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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 1911)
T- iy 2 if ls P I h' w w. I Si J- IV' ft". 1 :;i r W: RU The Commoner. Echoes of a Secret Caucus Follpwlng aro Associated Press dispatches concerning Congressman Underwood's attack on Mr. Bryan: Washington, D. C, August 2. Standing upon chairs, waving handkerchiefs and yelling loudly, democratic representatives ac claimed Representative Oscar W. Underwood of Alabama, democratic leader of the house, when ho attacked William J. Bryan for criticising his position on extension of the tariff revision pro gram. It was tho most remarkable scene in the house sinco the beginning of tho extra session of congress. Excoriating Mr. Bryan, Loader Underwood de nounced his statements as false, defended his (Underwood's) attitudo as to revision of the Iron and steel schedules and said Bryan had placed upon every democratic member implica tions unfounded in fact. He called on his demo cratic colleagues of the ways and means com mittee for corroboration of his attitudo in com mittee and caucus. Mr. Underwood was backed up in a similarly striking speech by Representa Kitchfn of North Carolina, long devotdd friend of Bryan. . Mr. Kitchin expressed surprise that any democrat should so malign Mr. Underwood and the party. Not a voice was raised in defense of Bryan. It all came about from a' published interview, -which purported to be "authorized" by Mr. Bryan, declaring it was time Democratic Leader Underwood was "unmasked." "The action of Chairman Underwood in oppos ing an immediate effort to reduce the iron and steel schedule reveals the real Underwood," said the Bryan interview. "Speaker Clark and other tariff reformers tried to secure tho passage of a resolution instructing the ways and means committee to take up other schedules, including the iron and steol schedules, but Underwood and Fitzgerald the Fitzgerald who saved Cannon in the last congress succeeded in defeating the resolution. "The unmasking of Chairman Underwood will servo a useful purpose," added tho interview, "if it arouses the democrats to. an understand ing of the mistake in putting Mr. Underwood at the head of the committee if he solidifies his policy of today." The house listened intently to the reading of the interview. Republicans applauded it, Word of the answer that Underwood was to make to Bryan had been passed among democrats and almost a full membership on the democratic side greeted the tariff loader. He was loudly cheered when ho arose to speak. As tho clerk finished the reading of the Bryan interview Mr. Underwood began to speak. If Underwood's attack was remarkable for its bit terness and vigor, it was not more so than the general applause which greeted his sarcastic and his specific and complote denials of the charges made by Bryan. He declared that because of the iron and steel mills in his own state, Alabama, he had urged the ways and means committee at the very be ginning of the session to save him embarrass ment by taking up the iron and steel schedule at once, This had not been done by the com mittee, he said, because it had determined that the textile schedules, over which there is the greatest complaint from the public should bo the objects of earliest revision. His opposition in the recent caucuses to a resolution calling for a revision of tho iron and steol schedule, he said, had been, due to the fact that it had been de termined no further tariff program should be worked out until it was found what would be done by tho president. Mr. Kitchin confirmed Mr. Underwood's state ments in every respect and declared that Mr Bryan had launched his criticism without hav ing any specific information as to what the caucus had done. Mr. Underwood had read tho published Bryan statement and speaking very deliberately, said: "Mr. Speaker, tho statements contained in that paper are absolutely false. If the reflections that article contains rested only on myself I would not take the time of this house to answer them. But those statements reflect not only on myself but on the democrats in control of this side of the capitol, and as, leader of tho floor I would be untrue to my fellow democrats here ' and to myself If I did npt reply to this attack " Mr. Underwood said tho tariff on Iron and steel needed further region and would get it that when the ways and means committee or ganized he told the committee that as every thing he had was invested in tho iron industry It would relieve him of embarrassment if it undertook iron and steel revision first. "That interview," continued Mr. Underwood, referring to Bryan, "charges that there is a difference between tho speaker of this house and myself as to legislation in this house. That statement is absolutely false. We have been to gether now and I predict that wo will be to gether to tho end." Representative Kitchin of North Carolina, also referring to the Bryan interview, corroborated Mr. Underwood. Mr. Kitchin declared the state ment made lacked truth; that Mr. Bryan had been misinformed and added that it would re dound to Bryan's credit if he would express at desire to make public his Informant, as "not a single democrat in this house could have given him such information." Mr. Underwood had read a telegram from Mr. Bryan to Representative James of Kentucky transmitting congratulations to Mr. Underwood "for his great work." "The gentleman from Nebraska did not think I was trying to protectionize the democratic party then?" said Mr. Underwood. "It was not until I differed with him on the wool schedule that ho changed his mind." Both Mr. Underwood and Mr. Kitchin were greeted with deafening cheers, Speaker Clark repeatedly pounding his gavel to restore order. "The gentleman who has issued that state ment, William Jennings Bryan," said Mr. Under wood, "charges that the chairman of the ways and means committee, standing in the interest of a protective tariff, has led this house into lines that were unworthy of any democrat in tho land. "I know it is false, Mr. Speaker; you know it is false, and so do the democrats of this side of the house. But we must let the country know it is false. The gentleman from Nebraska says that my leadership of this side of the house could not stand In the open. There is not a democratic member here that does not know that if for one moment I misrepresented the democ racy of this house in bearing my commission I should send my resignation to the speakers' desk. "Tho reason why the ways and means com mittee did not take up the iron and steel re vision was that the country