw ma
teriai for their mills than In any great
democratic policy or principle.
Responsibility Imposed.
In tomorrow's caucus the ways and
means committeeman will again point out
to their colleagues the fact that the ways
and means committee not only is charged
with the preparation of a tariff revision
bill to meet party policies, but with the
higher duty of providing suficient rev.
enue to defray the expenses of the gov
ernment.
They will also emphasize again the
fact that the expenses OF the government
for the next year are fixed in the appro-
priations already passed: by a republican
Congress. and that this Congress may not
cut the income below the point of safety
The committeeman are also irritated by
what some of them term the arrogation
OF wisdom by Mr. Bryan superior to the
practical knowledge of the committee.
which has been perspiring for weeks over
the wool schedule, the knottiest OF all the
tariff problems.
Policy Of Cancellation.
The course Of the House leaders
throughout has been one OF conciliation
toward the free wool men. They have at
no time rejected the proposition, per Sc.
OF taking the duty or Of wool. but have
counseled considering 1t in connection
with the question of revenue.
Indeed. at the outset, a ma jority of the
committeeman ''at first blush" were en-
thusiastic for free raw WOOL 1t sound
ed good to many Of them. Then when
they sat down with pencil and paper and
began to figure, whereupon the situation
took on a different aspect.
When they came to dealing with cold
a popular slogan, they were brought up
with a round turn. Sentiment changed,
the lamp OF reason" shedding its pitiless
light upon the question. They found Ii
one thing to whoop II up for free WOOL
and another to make such a policy ft
:nto the complicated mosaic of revenue
and expenditure.
Some of the democrats in the House
were commenting today upon the spon-
sorship Of the Bryan statement yester-
day. They took note of the fact that
Representative Francis Burton Harrison
of New York, Tammany man. gave out
the Bryan article, and there were many
sarcastic references to this ardent cham,
pionship of a Bryan policy by the leader
of the group Of eastern democrats favor
ing free raw material" In the light Of
past non-support OF Bryan policies at the
polls by the democrats OF the sections
represented.
Object Of the Conservatives.
In tomorrow's caucus the effort OF the
democrats will be to prevent
the discussion assuming the form OF q
contest between Bryan and anti-Bryan
elements in the House, and to hinge upon
the policy of free raw material as against
q tariff for revenue.
But as stated at the outset, there win
be no evasion Of the issue, IL one in
drawn. II the Bryan men want q fight
they can have 1t. A number OF demo-
Gratis have expressed themselves in
private conversation as being resentful Of
Mr.. Bryans midnight conferences in
Gratis and his interference from the out
side with matters of party policy as to
which. they say, he will not be charge
able with responsibility Of squarfng the
theory with the necessities Of the case.
Underwood Endorsed.
Discussing the statement issued by Rem,
Oscar Underwood last night,
In which the attitude OF william Jennings
Bryan was criticised. Representative slay.
den OF Texas today said:
IT believe n the democratic party FOL.
lows the leadership Of Mr.. Underwood
there win be no obstacles In the party's
path to success. What the people want
Il o reasonable reduction In the tAT16s
especially In the tari6 on wool"
Clark Declines to Comment
Speaker Clark today declined positively
n sSounnaent an fhA BRYAN oUpoal TO the