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AV FEDERAL A ROPRIATIONS FOR THE IMPR EMENT OF OUR PUBLIC ROADS uty Congress Unquestioned from the Founda tion of the Government ech of Oscar W. Underwood in the U. S. House of Rep. 908.) in Committee of the Whole House on the state of the under consideration the bill (H. R. 19158) making e Department of Agriculture for the fiscal year ending d: ection is made' to this appropriation looking to the im blic-road system on the ground that it invades the re States. I wish to say there is no man ol the floor of ous in his desire to protect the reserved rights of the believe the sovereign States composing the Union have i and should perform them without aid or hindrance on e 'al Government. I do not believe the Central Government o legislative fields that belong solely to the States, but I the F eral Government, within its well-defined powers, has its uty to perform ui r the powers given it by the Constitution; that it should give force and eff to the grants of power given it by the States, and oe of these grants of wer, to use the language of the Constitution, is "to estab lish post-offices anl post-roads." There caji be n question whatever that the Constitution carries the power to build post-road in the United States. To establish post-offices means to build post-offices, -I to establish post-roads icans to build post-roads. Gen tlemen may scoff : the proposition and say that the fathers did not conten plate our present d\'elopmcnt and modern methods of transportatim- that they contemplated tilding roads to carry the mail throug the twilderness and did not dream of time coming vihen th - - --air C6gd be delivered at every 4 farmer's door. Bu I want to say, Mr. Cliairman, that the nel for post-roads in the United Sta s wa4 no" greater in tie days of the fathers than today. * * * ~4 * * * * * * * * Mr. gt. ere does the gentleman find anything in the Constitution au iig the F eral Govcrincnt to build post-roads? Underwood. Why, it is very clear. The Constitution gives the power .. tthe Federal Gernment "to establish post-offices and post-roads." Mr. Douglas. e language of the Constitution is to "establish" post-roads, and that has been ield to be a very different thing from building them. Mr. Williams. iat question was discussed in the Third Congress and was decided in favor the construction of the Cumberland road by some of the very men who wr e the Constitution. Mr. Underwood The contention that is made today by the leaders of the Republican party at the Government of the United States has no constitu tional power to a ' the States in building good roads was certainly not main tained by the lea ng men of the nation during the first half century of our existence as a Go rnment. * * * * * * * * * * * * On March 14, 18, the House of Representatives passed the following res olution: "Resolved, that Congress has power under the Constitution to ap propriate morqy for the construction of post-roads, military and other roads, and of-canals, and for the improvement of waterways." Thomas Jeffersi said, in a letter to Mr. Lieper, in 1808: "Give us p' ce till our revenues are liberated from debt, and then, if war be nece sry, it can be carried on without a new tax or loan, and during peace we may checker our whole country with canals, roads, etc. This is the object to which all our endeavors should be directed." While Secretaor of War in 1819 Mr. Calhoun made a report to the House of Representativi on roads and canals, in which he said: "No objecl of the kind is more important and there is none to which State or in vidual capacity is more inadequate. It must be perfected by the Gen al Government or not perfected at all." In addition tj this, Congress has a stronger and more specific warrant for making this apiropriation, under the authority conferred by the Constitution "to establish pfst-offices and post-roads." Cooley, in his book on Constitu tional Law, sayl: "Every road within a State, including railroads, canals, turnpikes, and navigable streams, existing or created within a State, becomes a post-road, whenever, by the action of the Post-Office Department, pro vision is made for the transportation of the mails upon or over it." A Southern Presi- ThCosr dential Possibility tv ot In the mention of Oscar \V. Under- Nomaydsagiwssuetd wood, of Alabama, for the Democraticinaedtrlinhspprtathee Presidential nomination resides a good ll fta eto fteUinta deal more