The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-20
DEMOCRATS MEET
 FOR NOMINATIONS
Champ Clark Is the Central
 Figure
UNDERWOOD IS NEXT
Both Sixteen Years in service-Clark Deserves 0mOtIOn--UnderyOod % Has Superb Knowledge of
 Tanif Schedules

Washington, January 19-(Speeial)- Nineteen years ago in August the demo- cratic members of the House of Repre- sentatives met in caucus and nominated Charles r. Crisp of Georgia for speaker of the Fifty-third Congress Tonight the democrats of the Sixty-second Congress met facing the responsibility of the con- trcl of new House of Representatives.
 The central figures are Champ Clark of Missouri, born in Anderson county, Ky. and Oscar Underwood of Alabama, a na- tive of Louisville, Ky. The mother state should be proud of both her sons The one is the choice of his party for the sec ond highest position within the gift of the people-the speakership of the House of Representatives. The other has been se- lected to direct the work of revising the country's tariff laws as chairman of the ways and means committee. He will be before the people even more prominently than the next speaker
 Champ Clark will be 6l years old three days after the present republican House passes out of existence on March f. MT. Underwood is his junior by 12 years MT. Underwood graduated from Rugby in Louisville and the University of Virginia. MT. Clark received the bulk of his educa- ton at Kentucky university.
 Both the Alabamian and the Missourian are rounding out their sixteenth year of service in the House. Only one demo- crat, Jones of Virginia will in the next House antedate their service.
 MT. Clark has been in the public eye during practically all of his congressional career. At the very start he jumped f0f ward as an orator of no mean ability. He continued to improve. He has rough and ready style which puts him at his best when addressing big audiences, out of-door speakings, and he is a dra wing card on the Chatauqua circuit. MT. Clark probably has no superiors as stump speaker unless they be W. J. Bryan of Ne braska and Ollie James of Kentucky. It is worth noting that the three are mighty fcEd of one another.
 MT. Clark has not won the coveted speakership by a single stroke. He prob ably had his eye on it when he first ar that six years ago, when John Sharp Williams was named minority leader, Clark was not far from the speakership succession. Williams was the only man in his way, and with the election of the brilliant Missssippian to the Senate, the tireless Missourian stepped in his shoe. His selection to the leadership was well justified. Taking it through and through he was the first minority leader since Carlisle and Crisp who has been able to get the democrats together There has been a slip now and then, but taken all in all, the Clark leadership has been wonderful success. The democratic vic tory Of last November was in no small degree due to it. Clark has abounding confidence that as speaker he will do as we'll His close friends In the House are sure of it. They are also looking forward. MT Clark himself Is not as frank about this as he is about nearly everything else. This particular thing is the democratic presidential nomination in 1912.
 His supporters say 1t all depends upon next winter; that If MT. Clark leads the majority as he has led the minority he will be a candidate who is a seasoned and tried veteran in the business of running the government and will be the logical nominee. They add that he comes from a doubtful and border state and that neither geography or the bloody shirt can count against him. Those who go to the next democratic national convention for Clark, and there are going to be some will advance the argument that his nom- ination is a deserved promotion. reward for public service of high order. There Is precedent for it. James K. Polk of Tennessee was speaker of the House and became President.
 Of MT. Underwood of Alabama, the other of the two central figures in to- nights caucus less has been written on account of the man himself. Modest and nassuming to a fault, his leadership has heen attained quietly but none the less securely Acknowledged by every member of the House to be the most fitted for the chairman nship of the ways and means ha sterling worth and does. He will fill the office with honor to himself and advantage to the country. master of details, proba- bly, the most indefatigable worker in Congress today, he Is. eminently fitted to head the great committee which will carry out the work of tariff revision. Of the intricate schedules of the tariff he has a knowledge that is the wonder of his col leagues. In the framing of the Payne Aldrich act he disclosed a familiarity of the subject that astonished the tariff ex- perts called before the committee. One of the best known democrats in Congress, speaking of MT. Underwood the other day, said 'He is the only man in the House who could be Shut up in room by him self and draw tariff bill, schedule by schedule, item by item. rate by rate, spe- oific and ad valorem." The compliment is none too high The Alabamian has double advantage. He is recognized 0s the most skillful parllamentarlan Tn tne House. and is fully competent to guide his tariff reduction bill clear of legislative pit falls. In fact, the superb record Of Mir Underwood insures the best directing force available It is doubtful If he has had a predecessor in the long list of dis tingushed men who have headed this great committee who possessed more de- tail and general information on the his tory of tariff legislation. In the last 50 o1,a atrvV,a ,ayl n means committee have been Fernando Woods of New York; w. D. Pig lron) Kelly of Pennsylvania; W. R. forlzontal EilD Morrison of Illinois: Roger Q, Mllls of Texas, William Mckinley of Ohio, w. M Springer of Illinois. w. l.. Wilson or West ViarSnia, Nelson i'intley of MaiAe' and Sereno F. Payne of New fork.