Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-30
HOUSE WRANG[ES
OVER ITS ORATORY
Has Difficulty in Fixing Time
for Last Speeches on
Tariff.
CONFERENCE REPORT
SOON TO BE ACTED UPON
Disputed Cotton Futures Amendment
Will Be Last Feature Con-
sidered Today.

After spending nearly half an hour
wrangling about how much time soud be
spent on making orations over the tariff
conference report which was brought up
In the House today for the actual final
step toward enacting the first of the
great democratic reform measures, the
House agreed to debate until O'Clock
this afternoon, then to take a vote on all
but the much disputed cotton futures
amendment. and to take up the latter
stumbling block after the first vote. 1t
will be 4 o'clock probably before the en-
tire conference report is voted on, laid
aside by the House and sent upon its way
to the Senate.
Like Schoolboys.
II was just like the House TO talk and
wrangle and fuss among its members
after the calm and quiet of the chaplain's
prayer asking for peace. The members
hocked In like a lot of schoolboys on
the day when they speak pieces. Some
OF them even went the length of dressing
up to cast a vote on the tariff bill. Rep
resentative Underwood. majority leader.
and Representative Serene Payne. depu-
republicans. according to Speaker Clark,
both knew in advance what they were
going to ask for in the way of time for
discussion but In order to preserve the
proprieties Representative Underwood
found II necessary, when it came his turn
to talk. to say.
II would like to come to some agree
ment with the other side as to time"
Also for Agreement.
Representative Payne blushingly con-
fided to hts colleagues that he, too, would
like to make some gentlemanly agree
ment as to time. It looked as il they
really meant 1t. Finally. after carrying
out their carefully rehearsed parts, they
confessed that four and a half hours,
OF debate would be enough for the ccun-
try at large to bite at as q sort OF under
standing that the bill really was being
fought out until tn last moment
At this stage up jumped the militant
Murdoch of Kansas. progressive floor
leader. With a newspaper or a copy of
the Record held beneath his left arm, as
Is his wont when speaking. he demanded
to know whether he would be allowed
with his back to the press gallery. so that
no one without abnormal ears in that as
semblage could hear him, made some low
and rumbling reply.
said Murde eaa py am entaea 10
about thirty minutes. You will get as
your share Of the time lbs minutes. and
my party. being one-ffth Of the minority.
would get one-fifth of the minority time.
which Ia. take It twenty-seven minutes.
So. you see. your generosity in giving me
thirty minutes. Is only matter Of three
minutes. Thanks
And Then They Fight.
Then then fought and argued all over
the House about the amount Of time nee
essary for q complete discussion Of the
cotton futures agreement q subject Of
deep interest to the southerners. The
only voice missing was that Of Represent
ative Mann. minority leader. He has
gone to Chicago. where his gardens and
plants need some attention. He is a
gardener. He says he doesn't care a
snap what happens in the House this
week.-Mrs. plants need their father.
Eventually Representative Underwood
had to change his request concerning the
cotton futures amendment. AS the mat
ter stands now. the tariff bill viii be de-
bated and the conference report will be
talked about utnil about o'clock. After
that the cotton futures matter will have
to take its own chances.
Underwood's Statement.
THE rates Of the tariff bill as it comes
back to the House for approval proposes
lower taxation than any tariff bill in
the last three-quarters Of a century"
said Representative Oscar w. Under
wood. democratic leader Of the House. in
the opening speech today in support of
the conference report on the tariff BILL
The bill. as 1t Is now before the House,
Is lower In its rates than either the bill
that passed the House or the bill that
passed the Senate, for the House con-
ferees accepted all but three or four of
the Senate receded from over one-haf Of
its increases.
This tariff bill. with its % per cent
average. is almost as low as the famous
liquor and tobacco. Besides its great re-
auctions on articles Of general USE this
bill places many of the necessities of
life on the free list. or gives them very
low rates OF tariff"
Greeted. by Applause.
Representative Underwoods statement
was greeted with applause from the
crowded democratic side of the House.
In contrast with the average tariff Of
20 per cent ad valorem In the Underwood
Simmons bill, he said the existing Payne
law has an average Of over 10 per cent.
dlO THO WI pdSSCu ny TIC tdSI
democratic administration. had an aver
age of over 30 per cent.
The revenues under the new law, Mr.
Underwood said. would yield surplus Of
SIS. 600 900 over estimated government ex-
penditures In 1915. He gave the House
the Treasury experts figures made pub
lie yesterday. showing that the total gov
eminent revenue In 1915 would be 81 O26. :
100000: expenditures. $1,0OS. OOO 600: sur
plus. s1sOOO.OO0.
Murdoch Raises Laugh.
Representative Murdoch. progressive
leader of the House. one Of the minority
conferees who was excluded from the
tariff conferences. brought the House to
laughter by his description of the closed
tariff conferences and his duties connect
ed with IT,
"A bound boy at husking bee must be
a perfect cyclone of activity compared to
a minority member Of a tariff conference
committee said Representative MUIR
dock.
II fully appreciate the imposing honor
that was conferred upon me-" he said.
Scarcely 100 men out of the 10000 who
NJ els