than a suggestion that wv edahlacetragtobaku nave got too far away from the CivilthUnoofheSasmgtpsil War era to regardl a statesman as nec- tr u ob h oeo osr essarily "unavailable" because he comes vts hiwudsada are ~* from a commonwealth that was a mem- aantauag norshm fgv her of the Southern Confederacy. crmnthtwud esoyhefbi Of the men now before the countryofteCniuinalpedbor ie as possible or probable DemocraticfoeahrndatfdbyheSts candidates for the Presidency, Under-thtadfutfoanacivd d wood is certainly one of the strongest. ledneadfedm HeI has had a line training in Congress, A vdneta uhatigmyb and is in himself a man of natural force aogtepsiiiisaprgahi and large capacity for. work-and wvork-hce uoe frmasehmdeb ers are what we want in executive posi-I-o Osa W.UdroofA tions. HeI has been a member of the bma oteYugMnsDmcai House of Representatives for sonme fif- Lau fS.Lus teen years, and has risen by force of merit, and nothing but merit, to a posi- "Sm Deortwatopu tion which made it inevitable that he th iniave ndrfedu should be Chairman of the Committee pakit h ainlpafr on \Vays and Means wvhen the Demo- oftelmcricpty I crats came into control of the popular tikta vudleu~ie branch of the Government. He has the Th intave ndrfedu youth, the environment, the enthusiasm, salclisesso tms the courage, the political sagacity, and the statesmanly qualities fully to justify teptoalyitoheUtd his consideration in connection with the Stesyudtryhe nie 4Presidential noiiationi. fbi fteCnttto.W Mr. Undlerwood is a conservative man, acntatu eorc.Ti who is capable of entertaining pro- isarpeetiv Gorn gressive idleals and at the same time of mn. realizing fully the dluty and the ne cessity for conserving substantial inter- Aqterdeknwr.Udrvo ests of the community. The Democratic party might go farther and dho vastlyCmiteofheHuefRprsna wvorse than if it should nominate him at asigo.Btfrheac as its standlardI-bearer of 1912.-Mun- (a i santv n ieln ei scy's Magnzine, January, 1912.(lutothSuhli vldsadafn UNDBRWOOD IN THE WEST ddt o rsdn etya.Cno "I am gratified to see this State mov-(uaiecfothpromneofhed ing onwvard in almost every line and I te ftegetofc sayoei note the wonderful growth of Birtcnnciomniing-otdube ham. I observe that Thme Age-Heraldthtielcdlewodmaeasf has kept full step with the progressive Peiet-nxil ora n rb spirit and has led in the work. "The growving strength of Oscar Un- mwOcoe2419. decrwood in the minds of the people throughout the United States has givein Alabama a kind of publicity that the State could obtain in no other way, DMORTCLA ESI particularly on the great question of the tariff, for it was not thotught that Tems ain atcnetdwt one would come out of Alabama with its variedl interests who would be athstrofheblinhepsntq D~avid to dlefy the trusts. Oscar Un-grsisteemkalsrnthote derwood is regarded by many men as Dmcai atcailtehg ul thme best equipped, cleanest, fairest man iysi~nb r newotehae to-dhay menitioned for the presidency f lie is nomiinated, lhe will undoubtedly o h at ntefor h fre' win. If any strong sentiment of the fe it ilwsamse toe n South demands his election lie will be M.Udroduiie ti h lbt nominated. Out in Colorado, with its wt nefcieesta etntigt thousands of visitors from all partsbedsr.Whtgvseasretho of the United States, lie is the first manthDeoricpsinishatepry nlamed by most of them. The prom-isgapngwt abgad(ifcit inience given to his candidacy by the qeto nasii hti toc 'magazines and the public press has cuaeu n rcia.I hr st caused a strong tide to rise which Ibenerofscladshpstatr hw and believe will carry him to the rsne yM.Udrvotetr H-ouse. I took much pleasure"patcloiis"mybreudfon it - .4 ~n organizing the Underwoodthigonynowic itasfle ("t1 o ver, andl it is doing good adrcvrtemaigt hc ti ".ra naby."-Harry H-awkins, lgtmtl nild-e okEe N. 