The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-17
Amendment to Place 15 Per
Cent Duty on Product Is
Decisively Defeated
UNDERWOOD MAKES
STRONG APPEAL
Leads Vigorous Fight for support OF
Caueus--Attitude of President
Wilson Is Warmly De-
Tended

Washington. April 1e.--The demer
cratic caucus voted decisively late to-
day to support tho wool schedule of
the Underwood tariff bin placing raw
wool on the free list after Representa-
| tive Underwood had made a stirring
appeal FOR the support of the aaucus
By a vote OF 1870 to AZ an am4 Ndinent
offered by Representative Dies q TeSas
to place raw wool on the duitasie lis
was rejected.
Representatives Dies amendment pre-
posed to place a duty of IS per eeft
ad valerem on raw wool. he and other
champions of dutiable wool asserting
that this was the judgment of the ways
and means committee before President
Wilson saw the bill and suggested
change
Majority Leader Underwood. In Wind
ing up the discussion, warmly defend
ed both the committee and the PresI-
dent. lie declared the President had
a right to make suggestions to Con-
sress relating to the tariff but that
the bill as a whole met with the chief
executives approval when he first read
it as 1t came from the committee.
"Out of 1000 and more items in tho
hill,n said Mr.. Underwood. "the Presi-
Gent only made two suggestions. those
affecting the sugar and wool sched-
uies. 1t seems to me that we should
accept those suggestions from the
President of the United States
Defends Presidents Attitude
Representatives Rainey of Illinois
and Harrison of New York also spoke
on behalf of the committee. defending
its action and the attitude OF the Presi-
dent. The attack upon the committee
and President began as soon as the
| insurgent democrats began considera-
tion OF the bill. Representative Alex
ander of Missouri declared the com
mittee overstepped all proper bounds
in holding up President Wilson as q
club over the heads of the members
and that the President had exerted
undue Influence" in having wool
ploced on the free list in the bill.
Representative Montague of vif-
ginia new member, defended the
President in spirited speech. declar-
| ing that 1T was his constitutional and
inherent right" to suggest what should
go in a tariff bill and that neither he
Tor the committee were subject to crit
icism for their cooperation In framing
the bill,
Representatives Dies insisted that the
government was made up of three dis
tinctive branches with separate duties
to perform. 1t is not only the right
of Congress- he said. ito originate rev.
enue measures but its exclusive right
and any attempt from another branch
OF the government to dictate or inter
fore with that right should not be per-
nitted by this body"
Debate Heated
The debate on this phase of the tar
Tiff fight was heated and prolonged.
Among the principal supporters of the
Dies amendment for a 15 per cent duty
were Representatives Ashbrook, Posi-
and Bathrck of Ohio. Ferguson of
New Mexico, Adair and Cline of In
diana and Stout of Montana.
The AZ democrats who voted for the
/ > per cent duty were: Adair Barnhart
and Cline of Indiana, Alexander of Mis-
souri,. Ashbrook, Batrick, Claypool,
Francis, Post. Sharp, Whitacre and
White Of Ohio. Broussard, Dupree, Ell
der, Estopinal, Lazaro and Morgan OF
Louisiana, Bell of Georgia, Brown of
West Virginia, Burgess, Galloway, Dies.
Hayden, SIayden and Stephens of Texas.
Dersham of Pennsylvania. Doughton.
Goudger Page and Small of North Car
clina, Evans and Stout of Montana. Fer
russon of New Mexico, Fowler of lin
ois, Lobeck of Nebraska, Metz and I'm
derhill of New York, Murray of Okla
homa, O'Shaughnessy of Rhode Island.
burke of Wisconsin, Kettner of Call
fornia.
Before reaching wool the caucus dis
posed of the cotton and flax schedules
voting down all amendments to lower
or increase the duties proposed in the
committee bill. 1t is expected that more
rapid progress win be made In caucus
consideration of the bill from now on.
| Representations concerning the bill
filed with the state department. by for
oign diplomats have not been taken up
by the ways and means committee but
may be considered at a meeting of the
committee tomorrow.