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The Commoner
OCTOBER, 1913
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The President Signs New Tariff Law
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CHRONOLOGY OF THE NEW
!: , - . Payne
' i " Bill
1909.
Introduced Mar. 17
Reported to House. . .Mar. 17
House debate began. .Mar. 19
Passed the House .... Apr. 9
Referred to Finance
Committee Apr. 9
Reported to Senate. . .Apr. 12
Recalled by House. . . .Apr. 12
Amended by House. . . .Apr. 12
Returned to Senate. . . .Apr. 19
Referred to Finance
Committee Apr. 19
Reported to Senate. . .Apr. 19
Senate debate began. .Apr. 20
Passed Senate July 18
Conferees appointed.. .July 8
Conferees reported .... July 3 0
House adopts confer
ence report July 31
Reports sent to Senate Aug. 2
Senate adopts report. .Aug. 5
Presented to President Aug. 5
Signed by President. . .Aug. 5
Bill became law Aug. 6
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Following is a special telegram to the New
York Times, dated, Washington, Saturday, Oct.
4. The Underwood-Simmons tariff bill is now
a lav. President Wilson signed the measure at
9:10 o'clock last night, and it went into effect
one minute after midnight. It is the first tariff
law placed on the statute books by the demo
cratic party in nearly twenty years.
The signing of the measure was made the
occasion of considerable ceremony. Although
the bill had reached the White House from the
capitol with the signatures of Speaker Clark and
Vice President Marshall attached early in the
afternoon, its approval by the president was pur
posely postponed until 9 o'clock at night. Presi
dent Wilson had said that he would sign the
bill the minute he received it. But he explained
to the assembled crowd of Interested onlookers
that in deferring immediate action he had fol
lowed the advice of Attorney General McRey
nolds that it would be well not to take any
chances of putting the law in operation until all
the custom houses of the country had been
closed for the day.
In attaching his signature and the words
"Approved 9:10 p. m., Oct. 3, 1913," to the bill
the president used two gold pens, one of which
he gave to Representative Oscar W. Underwood,
chairman of the house committee on ways and
means and father of the tariff measure, and the
other to Senator Furnifold M. Simmons, chair
man of the committee on finance, who engi
neered the bill through the senate.
At the time fixed by the president for the
ceremony of signing those who had been in
vited to witness the event and who had previous
ly assembled in the office of Joseph P. Tumulty,
secretary to the president, were ushered into
the oval room In the executive offices which the
president occupies while attending to public
business. A few minutes thereafter President
Wilson came Into the room and began chatting
with some of the public men who were there.
He seemed to be in no particular hurry, but
after a while he went over to his desk, where
the official engrossed copy of the tariff measure
printed on parchment paper was lying, with the
last pago arranged on top ready for his auto
graph. FIFTY WITNESSED SIGNING
In the group surrounding the president's
deBk were fifty or more people, making a big
crowd for the little room. Most of them stood
in the space in front of the desk, while behind
the president were the cabinet members and
the men who had most to do with the enactment
of the tariff legislation. The cabinet officers
present were Secretary Bryan, Secretary Mc
'Adoo, Secretary Garrison, Attorney General Mc
Reynolds, Secretary Daniels, Secretary Houston,
Secretary Rodfield, and Secretary Wilson all,
in fact, except Postmaster General Burleson and
Secretary Lane.
Among thoso behind tho president wore
Joseph Wilson, tho president's brother, Senators
Thomas, Hughes and Gore, who aro members
of tho committoo on finance; Representative
Hull, Kitchen, Rainey, Hammond, Garrett,
Garner, Dixon and Collier, members of tho coin
mitteo on ways and means; Senator Kern, demo
cratic leader of tho senate; Franklin D. Roose
velt, assistant secretary of tho navy; Dudley V.
Malone, third assistant secretary of state; Sec
retary Tumulty, Rudolph Forster, executivo
clerk of tho White house staff; Thomas J. Pence,
secretary in charge of tho democratic national
committee headquarters in Washington; South
Trimble, clerk of tho house of representatives;
Thomas W. Brahany, chief clerk to tho presi
dent, and a large representation of nowspapor
correspondents.
Tho chatter and laughter among tho crowd
ceased as President Wilson stood at his desk
with tho tariff bill before him. Mr. Wilson wore
evening clothes with a dinner coat. Ho looked
very happy and smiled at his audionco beforo
beginning to speak. But boforo ho opened his
lips thoso in tho room broko Into a round of
hand-clapping that continued for nearly a miuto.
EXPLAINS DELAY IN SIGNING
"I have delayed signing tho bill," ho said,
"until this hour on tho advice of the attorney
general, who thought it might interforo with
business to sign It sooner, as most of its pro
visions go into effect Immediately. I understand
that it is now after five o'clock in San Francisco,
and I presumo the ordinary business transactions
of tho day havo been closed."
Then the president smiled again as ho said:
"I'm not going to say what I think about this
bill until after I havo signed it."
"You might chango your mind," camo from
some one in tho crowd.
"Wolf, I'm not going to take any chances,"
responded tho president. "The bill might get
away from me."
Then the president sat down at his desk and
took up one or two gold penholders that he had
purchased for tho occasion. Looking around
at tho crowd ho remarked:
"I am going to sign this bill with two pens,
and give ono to Mr. Underwood and ono to
Senator Simmons," and, after a slight pause, ho
added:
"And I am also going to mark tho time on it."
