The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-05-28

tRay Stannard Baker in the American
Magazine.
Underwood is modern man. AL
though the youngest of all the preSi-
Dental candidates, bein:s only fifty
years old, he is one of the two oldest
members in point of continuous ser
vice in the House of Representatives.
Though educated as a lawyer, and the
son of a lawyer. most of his life has
been given to politics. He is one of
the type of quiet, hard working, clear
! thinking congressman who has grown
steadily in power and influence-and is
still growing. When he first entered
the House he occupied a seat in the
rear rows and read his speeches in a
low voice today he is the most power
full man in Congress-the leader of the
majority in the House Under the new
rules, as chairman of the ways and
means committee, he is far more pow
erful than the speaker, and the man
ner in which he has led the democratic
members, formerly torn with dissen-
| sions and highly Ineffective, has been
not short of mastery.
His ways are quiet ways, he has the
| easy manners Of the South, but his
hand is firm. Among his feIlowmem
! bers of both parties, he is highly re-
| spected as a fair, straightforward and
coura geous leader. There is no bum
| combe about him. When he has made
| up his mind upon a bject-thought
| it out he is willing to take his stand
squarely and firmly, give his reasons,
and let it go at that. In a time when
| the whole progressive tendency of the
country is toward more direct democ-
| racy through the instrumentahty Of
such devices as the initiative, referen-
dunn, and recall, he has come out
strongly against these new measures.
The people suffer far more from
| the failure to enforce existing laws
| than they do from the lack of proper
| legislation" he says. The people
should drive from the places of power
and responsibility the unfaithful ser
| wants and elect those who will be
| faithful to the trust. imposed upon
them. The masses Of people are far
| better judges of men than they are of
measures, and are far more likely TO
! select an honest man than an honest
| measure
| Another instance Of his courage was
his reply upon the floor of the House
to ". j. Bryan, who had accused him
l
| and steel schedule because he came
from the steel manufacturing district
of Alabama. and had an individual in
terest in the business. His denial was
not only sweeping and vigorous but it
awakened the greatest enthusiasm
among his democratic associates.
| Mr. Speaker" said Underwood. Mr.
| Bryan did not say I was protectioniZ-
| ing the democratic party when /
brought in the free-list bill Not until
IL differed with him on the woolen
schedule did he have one word of crit
icism so far as my conduct was con-
| cerned. I had to write a wooden
| sch hedule that would protect the rev
enues of this government, and because
| | did so and did not obey the command
of the gentleman from Nebraska, Mr.
| Bryan, he is endeavoring to make the
country believe L am not an honest
Democrat in favor of an honest rev
| enue tariff
| 1t was this dramatic incident, comnin-
ed with Underwood's real leadership in
bringing forward bills for tariff revis-
ion and for other constructive 1egis-
lation, that convinced many people
that he was possessed Of real quail
ties Of leadership-that made him, il
short, presidential candidate.
| Moreover. he has won a reputation
the result of studious digging, for i
Ireal mastery Of the tariff question. Il
has been said of him that he + the
only man in either branch Of Congress
who could be shut UP in a hermetically
IseaIed room and emerge with a com
plete tariff BILL \ new congress- mar
told me that Underwood was the only
upon the tariff in a way 10 make the