'n the Birmingham, Ala.,nngPIrpouei ieElDad ~, I sn uay 8,191.nSn (ee oriadinthiSpprings, th Mpo. p/ fta eto fteUinta UNDER WOOD CLEAN CC FAIE His name is Oscar W. Underwood; uc his years are onl the sunshine side of ird fifty. As chief of the Ways and Means, i and chairman of the Committee on Com- re mittees, he is Speaker Clark's right arm su in the House. ev Mr. Underwood's cry is "Tariff for dc revenue only I" When Mr. Bryan, eaten -1 of a rule-or-ruin spirit, came to Wash- is ington at the beginning of the special H session to trouble the waters of party lY hope with an attack upon the wool bill h as proposed by the Democrats, Mr. Un- ai derwood, in going after Mr. Bryan, lit stated his own tariff position. Said he: M "'ihe Democratic party stands for a ti( tariff for revenue. The Democratic w" party does not stand for free trade, ra and I do not believe the people will Il be misled by the statement of Mr. a Bryan." it That Mr. Underwood is against pro tection, and fights it, evinces his cour- M age. He comes from the Birmingham an district .in AIPdama-a breeding-ground th; of protection. In Mr. Underwood's dis- it. trict there are nine railroads, one hun- sel (red and forty-eight miles of street-car ch tracks, $150,000,000 of invested indus- thl tries, an annual pig-iron output of ly 2.000,000 tons, and a production of dv 15,000,000 tons of coal. The city of lo lirinilgham has an annual pay-roll of L< $50,000.000. The Tennessee Coal & Iron Ja Company, which is a part of the Steel * Trust, controls one-third of all the prod UNDERWOOD'S CIN In this morning's magazine section tio of The Times our readers will find the th en very interesting report of an inquiry e* by a staff correspondent into the record th., and repute, in his own home, of the pr< Hon. Oscar W. Underwood of Ala- tll bama, who has recently been discussed 1)0 as a possible Democratic candidate for so1 the presidency. It is needless to say we that The Times is not concerned to ad vance the interests of any gentleman to in this direction in preference to any vai other: It is concerned only in laying a 4 before its readers such information, rej carefully gathered and impartially pre- a ! sented, as will aid in the formation of cai sound public opinion and a choice that de will be to the greatest advantage of the ele Nation. an \Ve think our readers will agree that an any party may be congratulated among re whose prominent men, to whom the tiil cyes of the party are directed on the cai eve of a presidential campaign, there be is one with such standing among those m1i who know him best as Mr. Underwood In has. Plainly he is a man to be trusted, th because le is trusted, for his integrity, of purity, civic courage, and ability, by his na own people. Whether, when the time w< comes for a choice, he will be consid- mi ered the best man is a question which tic it is nowy too early to decide. But there sii is one element that wvill enter into the Ui problem which may well receive atten- en A VOoc From Virgina re, "All of the avowved aspirants are inl men of distinction and merit, but my plC individual opinion is that thle party has " an opportunity to mlake a magnificent of selection by chloosing for its standard at bearer in 1912 thle wvise, well-balanced his and thoroughly equipped Alabamians H-on. Oscar Underwvood. th< "Mr. Underwood's record in states- ly maniship is a good enough guarantee as of hlis fitness for thle Whlite House. oil lie measures up to all thle requirements ge: of thle exalted positionl. He is fearless frc anld broad-minded, and thlere is nothing wve of the demagogue in his composition. Some wyill cavil at his Southlern origin It and raise the oft-repeated cry thlat no th< Southerner can be elected to tile presi- nas dlency. Thlis bugaboo is raised in spite ] of tile fact thlat all the leading papers we of the North aind South and all wvriters tin of any note have declared time aind he; again thlat sectional feeling and preju- th< dice, based on the wvar of '61-65, have eol dliedl out conmpletely. sta "If that be true is there any longer thli any valid reason against going to the qu South for a candidate? If Mr. Under- rol wvod's personality and public service render him peculiarly available should as thle matter of location bar him from the ve lnmination? Thie idea is absurd."- M Hon1. A. C. Broxton, of Richmiond, Va., sh in The Baltimore Sun, January, 1912. th ab all UNDERWOOD LOOMS UP ne Whether the disclaimer of Represen- m< tative Oscar W. Underwood of candi- do dacy for the Democratic nomination for (Id presideint is to stand or not, thlere is no question that lhe is looming large anld m~ seriously, no less at the North than at an thle Southl, as a possibility, if not this Pe time, then in the near future. Mr. wi Underwvood is making a wvidcspread and tiv dlistinlctive imlpressionl, nlot only as tihe ral honest, bold, sagacious leader of the of IHouse majority, and~ not only as a mias terful Southlern Democrat, but as ani th<l American publicist and' statesman-a lie man~l of affairs andi broad conlcept of m< his responsibility to the whole people.