The Washington herald., 1913-04-30
R|OTOUS DEBATE
IN HOUSE over
DEAD INCIDENT
Murdock Charges Republicans
Never Wanted to Pass the
Tariff Board Measure.
FIREWORKS THEN FOLLOW
in Tariff Talk, Representative Payne
Learns to What Use the
Peanut Is Put.

Everything was running along smooth
ly in the House yesterday, with the pros
poets bright for great progress on the
Underwood tariff bill, when Representa-
a tive Victor Murdock, the Bull Moose
leader, chipped in a remark that nearly
precipitated a riot. 1t did bring on a
riotous debate, in which members of the
three parties who participated came near
placing one another in the Ananias Club.
Up to this time Oscar w. Underwood,
the Democratic leader, wore the smile
that has made him famous, and Serene
Z. Payne of New York was in a fairly
tranquil frame of mind, despite the fact
that the tariff law that bears his name
was in the process of being demolished,
paragraph by paragraph.
The funny part of the whole affair was
that il hinged on an incident that trans
pired on the morning of March 4, 1911.
Mr.. Murdock gave his version of the in
Cident, which differed greatly from the
account narrated by Representative James
r. Mann, the minority leader. Demo-
Gratis who were present on the occasion
under discussion sustained Mr. Murdock,
whereupon Representative a. Peabody
Gardner of Massachusetts, his face red
and eyes flashing, exclaimed: DO you
think we were scoundrels?'
1t was on March 4, 1911, with Congress
scheduled to adjourn on noon of that
day, that the crime of the century was
committed. according to Progressves.
The sundry civil bill was up for consid-
Grafton. 1t contained provision au-
thorizing the creat ton of a tariff board.
Representative John j. Fitzgerald Of
New York started filibuster against
the tariff board provision. and he had
the support of all the Democrats.
Mr.. Murdoch charged today that if the
Republicans had been on the level in
their professions that they favored a
tariff board that the sundry civil bill
would have been put through on March
4, 1911. He charged that they were COM
plete masters of the situation, and he
charged, practically, that the Republi-
cans entered into a conspiracy at the
time to kill the tariff board provision
that had been indorsed by President
Taft.
All Want Floor at Once.
Every time Victor Murdock rises to his
feet the Republican leaders become rest
less and show signs of peevishness The
Bull Moose leader is their pet aversion.
Mr.. .Murdock had no sooner made his
charge than Mr.. Mann, Mr.. Payne, and
Mr.. Gardner leaped to their feet to
protest. They all denied the truth of
the charge, and Mr.. Mann insisted that
Mr.. Murdock's statement of the incident
was at variance with what actually
resentative Swager Sherley, a kentucky
Democrat, to testify in the case. DO
you believe" cried Mr.. Gardner. that
it is true, as stated by the gentleman
from Kansas. that the Republicans in
charge conspired to defeat the tariff
board provision?'
II think that if their zeal had been
equal to their faith that they would
have passed that provision" returned
Mr.. Sherley. AS the House guffawed
Mr.. Gardner appealed to Speaker Clark
the Republicans had acted in perfect
good faith on the tariff board provision.
Il don't know, / wasn't in your con-
fidence."
The result of this squabble was to
draw Speaker Clark into the tariff de-
bate for the first time. Mr.. Clark said
he was opposed to tariff board or any
other agency that would abridge the con-
stitutional right Of the House to originate
revenue legislation. He denied that he
had ever supported the plan, and again
referring to Mr.. Murdock's charge in
sisted that the Republicans, with their
organization, We're doubtless in a position
or March {, 1911, to put through the tariff
board provision.
Representative Martin Dies of Texas, a
Democrat, who dips his tongue in acid
every time he talks about the Progress
sive party, jumped all over the Bull
Moose declaring that each and every
member of the new organization drew