The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-09-09
ALABAMA SENATOR
|MPRESSES NATION
AS BEING SINCERE
Underwood's Unsuccessful
Fights for Principle Leaves
Him Conscious of Duty
Performed
By HUGH w. ROBERTS

Washington, September S.-(Special)
The democratic party in Congress, in
the enactment of laws Incorporating the
republican principle of protection. against
which Senator Underwood violently pro-
tested, has received the congrat ulations
o, the g. 0. p. in that it has displayed a
particle of governmental sanity
During the last week, Senator Under
wood has led in four senatorial debates.
The first was against section of the
revenue bill which would have taxed raw
products, including cotton. entering into
the manufacture of munitions of war
The second was against that section of
the revenue bill which imposed on the
importation of dyestuffs a protective
tariff ranging from &C to $50 per cent
The third was against that section of
the revenue bill which provided for the
creation of a tariff commission, identical
with that created by President Taft. and
permitted to die through democratic in
attention. The fourth was in favor of
section of the Adamson eight-hour day
bill, which would have referred all fu-
ture disputations between capital and
labor to the interstate commerce COM
mission.
That section, 1t is pointed out, would
have meant protection to the American
public, and would have deprived the
of a surrender to force exerted by the
trainmen's unions.
VICTORY in DEFEAT
Senator Underwood was defeated In
three of the four debates He won his
fight against the democratic plan of
taxing cotton because the southern prod
uct, to a certain extent. is used in the
however, in an effort to prevent the
party from abandoning it's principle and
protecting the dyestuff industry by a
prohibitive tariff duty, and in an effort
to prevent the party from embracing the
republican contention that the creation Of
a tariff commission was necessary to the
welfare of the nation.
And-but only because of the exigency
of the occasion. and the necessity, &C
cording to democratic fear. Of legislating
at the behest OF labor within a certain
stated interval Of time-he lost in his
effort 10 render future strikes improb-
able by referring future points Of diff
ference to the interstate commerce COM
mission If the party had had week. !
instead of an hour within which to con-
slider the eight-hour bill. there Is little
doubt but that the principle advocated
by Senator Underwood would have been
adopted.
Thousands of letters and kilograms re-
ceived from all sections of the country
and general editorial Endorsement. to-
gether with his firm conviction that his
efforts were in accordance with demo-
cratic doctrine, Senator Underwood states
that, irrespective of his defeats he is
satisfied There is constituencies on
the part of his colleagues who differed
from him that. in the long run. they will
return to his views and act in accordance
with his suggestions.
HIS RECORD STRAIGHT
The reason the democratic party aban-
doned the democratic principle of tariff
for revenue only and embraced the re-
publican doctrine Of protection, is due.
first, to the insistence Of the President.
and. secondly. to the idea that on ac-
count of the European war, certain de-
partures, however drastic and unprece-
denied, are essential.
Senator Underwood contended that that
party which because of an exigency sur
renders a fundamental principle. courts
defeat. He declared that manufacturers
OF cotton fabrics in 1918 insisted that dye
stuffs be admitted free Of duty. The
party. however, determined to leave I'M
changed the republican duty of 80 per
cent. In 1916 the party, and this is what
excited the opposition of Senator Under
wood. knocked out all duty pending the
conclusion of the European war with the
expressed proviso that following the war.
a duty Of Sc per cent would be imposed.
He argued and no democrat took Issue
tceasiased . Pas. TWO,