- thl Richmond, Va., Times-Dispatch, re- co prinited in tile Birminlgham, Ala., Age- co Ikrald, January 22, 1912. or fr< H EARS MUCH POLITICA L TA LK ' "Ins traveling through tile country I of hlear no0 end of political talk," said" Jamles A. Braun, sales manlager of the Wyeth Chemnical Company of New York. "During the past five or six weeks I hlave hleard Underwood very mulch dis culssedl as a presidlential proposition. I hia found1( ill the Carolinas a great deal of ta; Unlderwoodl sentimienlt. I have been cr; keeping tip withl Underwood's record a inl Congress, and~ I b~elieve that his in commanlding position in tile Democratic ani party will he appreciatedl by tile rankg X anld file of the Democracy."-Age. In I!krald, Birmingham, Ala., Tai. 7, 1912. JTu IOUSE LEADE URAGE, HIGH ['HFUL IN HIS ts of the district. One-third of all the >n-ore holdings of the Steel Trust are and around Birmingham. Surely, at st glance, a bad outlook for a tariff former! And yet Mr. Underwood cceeds and re-succeeds himself with er climbing majorities. It is the Underwood honesty that es it-that, and his clean courage. ic dominant quality in Mr. Underwood honesty, and folk have found it out. onesty is among the scarcest of earth commodities, and when a community s discovered it in the possession of individual, it guards it and works it :e a gold-mine for every final ounce. r. Underwood is honest: His elec >n was not the work of money. He is not chosen as either the pet of the ilroads or the first-born of the trusts. is seat was given him by the people, d because they believed lie would fill to the best of public advantage. This enidnation of the popular gives r. Underwood the House high ground, d he is so far military in his genius it he knows how to fortify and hold From his place as a people's repre itative, he can overstare and keep in eck the Paynes and the Dalzells and Crumpackers, who are present mere by the grace of pirate money, and ,ell, therefore, on House levels much ver than his own.-Alfred Henry wis in the Cosmopolitan, New York, nuary, 1912. * * * * * * As the head of the Ways and Means INTEGRITY, P rIC COURAGE n even thus early. It is the fact it Mr. Underwood is a man of South i birth, a Representative from a South i State. There is a feeling, rather in a definite opinion, which finds ex ission more often in his own section in in the North, and perhaps more en in his own party than in the op site party, that this fact would be a irce of weakness if Mr. Underwood re named by the Democracy. )f course, this is a matter not easily be decided with confidence in ad ice. There has been no occasion for listinct expression of public sentiment ,arding it. It is a half century since southern candidate for the presidency ne before the Nation, and a good al longer than that since one was cted. Great events have intervened d left their impress on the minds d hearts of men, the depth and di :tion of which no one can surely es iate. Our own judgment is that a ididate from the South-other things ing equal-would not be weaker and ght even be the stronger for that fact. a broad way, it may safely be said it there is in our people now a sense tried and proved and established tionality which might, and probably >ild, welcome an opportunity for mnifesting itself. This sense of na nality has grown progressively ever ice the close of the wvar for the iion. It has been steadily strength ed by the conditions of our National Jaokscrew or Axe r'hat wvith the Democratic party al idy in power in the Hlouse, and hav a visible chance of coming into com te power in the National Govern nt, it is of interest to learn from at viewpoint the actual pilot-in-charge the Democracy's legislative ship looks his task and by what stars lie shapes course. \re they fixed andl steadfast lights of political firmament or arc they mere those will-o'-the wisps that flame up "paramout issues" for this year, y to be forgotten next year? We a comforting light on this question in another remark by Mr. Under od: 'I think thc big question is the tariff. is the question of the development of industries and commerce of the ion." "roni a Democrat that is a remark lI-nigh startling. It exhibits such an usual viewvpoint. It is almost like rng Andrew Carnegie confess that re might lbe such a thing as a right is war. Illerctofore, our D)emocratic tesmen have so uniformly declared it there was nothing to the tariff estion biut stopping "robbers" from >binig. l'hey ntever seemed to think of a tariff having anything to (do with the (he opmient of induistries and commerce. .Underwood does. He says we mId reduce our tariff because wvith settlemen~it of the \'Vest wec have left bind the~ days whelin our home market sorbed the prodlucts of our factories d left ius no surplus for wvhich we ~eded to look for a nmarket abroad. HIe holds that otur indutstrial dlevelop nit has outstripped the increase in mestic demand, andu that we are pro cing, or at least have the existinug ca :ity to prIoduice, a great surplus of nufactures for which we must fmtd trets in other countries. Therefore, d since ''we cannot trade with other >ple unless we permit thenm to t radec th us," reduce the tariff to a competi e basis-to the "lowest rates that wvill se the revenutes that the exigencies the Government require." Dne ma~y agree or disagree with that ~ory of tariff-making. One may dishe e that its effects will lbe "develop nit of the indtustries and commerce of nationi." llut at least it is a theory isistent w.ith itself and professing istruictive aims and not merely clam ing for dlestruction. A\nd its piropotnent is no doctrinaire 'sht from academic halls with his nod crammed with "solutions" of every nig. Neither is lhe the freak product passing popular delight with the latest velty amiong politcal entertainers." icago Intecr-Ocean, September 26, B3STIMATFB OF OPPONENTS Mien like Payne and Mann dleclare n to lbe the most resourceful an ronist they have found on the Demo stic side. A skillful parliamentarian, g~oodl speaker, holding himself always perfect conitrol, he is a model leader, dI his following is daily increasing. ashington Correspondence in The 'ening Bulletin, Philadelphia, Pa., nie 1911. HONESTY FRIENDSHIPS Committee, Mr. Underwood has showi himself to be the right man in the righ place. What advances are made by tht party in 1912 will be due largely to him le knows tariff in all its schedulq windings, as a man knows the hallway of his own house. He has wisdom. H( has temper and spirit, but is neithe unreasonable nor vindictive. I hav faith in the tariff thoroughness of Mr Underwood. If I owned the revenue of the Government, I shouldn't hesitat< to employ him as night-watchman. Alfred Henry Lewis, in the Cosmopol itan, January, 1912. * * * * * * , Mr. Underwood is faithful in hi: friendships. To those whomi he casualh, iects, he is affable, albeit non-com nittal, keeping his own counsel. He i: never rude nor hard; never violent even with blood foes. For the strangel within his gates his air is gentle am frank. He is easy to see, and, speaking generally, has been ever careful to keet himself within the reach of all. News paper folk, sent to Mr. Underwood b3 some stress of duty, never fail to lik( him. He has his dignity, but there i no reserve. He maintains no distance between himself and them. He answer, a question with a round readiness, o: says plainly that lie can't answer it an tells why. He expedites the business ii hand, and will even anticipate the pur pose of one's coming, and put questioni to himself.-Alffed Henry Lewis, in th Cosinopolitan, New York, January, 1912 URITY AND ABILITY life and especially by the intimate, ex tensive, and increasing intercommuni cation within our borders. Our peoplk have for forty years literally lived to gether, and always more and mor< closely. They have gradually ceased to think in ternis of sections, and thc South is to-day no more distinct and ipart from the East or the Middle West or the West in the minds of those who dwell elsewhere. In the next place, no one under sixty ias any personal experience of the :ivil conflict, and that means not mere y that the majority but that the great iody of voters are without this ex )erience. It is more than a quarter of i century since the "Southern Ques ion" entered even nominally into a National contest. If it were raised cow by any party, and those who would Je influenced by it had to stand up mad be counted, we believe they would .e ludicrously few. On the other hand, we are confident that, were the issuc nade, a great many voters-chielly imong those who were most earnest il their loyalty in the civil war-would by 1 common impulse of generosity and of ;elf-respect incline toward the Southern :andidate. If forced really to think of Ihe matter, and to act on their conclu sions, it would seem too absurd to act in the present on the issues long sinc< settled, settled in their favor, and set tled forever.