The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-01

|
 man of the 22s democrats was full of
 schemes for making this chance a cer-
 tainty. They were all anxious to revise
 the tariff in order to keep faith with the people, but they had many plans for re- I vision and many shades of opinion as to how it should be revised. They felt their
 power and importance. They were eager, avid, enthusiastic and none too prudent. :. l Underwood was made leader of these
 men. Lis task was to hold them in line. l to keep them in line, to keep them to- 1 gether. to get them at work intelligently and eohesively--to get results. He knew l that the democratic party, if it was to 1 have any response from the people in It's l demand for the election of democratic l President in 1912, must show the people 1t 1 is trustworthy and fit for confidence. He 1 knew of the varying opinions as 10 what | should be done with the tariff knew of the enthusiasm and lack of judgment, the l partisahship, and even the fanaticism of | some of his followers; knew they had been l so long outside that the attainment of the inside position might lead to excesses in legislation. He chose his lieutenants well and went at the job.
 His task is not yet completed. The President vetoed the tariff bills that were formulated in the House under Under woods direction and intrinscally his, though changed in many particulars In
 he Senate and in conference. There will oe more tariff legislation in the House in this session. The President has demanded it and the democrats are willing to go at it again in their own way. What Under wood must do again Is to hold his party in line to meet as complex q situation as lie had to meet il the ext~a session that ended last summer-and never forget for
 a minute that there is presidential elec-
 ton next year that eud nnterly will be
 largely decided upon the tariff question.
 Judging the stibe ny the past, he wil
 do it IL is a situation q arged with dy-
 namite. Many of his democratic col
 easues are anxious for radical action In
 many ways The C0i gi ess will not ad-
 journ until just before the first national
 convention is held. The record of the
 present House will figure largely, not only
 as to the individual fortunes of Under-
 wood but also as to the fortunes of whom soever shall be nominated by the demo- crats for President and that candidates success at the polls.
 He is not showy man, but studious
 He is not an eloquent orator, but con vIncing speaker His greatest speech was in opposition to the Payne-Aldrich bin when that measure was reported to the House of Representatives by the repub- lican ways and means committee in 1903. He made several important speeches in advocacy of his own measures during the extra session of the House last summer, but none was so important or so exhaus- tive as that speech against the Payne bill. He spoke for several hours, took up the bill section by section and analysed 1t from his information and convictions This was one of the great speeches of season of remarkable presentments of tariff doctrine on both sides of the House
 Where Democracy Abides
 Underwood does not write his speeches. He says he cannot memorize easily, and never attempts to make set speech or a speech where he follows copy exactly. His method is to collect all the available information bearing on his subject and arrange it in skeleton form. He sets 1t out by divisions, subdivisions and topics lie goes over these. rearranges, classihes, di- vides and subdivides. Then he may write portions of the speech, or he may not. At any rate, when he comes to talk he has nothing before him but a sheet of paper with his topics on 1t, and he talks without reference to notes or to authorities.
 He has an orderly, analytical mind. He reads economies at all times and gives his next preference to history, generally selecting some period and covering that Modern history, and especially history or political and commercial developments, appeal to him strongly. He reads novels occasionally-perhaps more often than that; for there was a pile of late fiction | on his library table when was talking | to him at his home in Birmingham time | ago. His chief amusement Is golf. ana ne is fair, average player, generally get ting round with few strokes of bogey- A few strokes more, not less-say, seven or eight He used to ride horseback. but he has given that up of late years and when he was in college he played football for d season or two. Now that ne IS 0o years old, golf is his main reliance for both exercise and amusement; but he doesn't get much of that when he IS lh Washington The majority leader of the House is busy man.
 He gives an impression of sanity. Of re- serve power, of calmness. He seems to be a man who has himself always in hand, and he has. He is quiet, grave, digniheo, with a not eXuberant but discriminating sense of humor. He is a well set up man who weighs about 190 pounds and looks much younger than his 90 wears. He IS careful as to his dress, always immacu- late and usually imperturbable. He can get angry and does if necessary. and he Is most agreeable companion; but his marked characteristics are seriousness and studiousness and calm.
 Underwood is neither reactionary nor a progressive He holds to the basic tenets of the democratic party, but he IS not against some of the more advanced ideas of the other element in the party. | He is a sane man. who is anxious for success if that success can be attained along lines that are real anu of benefit to the country. He is calm in his convictions and dogSed in carrying them out, but he IS amend | ble to argument and never without recognition of the politics of situation.
 So far as his being candidate for Pres iiient Is concerned, he has been told that Alabama will present his name at the national convention, and he is willing his name should be presented. He is frank and sane about that too. His po- i sition is that he can make no campaign for the nomination or spend any time go- ing about among the people, because he has vet great fight to make as demo- | cratic leader of the House; and he does not think it right or just to announce himself as a candidate. In his own words: Because the filling of engagements in making addresses would necesstate my | absence from Washington, where the real fight is yet to be won, I have not an- nounced my intentions as being can ddate for the nomination before the next do l intend to do so of myself; but, should my party want me to do so. shall be only too glad to ac- cede to their wishes
 Natural Prophecy