The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-10-15

chusetts. now Speaker. After the long and
often technical hearings on an appropria-
ton bill are over then follows the tedi-
Gus work of assembling it, putting it into
legislative shape, checking up the mass OF
figures. taking the many finished parts OF
an intricate piece of machinery manufac-
tured by subcommittee and dumped on
a table and assembling them into a
smoothly working machine. Fitzgerald
told me that in that eXacting work. which
often kept them in the committee rooms
fourteen hours a day, Gillett was his most
willing and efficient assistant. Then fol-
lowed the peculiar sequence: when bill
which had been tremendously labored over
by those two men was called up by Fitz-
gerald he made what is called the exposi-
ton speech, explained its many items and
of course. praised it as whole Prompt
~, after the close of the committee chair
mans speech, Gillett pitched into the bill
vigorously, condemning its extravaganza
Inconsistencies, its bungling, its danger, its
general deviltry. These two speeches hav-
ing been made, Gillett and Fitzgerald would
SOllll, 4oNI
GiIett's waiting automobile and drive out
to golf club for friendly round of the
links. Gillett, aristocratic austere, and Fitz-
gerald, democratic, genial, because of their
respective political positions fought each
other without gloves over every appropria-
ton bin they prepared. then took their
recreation together with the zest of two
friendly schoolboys.
one other contrast will show how mani
foldly unlike are members; how absurd is
the prevalent belief that they can be shown
in a composite picture which family re-
sembles any of them. Oscar w. Under
wood, Alabama, was chairman Of the Ways
and Means Committee which prepared the
tariff bill bearing his name, and Joseph w.
Fordney. Michigan, was the Republican
ranking member OF the committee. In the
House Underwood was its chief proponent,
Fordney its chief opponent and each had
it's SPECIALISTS majority committeeman
i'm charge Of each schedule a minority
member crammed for opposition TO each
schedule. Thus the work of the offense and
defense was assigned 10 captains, leaving
the general conduct of battle in charge Of
Commanders Underwood and Fordney,
their chief concern being the economic
principles involved in the bill-tarin for
revenue, tariff for protection.
Underwood, correctly dressed. smooth
shaver, quiet, ever DICED. almost motion
less at his desk, makes his points without
gestures. without modifying his somewhat
famous enigmaticaI smile; Fordney. his
loose, short jacket curling up about his
neck as he gesticulates with the wide
sweeping swings of drill hammer, his
mustache pugnaciously bristling, his voice
a roar. makes his points in manner to
suggest a battle tank in action. locomo-
tive running wild. In debate they were a
drama of antithesis; Underwood as if in
amiable conversation: Fordney, glaring,
menacing, beseeching. denouncing. COM
manding, ridiculins, striding across the
well from which he speaks; but when he
finishes, the chamber still echoing with his
crashing peroration, ringing with partisan
cheers, he passes close enough to Under
wood to whisper i'm friendly tone-I have
Continued on FolloioiH0 Pooe