-Thec New York Times November 26, 1911. A Voice Frorn Florida "Oscar Underwood, however, has nore friends than any man mentioned For the Democratic presidential nomi antion. He is more popular throughout he country wvith all the D~emocrats than he others. He i's almost the unanimous econd choice. If you ask the H armon nen who they would be for in case Iarmon could not lbe nominated they .vill say Underwood; when you ask the W~ilson men the same question as to Wilson, they reply that if Wilson cani lot be the nominee, Underwvood is their hoice ; and the same thinig is true of he Champ Clark men."-T. A. Jennings, ational Committeeman from Florida, in the Pensacola Even ing News, Friday vening. January 12, 1912. MR. UND~R WOOD Meanwhile Mr. Underwvood has r vork to do in Washington for which h< bas revealed a remarkable aptitude. I is not too much to say that the existing harmony among the Democratic mem Lers of the H ouse, and the ability the) showed at the last session to wvork to. gether, are largely due to his skillfu leadership. IHe proposes to resume th task of tariff revision at the poinit wvher it was interrupt ed by the P'resi~dent' vetoes-The Providence (R. I.) Jour nzal, D~eccmber 2, 1911. UN DE~RWOOD AND THE PAPERS The careful reader of the newspaper5 is surprised at one notable feature oL the papers from piractic-ally every see. Lion of the cdyntry. This feature is th< genceral not ice andl at tent ion paid to Coni ressmnan Oscar Underwood as a candi date for the Democratic presidential nomination, and thle uni form prais< which invariably accompanies the mn.n ion of him and h is candhidac:y. This is all the more surprising because Mr. Un lerwood mnaintai,is no press bureau. Or he other hand, prTominenttt canditidates for the D emocratic: nomninat ion like Gov ernor II armont of (Ohio, Governor Wil son of New Jersey and Speaker ClarI, rof Missouri, maintain large and activ< bureaus, which are cont inucally sending~ out campaign literature to the papers of the country. Notwithstanding this, at the presen' time Mr. Underwood is receiving mnor< attention than any other, we might sa) any' other two, presidential cancdidate: combined. T1hce attitude of the voters towards Mr. Underwood may be doumbte< uint il that at titudle is made clear in at election, but it cann~ot lie doubted thai his record and his strong personality are admired by the newspapers of th< country. For now he is receiving n-or< free and favorable advertising than any ot her public man of the country. Mlontgomseryv (Alabama) Advertiser January 5, 1912. INITIATIVE, REFERENDUM DOCTRINES CONTR MENTAL PRINCII t (In address before Young Men's Demo< "Some Democrats want to put the i National platform of the Democratic Thci initiative and referendum as a 1c when you attempt to apply it to the Ur of the Constitution. We are not a tr government."-From Knoxville Journal A FIGURE OF I The emphasis here is placed upon Mr. Underwood's wisdom, but along with this is mentioned his honesty. These two qualities greatly impress every one who conies into association with Mr. Underwood, or who closely follows his course in Congress and in public life. He is wise: he does not disturb himself about little things; his own personality is not obtruded; his political ambitions play no part in gov erning his words and actions. He has -an eye single to the performance of duty and believes that duty well per formed is the most urgent considera tion. If doing his duty should mar his hortunes--as he certainly believed it would when he voted against the peni sion bill-lhe will take what comes with out complaiiiing. Not every nian can be president, lie thinks, but every man can try to do the best that is in him for his country and for the times he lives in. And this is honesty. le plays no politics; lie stands out against raiding the treasury-no matter what be the ex cuse offered-and lie opposes his own friends and associates quite as firmly as lie opposes hi., oppoieits wheti, in his judgment, the thing proposed to be donie is iot for the common good. Southern Leaders and the Tariff No sensible maii, certainly no one friendly to the South, wishes to see the tariff made a sectional question. Thc course of Mr. Clark and Mr. Under wood tends to prevent this. They stand not only with their own party through out the country, but with the strong public sentiment in support of tariff re duction that has divided the