The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-08-05
REPLY TO BRYAN
Verbal Broadside is Fired al ihe Great
Commoner By Underwood.
MADE .cAUSTIC SPEECH

The Nebraskan is Denounced by the
Chairman of the Ways and Means
Committee of Congress for his
Charging Underwood With Block
ing Revision Of Tariff
Standing on chairs, waving hand
kerchiefs and yelling at the tops of
their voices, Democratic Representa-
tives Thursday acclaimed Represen-
tative Oscar w. Underwood, leader
CT the house, when he fired verbal
broadside at William Jennings Bryan
for criticising his position of an ex-
tension of the tariff revision pro-
gramme. It was the most remarka-
BILE scene in the house since the be-
ginning Of the extra session of Con-
gress.
Excoriating the three times candi-
date of the Democratic party for
presidential honors, Leader Under
wood denounced Mr.. Bryan's state
ments as false, defended his (Under-
wood's) attitude as to revision of the
iron and steel tariff schedules, and
said Bryan had placed upon every
Democratic member implications un-
founded in fact. He called on his
Democratic colleagues of the ways
and. means committee for corrobora-
ton of his attitude in committee
and in caucus.
Mr.. Underwood was backed up in
a similarly striking speech by Repre-
sentative Kitchin IN. c. long a de-
voted friend of Mr.. Bryan Mr. Kit
chin expressed surprise that any
Democrat should so malign Mr. I'm
derwood and the party.
1t all. came about from a publish
ed interview, which purported to be
"authorized' by Mr.. Bryan, declar-
ing it was time Democratic Leader
Underwood was "unmasked."
-"The action of Chairman Under
wood in opposing an immediate effort
to reduce the iron and steel schedule
reveals the real Underwood" said the
Bryan interview. Speaker Clark
and other tariff reformers tried to
secure the passage Of a resolution in
structing the ways and means COM
mittee to pass resolution including
the iron and steel schedule, but Un-
derwood and Fitzgerald-the Fitz-
gerald who saved Cannon in the last
congress succeeded n defeating the
resolution.
'The unmasking Of Chairman Un-
derwood will serve useful purpose, ;"
added the interview, eff it arouses
the Democrats to an understanding
of the. mistake in putting Mr.. Under
wood at the head Of the committee If
he solidifies his policy of delay.
The House. listened fntently as
the whole interview was read from
the clerks desk. Word of the an
swer that Underwood was to make
to Bryan had been passed among
Democrats and an almost full mem
bership on the Democratic side
greeted the majority leader. Cheers
and applause that lasted for several
minutes greeted him as he rose to
speak.
AS the clerk finished reading the
Bryan interview, Mr.. Underwood In
calm and even tones, opened the vial
of his wrath. If Mr.. Underwood's 8
attack was remarkable for it's bitter
ness and vigor, it was not more so
than the general applause which
greeted his sarcastic references to
the Nebraska leader and his specific
and complete denials Of the charges
made by Bryan
He declared that he was interest
ed in iron and steel mills in his own
State of Alabama, and he had urged
the ways and means committee at
the beginning Of the session to save
him from embarrassment by taking
up the iron and steel schedule at
once. This had not been done by the
committee, he said, because it had
determined that the textile schedules
over which there is the greatest COM
plant from the public should be the
subjects Of earliest revision. His op-
position in the recent case calling
for a revision Of the iron and steel
schedule, he said, had been due to
the fact that it had been determined
no further tariff programme should
be worked out until it was certain
what would be done by the president.
Mr.. Underwood had read the pub
lished Bryan statement, and speak
ing very deliberately said:
"Mr. Speaker, the statements con-
tanned in that paper are absolutely
false. If the reflections which that
article contains rested only on my
self I would not take the time of this
house to answer them. But those
statements reflect not only upon my
self, but upon Democracy in control
on this side Of the capitol, and as
leader on this floor I would be untrue
to my fellow Democrats here and to
myself if I did not reply to this at
tack.
"That interview charges that there
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