Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-06-02
thursdays Caucus of House
Democrats Expected to.
Throw Light on Future Tar
if Policy of the Party
BRYAN'S OPPOSITION
WILL CUT NO FIGURE.
Tariff on Raw Wool for Re-
venue Only Expected to Re-.
ceive Unqualified Stamp Of
Democratic Approval


WASHINGTON. D. c., June 1.-The
battle between William jennings BryaIs
and his followers on the one hand and
the Underwood house organization
forces on the other for control of ths~'
Democratic party is on in earnest IL
began today at noon, when the Demce
cratic membership of the house met IL
caucus to accept or reject the wool
schedule as formulated by the ways ana
means committee.
There is little doubt that Bryan viii be
dealt a blow that may wreck his infiu-
ence in the Democratic councils 1t ID
regarded as certain that the caucus BIZ
a decided majority win .upnold the ways
and means committee, thich means that
the Underwood bill will be indorsed.
The merits of the proposed rates oil
duty prescribed in the bill under con-
sideration are regarded as secondary is
Importance to the issue involving the
elimination of Bryan The peerless leader
sought the fight He threw down this
gage of battle when he gave out his
statement concerning the wool schedules
declaring that the men who favored
revenue duty on raw wool were Aldrichs
In disguise.
Chairman Underwood and the ways ami
means committee accepted the challenge,
however much they had hoped for party
harmony The members Of the Georgia
delegation as predicted in yesterdays
Journal. are supporting the ways and
means committee. They will vote solidly
TO stand by the bill as reported by the
committee, of which Representative
Brantley, of Georgia, is a member
This action was determined upon
conference yesterday. In today's caucus
the Bryan forces representing those WHO
demand free raw wool are being led ty
Representative Burton Harrison, Tam
many Democrat. of New York and Rep
resentative Rainey, ultra radival. of Iii
nois; Representative Oscar Underwood
chairman of the ways and means com
mittee; Representative Brantley. 81
Georgia; Speaker Clark and many other
men prominent in the affairs OF tie
house, are standing in opposition to the
Bryan scheme.
The ways and means committee mena-
bership is itself divided. Underwood,
Brantley, Peters. of Massachusetts:
Hammond Of Minnesota, Shackelford Of
Missouri. Hughes of New Jersey. Hill
of Tennessee, Dixon Of Indiana, and Pal
mer OF Pennsylvania are supporting the
bill, with its revenue duty. Burton Harii-
son, Henry Rainey of Illinois. Choice 3.
Randall of Texas, Ollie James of Ken
lucky, and Claude Kitchen of North Car
Eolina are for free wool.
BRYAN SOUGHT THE FIGHT.
The impression is general here that
Bryan sought this fight not only with a
view to embarrassing the party but in
the hope of pulling Speaker Clarl's
west. which is conceded to have threat
ened Bryan's power. His attitude can be
explained by no other theory.
When member Of the house. Bryan
voted for revenue duty on wool, whieh
he now denounces. and the Denver pls.t-
form, which he wrote. does not commit
the party to free wool. Indeed the Dem
yer platform indirectly demands ma
teriai reduction in the wool schedule.
and this is just what the ways and
means committee proposes
The Democratic leaders of the house
assert that Bryan is in no way respcrl-
sible for the Democratic victory at The
polls in the last election. On the con-
trary. they point to the fact that Bryan
took the stump in Nebraska in OPPOSE
ton to the Democratic candidate for gov
ernor, and that it was his influence only
that accomplished the defeat of James
Dahlman, of Omaha. who had always
been Bryan's personal and political
friend.
The crisis In the Democratic party that
has been precipitated through Bryan's in
reference is, of course a source of great
joy to the Republicans. Indeed. it is The
first crumb Of comfort they have had In
months. The harmony among the Demo
Gratis has caused them all sorts of worry,
and now that Bryan has made row they
are jubilant. The house leadership be-
lieves, however, that after today's eau
Gus everything will again become lovely
and serene.
They realize that there will be sores,
but the elimination of Bryan's ini1u-
ence they figure viii more than Offset
the damage from this source
Martin Littleton, of New York. sum
med the situation up in nutshell today
when he declared that the house favored
free wool as an original proposition he
proposed to support the ways and means
committee because he thought Bryan lad
rebuke coming to him for continually
interfering and arrogating to himself the
dictatorship of the party.
Only one draft of a wool schedule was
laid before the caucus The free raw
wool contingent will make their fight
by offering amendments to 1T. Ameild
ments may be carried by majority vctes
but If the bill is to be party measure
it will take two-thirds of the anti-Bryssn-
ties to have their teeth now and resolved
that it shall be a party measure, declar-
ing that Bryan himself has forced The
issue.
AS has been forecasted. the proposed
new wool schedule provides for ad va
loren duties all through. 1t is much
shorter and. simpler than the present
schedule. According to the estimates OF
revenue prepared under 1t. it viii only
reduce the governments income from
wool duties by 81 s49. compared With
the duties collected last year under the
nresent tariff act This is a much small
or reduction than was generally expected.
On raw wool the new bill places an (
ad valorem duty of 20 per7cent and upon
manufacture of wocI of an average ad
valorem tox of az IL per cent. The DEM
ocrats are counting upon a big increase
In imports to make Up the dinereiioo-
They have cut the present duties n
half. They expect to lose s5750,52s in rev.
enue on raw wool and to gain $3.50, $50
in duties on manufacturers wool per
year. $50