Republican party, and thrown the House into the hands of the Democrats. When we say that in this they are serving their own section, we have in mind the important fact that they are bringing to bear on niational affairs the intelligence and strength of their section, and giving it the opportunity to take a leading part in the affairs of the Nation. They are undermining the unfortumate section alism that has, perhaps unavoidably, pervade(d Southern politics for a long tinie. They are ranging the South on the side of progress and in the line of the most significant movement of national opinion that has manifested it self in years. Nothing is more certain than that our vast anid intricate and oppressive tariff system is to be reformed, and its reform is bound to be the oiie task of statesmanship ini the niext few years. It can be determined, and uinder certain conditions it can be led by the meni of the South.-New York Times, January 31, 1911. Underwood Among The threatened breakdlown of Ma jority Leader Underwvood, as a result of long hours of hard work on the tariff in the WNays anid MIeanis Committee, put many a D~emocrat in a nervous state of iid. There dlevehlped suddenly a full appreciation of the worth of the Ala hama Congressman as a leader. F"or Mr. Underwood to become dlisabledl or to be removed from the scenie of his usefulness at this critical time wvould be like pulling a corner post out froii under a pilatform on which was heaped most of the political t reasu res of the piarty, D.emocrats quite generally arc williing to adiiit. Credit for the achiievemieiits of the Democratic I louse heariing the stamp of conistrntiv e st atesmianiship is giveii readlily to the majority leader. Due to his success as a legislative nimnager-hiis abil ity' in most tests to keep thle IIlouse D~emocracy unit ed-aiid thle fact that Civil War wounds have beeii allowed to heal because of the. scareity of public iimn of the typ~e of Senator Illeyburn, of Id(ahlo, a Southle rner is being se riously considlered NorthI and South I as presidentmia Imnaterial. The U. nderwood for--l 'residenit muovemenit has been at t ractinig volunte er workers st eadlily since last spriing, when thle iiewly-in stalled IDemiocratic Ho iuse assttmed its responi~ililit ies. An Underwood boomi for the Demiocratic nominationi for P residenmt put on l ong transers at thle beginning of thlis. lie nat ionmal campamigni year.--Auistiin Cutnninghiani, in lie San Antoi' /i.r/'ress, January 5, 1912. A PR~ACTICAL D)EMOCRAT St. Louis honors Oscar W. Under wvoodl for his character, for his achieve ments and for his D emocracy. Thei Chiairmian of thle Ways and~ Meanus Committee is a practical D emiocrat. II is leadership in thle Ii(ose of Represetnta tives shows t hat. lie possesses thec ability to eiilist meni of varyinig ideas, planis and mioodIs in 'upport of dlesirab~le atid feasible objIects. Meni who agree on basic priinciples may he itnvolved in bitter hostility by aniitagoiiisms which in their essenice amonit to little. * * * * * * * Mir. Underw~Vod's exaniple as a header of Democrats in Conigress is worthy of emulat ion elsewvhere. It makes for tol eranice. Troleranice makes for unmity. Uiiity makes for progress. 'There is no other way to render D~emocracv ef fect ive. The youg Democrats of St. L~ouis who persuaded Mr. Uniderwood to be conic their guest will find in his policy as wcll as his principles the biest hope of party achievement and party life. The Si. L~ouis Re/>ublic, October 17, 1911. AND RECALL kR' TO THE FUNDA 'LES OF OUR GOVERNMENT :ratic League of St. Louis, Oct. 16, 1911.) nitiative and referendum plank int'o the party. I think that would be unwise. >cal issue is sometimes sitccessful. But ited States you destroy the entire fabric ue democracy. This is a representative and Tribune, Oct. 24, 1911. iATIONAL SIZE In a politician this would beccounted recklessness, because party and spoils are translated in many minds to mean the same .thing; but it is the highest wis dom in a statesman. Even should it have but partial success in controlling a party following, it must be productive of immense good in showing that the South has in Mr. Underwood 'a man who can be trusted by the Nation-a man whose patriotism is not limited by small things, nor suffering from the burden of any prejudice. F'or our part, we believe that such wisdom is of more practical value than would be the keenest political schem ing; and that this very absence of self seeking, this contempt for the arts of the politician, is working for him, while lie himself has his mind centered upon things he regards as of more moment. The country could do no better than to put its entire trust in such a man; and there is good reason to think that it will do so. As Mr. Lewis says, it should not "hesitate to employ him as night watchman." This coming, not front the South, but fron a writer whose attitude is critical and whose atmosphere is of the North, is certainly a tribute not to be despised; its significance is very great.