Taking his watch from his waistcoat pockot,
the president glanced at It quickly, after replac
ing it, began writing the indorsement that mado
the new tariff bill tho law of tho land. With
one pen ho wrote "Approved," and tho date and
hour, and the name "Woodrow." Then ho took
up the other pen and wrote "Wilson."
Rising quickly, tho president handed ono of
the pens to Mr. Underwood, who smilingly ac
cepted it, and murmured, with a choke in his
voice:
"I thank you very much, Mr. President, for
this souvenir."
What Senator Simmons said as ho took his
particular pen from the president's hand could
not be heard in the room, but it was apparent
that Mr. Simmons was very happy.
THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH
The president went back to his desk and in
an easy conversational way began a little speech
that lasted nine minutes. In it ho told of his
gratification over signing the bill and said that
"something like this" had been in his heart ever
since he was a boy. He spoke regarding tho
accomplishment of his tariff legislation as an
eyent that would set the country free from
monopolistic conditions, but ho insisted that
the journey had been only half completed and
declared that currency leglsh.tion was now
necessary. Ho expressed the utmost confidence
that the senate would pass the currency measure
sooner than somo pessimistic Individuals be
lieved. There was another round of applause as tho
president finished. Vice President Marshall was
the first to shake Mr. Wilson's ht.nd in congratu
lation. Mr. Underwood had been seized with a
fit of coughing while the president was speak
ing and was obliged to leave the room, but ho
returned in time to hear tho conclusion of the
president's remarks, and was tho second of thoso
to offer his congratulations.
The custody of the tariff act was given to Ben
G. Davis, the chief clerk of the state department,
us soon & the coreniony wuh over. Tho official
copy will bo presorvud in tho archives of tho
department. Tho careful Mr. Fomtor, who hna
boon a White llouie official for many yearn, got
u receipt from Mr. Davis before ho handed over
tho bulky document.
PINAL STACKS IN TUB HOl'SUS
Speaker Clark signed tho bill uL 1:25 o'clock
In the afternoon and Vice President Marshall
Digued the measure at 1:31 o'clock. Within an
hour afterward tho engrossed copy, printed on
parchment paper, bound in bluo luuthor and
gilt edged, was on its way to tho president's
office at tho Whlto Houso.
Tho bill was recolvod from tho sonate Im
mediately after the house mot at noon, and
would havo been signed almost as soon an it
was presented but for a wranglo ovor a parlia
mentary tangle into which tho house was In
volved by a point of ordur raluod by Represen
tative Ashor Hinds of Maine. It Involved tho
question whether It was necessary for tho houso
to take any further action with respect to tho
proposed cotton tnx amendment from which tho
senate receded yesterday. Mr. Hinds was for
merly the parliamentarian of the houso and Is
tho author of "Hind's Precedents."
Mr. Hinds raised tho point of order that thore
was nothing before tho house to bo considered,
so far ns the cotton tax amendment was con
cerned; that since tho senate had recoded from
its own amendment it was not nocessary for
the house to tako any further action in tho
matter In fact, Impossible for tho houso to do
anything but accept tho decision of tho sonato.
Chairman Underwood and pthor democratic
leaders insisted that slnco the houso had re
ceded from its first disagreement to tho Clarko
amendment and then concurred In tho sonato
amendment In tho naturo of tho Lover-Smith
substitute, the action of tho sonato yesterday
did not finally adjust tho mattor, and that the
houso must concur in tho action of tho senate
An hour and twenty minutes waB given to tho
discussion of tho parliamentary point raised by
Mr. Hinds, and for a whilo tho house became so
involved In tho tanglo that many members found
It difficult to fathom tho situation. Chairman
Underwood insisted that it was necessary for tho
house to tako somo action which would placo it
in complete harmony with tho action of tho
senato on tho cotton tax proposal, and for that
reason ho moved that tho house concur In tho
senate's action of yesterday, wiping tho wholo
matter from tho bill.
While it was only a parliamentary matter,
Mr. Underwood Insisted that tho houso would
make a mistake If It left open tho way for rais
ing any question In the courts that might attack
the validity of tho new tariff law. Mr. Undor
wood said ho was not desirous of quibbling ovor
parliamentary points, but ho dl.d not intend to
have the bill passed in any fashion that would
leave any shadow of doubt hanging over Its
validity.
Tho chair finally hold that tho point of order
raised by Mr. Hinds was not well taken, and
tho house then voted unanimously to concur
in tho action of tho senate, which wholly
eliminated the cotton tax matter from - tho
measure.
This finally assured the tariff legislation for
which the democratic party has been working
since the extra session began last April, and
when Speaker Clark signed the bill tho demo
cratic side went almost wild with enthusiasm,
rising In a body and cheering and clapping their
hands. Chairman Underwood was soon sur
rounded by a largo crowd of members of the
house, who formed In line, and as each man
passed him he congratulated tho leader on the
passage of the bill, which will go into history
bearing his name. Republicans and progres
sives joined the democrats in offering congratu
lations to Mr. Underwood.
WANTED A POLITE SYNONYM FOR
LECTURE
A public official can practice law without
offending the plutocrats his feo Is a retainer.
A public official can even write for the news
papers and magazines and still bo respectable
his compensation is described as an honorarium.
Give us a word, please, which will mean the
same as lecturing but will not grato on the
sensitive nerves of tho subsidized press!
Well, the income tax law, aside from serving
other useful purposes, will enable constituents
to find out the incomes of their public servants.
They can then inquire, "Where do they come
from?"
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