The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-30
Mr.. Under7vOOd's Candidacy
by II. f. RILEY. ID. ID.

The reasons for supporting Hon, Oscar
w. Underwood for the United States SEN
ate seem so clear and the absence of any
possible objection to him SO obvious that
it would appear the mass of voters of this
state would be glad to accord to him this
well earned and therefore deserved honor.
For 20 years his has been a service of
unbroken public devotion to the interests
of this state. Seasoned and matured in
public service and ripening into wide use
funess, he won by dint of merit the sta
ton of leadership in the House of Repre-
sentatives, to which position he was
called at most opportune time. One ad-
vantage was his in this responsible pro-
motion, and that was the universal con-
fidence which he enjoyed among the
members of Congress- Those who knew
him best and longest trusted him most.
This confidence would not have been pos
sible had his career or character been
marred by even the suspicion of incorrect
ness. Nor could it have been either, if
during this long period of service there
had been committed even honest errors
of judgment. Clear of all these he was
House.
Till that time Mr.. Underwood's power
of leadership was still undisplayed be-
cause it was INFESTED but he was known
to be profoundly honest, cool, careful,
painstaking and prudent, and these are
excellent qualities, provided they rein
force executive power and generalship.
An extraordinary task was imposed on
him at a critical juncture. The prepara-
ton of tariff bill meant not alone an
enormous amount of work. but 1t required
an acuteness of discrimination, an accu-
rate adjustment of checks and balances,
a vast knowledge of governmental and
business conditions, and an acquaintance
ship with economical relations far be-
yond that which is ordinary.
The country was burdened with a taxa
ton that bore heavily on the most ordi-
nary articles of consumption, which tax
alton was not for the maintenance of
the government, but for stuffing the tills
and Golfers of favored few who were
grinding the faces of the people for their
own enrichment. They had been long
established, and business conditions had
become adjusted as best they could to
this peculiar situation. To relieve this sit
uation in such way as not to tear asun-
der and throw into disorder the business
of the country and at the same time to
provide the enormous amount necessary
to conduct the affairs of the government,
and equally at the same time to relieve
the people of the heavy burden of taxa
ton were the things to be embodied in
the measure called the tariff bill, the
preparation of which tariff bill was i'm
posed on Mr.. Underwood as the chosen
chairman of the ways and means COM
mittee.
Nor did the exactions Of his responsible
position end with this. He must bring
this measure before Congress and sue
cessfully engineer it through This was
an additional task of enormity. Though
the democrats had a large majority, yet
these same democrats represented con-
stituencies with divers interests, and the
proposed bill. while accomplishing all that
has been named, must avoid the snares
of opposition even among democrats, be-
cause of the diversity of interest of their
several constituencies. Nor again was
this the end of the labors of Mr. Under
wood He was opposed by a force of re-
publicans who, while in the minority,
were exceedingly able, and sought to en-
barrass the passage of the tariff meas
ure at every possible point, with the view
of throwing the democrats-into confusion,
and of bringing the Wilson administra-
tion into disrepute. On Mr.. Underwood
was imposed the duty, as the leader of
the House, to meet all this successfully.
On him more than on any other man, ex-
cepting the President, rested the fate of
the democratic party
What was the result? He wrote the
best tariff measure ever before writteni
he successfully avoided the snares of his
own party, because of the diversity of in
terests represented by them; he rallied
with cool generalship that great body to
his support. and he directed the bill
through the rocks and breakers, and 1t
has become a law for the relief of all the
people of the nation. The task has been
performed with a skill that is rare in
craftsmanship. and considering the condi-
tions by which he was encompassed, 1t is
believed by those who are In position to
know. that his accomplishment has never
been equalled in the annals of American
craftsmanship.
Yet after all this had been laboriously
accomplished his task was only half done
The currency regulations of the country
were in such shape that a certain class of
financiers could almost any day produce
a panic In the money market and throw
the financial situation into confusion
Hence a currency bill had to be enacted
under his leadership to make it next to