-The Mobile (Alabama) Register, January 21, 1912. Underwood a Real Man The Democrats of the House have reason to be proud of their floor lead er, Chairman Underwood, of the Ways and Means Committee. Mr. Underwood has given ample evidence of the pos session of the qualities of mind essen tial to the position. He has also dem onstrated most conclusively that he is a mian who cannot be cajoled or bul lied from the course he considers right. In the debate over the Canadian rec iprocity bill former Speaoker Cannon imade the bluff that the steel trust fa vors the enactment of the measure. Mr. Underwood called the bluff very effectively by producing a telegram from his home district saying that the United States Steel Corporation has stopped work on important mills there, giving as their reason that Underwood stood im Congress advocating the tariff reductions on steel included in this bill. Mr. Underwood added that two years ago the steel trust opposed his election because of the tariff views and threat (ened to tturn himt out of Congress if he voted for reductions on steel duties. 'l- voted for them just the same," he stated, "and they failed1 in their efforts to turn me out of Congress." Underwood is every inch a man, and the people have more respect for one such as he than for a whole battalion of corporation-controlled standpatters. 7he Ocala Daily Banner, Florida, April 29, 1911. This New Leader Frorn Alabarna But this new leader fronm Alabama, with nothing meteoric or iridescent ab'out hint; wvho has forged steadily ahead duritng sixteen years of congres siouial service, and whlo has proved him self equal to every emergency in the acid test of debate on the floor of the Hlouse; cool, implertuirbable, resourceful, sure of himself at all times; profoundly learned on the great tariff issue he stands for; whose imtpressive personality is reveal ing itself ini stronger lines every (lay as the searchlight of the press plays upon it-he is the M an of Destiny for lhe Demauocrat ic party in this year 1912.. Andt( as thle emntipaigni for the nomination progresses, Alrt. Utiderwvoodl's superior .avalability will conie out with increas inig clearness, and the Democratic masses of thle South will catch the inspiration of the great fact that a Southern man froit the heart of D.ixie is at last in line for the presidlency after all these weary years of waiting. .Whten that psycho lo gical nmomietit arrives-in the national 'oniveti on or before it--a very nearly solid SouthI, fused to white heat uinder the enthIiusiasnm of a genu inc Southern presidential candlidacy, will take Oscar Underwood on its shoulders, sweep away all the well laid plains of miach'ine politics andi~ rush him right to thle goal, a winiter by slieer force of ait overwhelming sense of simiple~ julst ice to thle Sout h. At least, that's the way we want it.---The .(nc (Fl a.) Demsocra t, December, CHAIRMAN UNDE[RWOOD Chiairumani Unde-rwood has ontce itore given proof of thtat levelness of head and~ clearness of purpose which have characterized htis leadership from the begininig. H e has flatly refused to enamuuteniaitce aity cogitett ing with thte La Follette idea oit the wool bill. Whether viewed1 as a mere ainnounicement of programt or as a lill that it is desired antd expected adcially to get enaceted into law, the L~a F'ollette prtopositioin (hoes not meet the tneed~s of thme situtation The Necw York Post, August 2, 1911. TH-E MANNER OF MAN lHB 15 A fter thte Southternt manner, Mr. Un dlerwood is unaffectedly democratic. HeI meets men as one who, respecting him self, also respects them, lHe (does not wvear the maniier of one who expects to fiitd htis inferior. Still less wvould he remind yout of one who fears he may nmect his stuperior. Never does he pose, nor seek to transact his dignity at the humbling expense of another.-Alfred Hentry Lewvis, in the Cosmo/>olitan, New York, Tamary, 1912.