was demanding a revision of the textiles, schedule K, in relation to wool and manufactures of wool, bearing an average duty of 90 per cent had not been re vised for many years. "Schedule K, the cotton schedule, bore a duty of 53 per cent, covering all cotton goods, and was proportionately equally high. The iron and steel schedule had been cut by the Wilson bill, cut by the Dingley bill, cut again by the Payne bill, and although it needs and will have further re vision, the committee, in its wisdom, not my self, noted it was wiser to consider these other schedules first. "At the first inception I said to the members of the committee: 'I will be glad if you will take up the iron and steel schedule now and lay aside the cotton schedule until you have revised the iron and steel schedule down to an honest revenue basis.' "I see members of, the committee here who hoard mo make that statement, and will sus tain tho fact, and yet the gentleman from Ne braska proclaims to the people of tho United States that this committee is being led by me in dishonest directions." Chicago, Aug. 3. Voluntarily assuming full responsibility for the editorial recently published in his weekly paper, which caused Congressman Underwood of Alabama to brand him as a falsi fier on the floor of congress, William J. Bryan today replied to the attack and declared that he Intended to give the democratic loader of the house an early opportunity to discuss some other things. Mr. Bryan proceeded to grant Congress man Underwood's request that he make public the information upon which the editorial was based. He declared that the information on which the editorial was based was taken from a Washington dispatch published by an Omaha newspaper. If this information is correct, Mr. Bryan de clares, he will stand by his statements. If in vestigation shows it to be erroneous, he gladly will acknowledge his mistake. Mr. Bryan arrived at Chicago early in the" morning and read Congressman Underwood's attack in the newspapers while eating breakfast at the University club. Ho left before noon for Iowa, where he has engagements to lecture. "If that report is incorrect," said Mr. Bryan, VOLUME 11, NUMBER 31 "I take it for granted that Mr. Underwood will read the report before tho house and deny it If tho report is correct I have nothing to with draw. If it is erroneous I shall withdraw niv criticism of Mr. Underwood, so far as it is based on his action in that particular case. Whatever the outcome of this particular instance, I do not withdraw my criticism of Mr. Underwood on other occasions, and I intend to take early op portunity to give him some other thines to discuss." Mr. Bryan took full ' responsibility for tho editorial' which 'caused the stir in congress and was quick to call for an explicit denial by Mr Underwood of the report on which the editorial was based. "Yes, I read the report of Mr. Underwood's speech in the morning papers," said Mr. Bryan "The criticism to which he refefs is contained in an editorial which I wrote myself. "The report on which the editorial was based," said Mr. Bryan, "I read last week after the house caucus on July 25. I am not sure of the exact date, but it was not earlier than Wednesday of last week and not later than Sunday morning. The dispatch from Washing ton said that Speaker Clark offered a resolution a modification of, or substitute for a resolu tion by another member instructing the ways and means committee to proceed with the steel and iron bills. This stated that Mr. Clark was supported by a number of members, but that Representatives Underwood and Fitzgerald led a fight against the resolution and defeated it. "The report also quoted Congressman Kitchin as insisting upon the introduction of a bill re ducing the tariff on iron and steel and quotes Mr. Kitchin as calling attention to Mr. Under wood's holdings in the steel company and as expressing the fear that in case of failure to reduce the tariff on steel arid iron it might affect Mr. Underwood's interest in the business." Mr. Bryan was in the city between trains on his way to Iowa. AN OPEN LETTER Lincoln, Neb., August 7. Editor World-Herald,. Omaha, Neb.: In your issue of August 4 you. say that my criticism of Mn Underwood was without foundation, adding: "This, according to the uncontradicted state ments of Mr. Underwood and Mr. Kitchin, is the truth as to what transpired in the democratic caucus of July 25. That it is amazingly insuffi cient ground on which to base such grave impu tations as those of Mr. Bryan was shown by the remarkable demonstration of confidence in Mr. Underwood, given by the house democrats, many of them warm and devoted friends of his-accuser. There was not one who would ques tion, in a single detail, the truthfulness and justice of Mr. Underwood's reply. To the con trary, publicly summoned by him to bear wit ness, they gave silent assent as they also gave dramatic demonstrative assent to every word he uttered in his own defense. So, too, will the democracy of the country, and so will tho hundreds of thousands of independent voters." In another column you have a news item from Lincoln to the effect that I relied upon a republi can newspaper's report.. The fact is that I re lied entirely on a Washington dispatch (it is reproduced in this Issue) which appeared on the first page of the World-Herald of July 26 and your Lincoln correspondent had been advised that I saw the Washington story in the World Herald before he sent the Lincoln news item to your paper. The Commoner editorial was written im mediately after reading the World-Herald dis patch and before reading any other report. The World-Herald report stated that Speaker Clark offered a resolution instructing tho ways and means committee to proceed with preparation of other tariff bills and that Mr." Underwood, as sisted by Mr. Fitzgerald, opposed and dofeated the Clark resolution. Will you please inform your readers whether your Washington dispatch was correct and oblige. Yours truly, W. J. BRYAN. The World-Herald dispatch as it will be found in that paper of July 26th, follows: "Washington World-Herald Bureau, Munsey Building, Washington, D. C, July 25. Repre sentative Underwood, chairman of the ways and means committee, and Representative Fitzgerald of New York, were in the saddle at the caucus of the house democrats this afternoon and suc ceeded in bowling over Speaker Clark and every body else who sought to commit the house demo crats to a revision of steel and iron and other scliemUlos at thls session of congress. The first attempt to extend tho tariff pro- d&$ L. '.-1JHB-. Xj.Vl