The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-04-25
been reelected every two years.
Why He Opposes Protection

is oppose TO the prime pie of protec-
ton and tina ne believes In q revenuc
tariff. He models ms tariff views ON
the opening paragraphs OF h famou,
Walker report OF 1916:
That no more money should b.
collected than is necessary for tn
wants Of the government economical
~ administered.
That no duty he imposed upon any
article above the lowest rate which
will Yield the largest amount Of rev
enue.
That below such rate diScrimiu.
tor may be made. descending in tn.
scale of duties or for imperative rea-
sons. the article may be placed in til
list of those free from all dutN.
That the maximum revenue duf-
should be imposed OF all luxuries.'
Not only does he adhere To thes.
principles. but I is his expressed he
lief that the South generally agree
with him. Mr.. Underwood recent
said:
Il believe my district offers "a goo,
illustration of the situation in tn,
South regarding the tarifI. When 4
began the practice of law in Rrmin2-
ham in 1881 the population was 5.eoe.
the city had five piS-iron furnaces
but no street cars, paving or elcrtri
lights. In 1894. when | ran for Con
gress against Truman II. Aldrich. tn
Republican candidate, he argued that
birmingham needed protection and IL
representative who would vote for IT,
J followed the position of GroN p
Cleveland on the tariff and l Wor.
but the fight was a savage one. To
day Birmingham, has, according To
the last census, 1872 600 citizens, am
increase Of 254.4 per cent in the las
decade. 1t is the most rapidly grow
ing city in the class of 100. 600 aud
also of the cities OF greater populs-
4-ar TfnI1N- Jpir11I il OH = n animal
pay-rolls amount to 10000 600. II
has nine railways. las miles of stree
car lines. S15e,0 0e. 900 invested in in
dustries, q yearly pig-iron p~roduction
Of 2,00o. 00e tons. Il coal output oi
$4,000, 900 tons. q coke production al
3,00e,0 600 tons, and i0,O00,0oO tons ul
steel are made each e Il
The Coal and Iron
Company or the United States Steej
Corporation. in other words-controLs
one-third Of the iron and steel pro
duct in the strict. One-third OF tn
steel Trusts iron ore holdings are in
my district. A larger soft coal d..
post tina Europe has furnished al
handy fuel. The cost of assembling
the raw material at the blast furnace
in birmingham is fifty cents a ton
with five and six dollars Il
ton in Pittsburgh.
Il give these figures to SHOW the
Industries Of Birmingham, and from
their magnitude and character one
might SuSpect q protection sentiment
like that in Pittsburgh. But. as a mat
ter of fact, three-fourthS OF my CON
StiIuency prefer q revenue tariff to Il
protective tariff. When i was firSt
elected to Congress Birmingham had
never exported goods. 1t shipped its
pig-irOn North at q freight cost OF
three TO five dollars Il ton. Now it
manufactures it at home, and if the
North wants m nafa with MS al
home. then the North nus pay the
freight charges and suffer that dis
advantage. We have found thai We
can compete successfully with the
Germans and the British in their
home markets, and we are no longer
AFRAID that they could compete with
US In our home markets. The expert
ence of Birmingham. | believe, is a
fair demonstration Of the advantage
the new industrial South has in pro-
duction over the North and over the
world Why should the South dcvel-
op a protection sentiment? If there
is any below Mason's and Dixon's line.
it IS sporadic and very local."
The Underwood Plan.
Mr.. Underwood has said that Lc
favors q revision Of the tariff by sep
arate bills for separate schedules, and
II the event juStifies his opinion. therr
will be no Underwood bill. intend
ing a general revision Of the who'll
tariff law, but instead q success on
of Underwood bills passed by the
House. OF course, h Underwood
bills Will have to take their chance
with a Republican Senate and q Re
publican President, and no one OF
them may ever become a law. That
is for the future to tell. Nevertheless
IT IS probable that the name of Tn
derWood ever hereafter will be prom
1neTt OF the roster of the tariff legis-
latorS of the country.
As the director of the Democrat
major ty in the House with respect
10 Iarlff legislation. as the chairman
OF the committee on committees, and
as the virtual head OF the policy-fram-
ing body Of the majority, Oscar In
derWood in the mex two wears viii b.
in the white light of publicity. He
believes. and his friends believn with
him, that he Will be able to retrieve
the UrraPEad fnrt,ox. IS 49, I-Jrn-