The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-23
MCCORMACK TALKS ON THE FREE LIST He Thinks Underwood Has
 Made Mistake LIST IS NOT COMPLETE Thinks It Should Also Have Con tained Such Articles as
 Sugar, Rice, Coffee
 and Wool
LIST IS NOT COMPLETE

George B. McCOrfndck, pieSioeh' "' the Pratt Consolidated Coal company and former general manager o1 the | Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad com pany. yesterday added his opinion to those eprxessed upon the attitude oi Congress- 0. w. Underwood on the tariff and his list of free goods. MT. Me Cormack said:
 "As preface to any statement may make. l desire to say that our com pany is an uncompromising competitor of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Rail road company, which is owned by the United States Steel corporation. l am, as everyone well informed as to local industrial history knows, discharged employe of that company and can feel 10 kindly spirit toward them. l am not swayed in criticising MT. Under wood; therefore. by any personal friend ship to the company involved. How cver I cannot willingly refrain from sayine that MT. Underwood has al lowed the other members of the ways and means committee to saddle him and the Birmingham district with the goat of the free list. l am personally d democrat and have always been one. l am also for revenue tariff and against any free list at all. That is the true democratic doctrine. We are too ten der in years in this country to barter free trade with countries centuries old | and perfect In their commercial oper- ations.
 But despite this doctrine I would willingly and gladly accept free list if Mir Underwood had started at A and continued to trim down to and in cluding 'Z.' He did not do this l have no comment as to his efficiency but l | Aould be constrained to the opinion tnat he either neglected to watch his committeeman closely or if not then he 1 Is inefficient. I would be slow to ac- cept the latter, as I think him power- fIl leader
 | "However, the western congressman said. let the tariff on wool and its tompanion products alone. Don't both CT with them This was also the atti- Jude of the insurgent republicans. The gulf states congressman did not indl- cate their vote until sugar and rice and coffee had been kept from the free llst by the ways and means committee. But when it came to fence wire and other kindred products they said let Under wood place them on the free list. The result was that sugar, coffee, rice and wool were protected.
 | "In all of the families of America every member thereof, however small or young, uses sugar. If they wanted to protect the dear people, why in the world did they not place sugar on the competitive free list? If they wanted to serve the people, why did they not place wool on the free list, a part of which is used In some way by every living American?
 | There could be mentioned many in stances of such products which could have been placed on the free list which would not have thrown many men out or endowment and played havoc with the Birmingham district.
 "Mr. Underwood could not In the face of western and gulf state protestation | would have spelled ruin to his committee caucus. But he should have had the cour- age to stand up and tell that committee that if they wanted the tariff on wool, | sugar and rice maintained then steel and wire should also be placed on protective basis
 "He injured this district when he per mitted that caucus to report that bill. If he had required the other fellows to take the same medicine there are no thinking people who would have raised voice against his action. (
 q hold the opinion that MT. Underwood has become conscious of an irresistible call from the nation as a whole to be leader for them. In the excitement he permitted the ways and means commit tee to segregate the Birmingham district as a point for common attack, and they unloaded the free list and its attendant discouraging results here. There should not be singled out any district upon which to saddle the undesirable free lists as Bir- mingham has been saddled. To do this works a hardship upon the community and causes unsettled conditions. It also
 lays our popular congressman open for severe censure. He has become intoxi- cated with power to the extent of for getting that Birmingham is young, strug- gling, weak and dependent for success upon every encouragement. and that we were looking to him for protection. | "Personally, am very fond of Mir. Un- derwood. There cannot be any question about his popularity. He has studied the tariff bill from every angle. He will not be defeated by his action. All this, how ever, does not absolve him from the cen sure following so detrimental an act as that of permitting wire and ties to be placed free of duty on the tariff schedule. | It would not have been so bad if all sec- tions had been given the same medicine, but to single shot Birmingham is very serious and regretable
 "Only one farmer in 90 uses wire fenc- ing. The ways and means committee can not benefit them by such action. Every farmer and every city man uses sugar | rice, coffee and wool.