The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-27
SENATOR UNDERWOOD


 in the Washington Star.
 When President Harding appointed Sen. Os- car W. Underwood of Alabama one of the four principal American delegates to the conference on the limitation of armament satisfaction was widely expressed. In the first place, Senator Underwood is recognized as one of the ablest men in either branch of Congress. In the sec ond place, he is the leader of the democrats in the Senate, and it was generally conceded that the President had been wise to appoint Der of the minority party member of the dele gation.
 Of the 59 years of his life, Senator Under. wood has spent 26 in Congress-the ftrsi 20 years as a member of the House of Represen- tatives, and the last six years as member of the Senate. He is now beginning his second term as senator. Before he had completed his first term in the Senate he was selected as leader of his party in that body, which is almost unprecedented in the annals of the Senate where length of service counts so much when it comes to selection of officers and member ship on important committees. But Mr. Un- derwood is essentially leader. He has all the characteristics which make him able chief tain.
 
 fence with him as a leader inthe House. When, during the Taft administration the democrats came into power, MT. Underwood became chair man of the House ways and means committee. In those days this office took with it the floor leadership of the House though this rule has now been modified, and the floor leader and the chairman of that important committee not one and the same. MT. Underwood welded the democrats into aggressive fighting party group in the House. When Woodrow Wilson was elected President and the Senate became democratic too, MT. Underwood continued as House leader and was power in the drafting of the Underwood Simmons tariff act "for enue only" as opposed to the republican tariff for protection.
 MT. Underwood is one of the best posted men in the country on matters relating to the tariff and internal revenue. When he en- tered the Senate, however, he avoided seeking appointment to the finance committee, which handled these matters for the Senate, leaving Senator Simmons of North Carolina to lead on tariff, questions. It was not long, however, before MT. Underwood made himself recognized as a power in the Senate. As a debater and parliamentary tactician, MT. Underwood has few equals. He has the ability to get his colleagues together and to hold them together. This is due in part to his personality, particularly low able. He is exceedingly frank. There is never any doubt to where he stands on proposi- tion, once he has grasped 1t and made up his mind.
 In 1912 Mr. Underwood was candidate for the democratic nomination for President at the earnest solicitation of his friends. In the Bal timore convention he showed much strength when it came to the balloting. He was the first man from the south to obtain such following for the presidency since the civil war.
 MT. Underwood has not hestated to differ with the titular head of his party-when there was democratic President in the White House, when he believed that the President was taking a wrong position. He fought MT. Wilson on the question of Panama canal tolls, believing that American coastwise vessels should have free passage of the canal, and on other mat ters. But he is a strong party man, believing in party organization and the rule of the ma jority.
 He was anti-prohibition and anti-suffrage when those issues were before the Senate and is reckoned a conservative. Nevertheless, he has been found supporting much of the progressive legislation of recent years.
 During the present conference MT. Under. wood has been made American representative on and chairman of a subcommittee dealing with the intricate question of the customs tar ifs to be levied by the Chinese, because of his great familiarity with such subjects.