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Show Leaders of the Democra- cy Assemble at the H White House to Wit- m j ness Culmination of the B jj Long Fight Over the I J Revision of the Sched- II t TWO PENS USED 1 BY THE PRESIDENT 1 One Is Given to Chair- B man Underwood and K the Other to Chairman 13 Simmons as Souvenirs HI in Recognition of Their Hi Work in Congress. il WASHINGTON, Oct. 3. Surrounded ijjj by tho leaders of a united Democracy, Hjjljy President Wilson signed the Under- uiB wood-Simmons tariff bill at 0:0! nnj o'clock today at the White house. Sim- nfjjii ultaneously telegrams were sent to jnjjj ; customs collectors throughout the coun- fjujj try by the treasury department putting IRij ; into actual operation the first Demo Mffljiilj cratic tariff revision fnncc 3S94. ml! ' A happy group of legislators, mem- Wm J bers of tho cabinet and friends oncir- Ijjf Jl cled the presidont as he smilingly sat ffltil down, slowly affixed his signature with lMl two gold pens, lie presented to Hop- jUftjll U rcsontativo Underwood the pen that Mlftl had written the word "Woodrow" and I tho one which had completed his nanu- mM to Senator Simmons, both of whom (jjmjj i bowed their appreciation. twj Impressive Scene. Ml; In impressive silence the president njijj j delivered in easy natural tones an ex- Will temporancous speech that brought pro- wi) ! longed applause. Ho said that tin jljh journey of legislative accomplishment Hillr had been only partly completed; that a Plijj Ij great sorvico had been done for the Inll I rank and file of the country: but that HII the second step in the emancipation of (Willi ! business was curroncy reform. He ear- TOjlu! neatly called upon his colleagues to go fllfr "tho rest of tho journey" with fresh Bjujl j impulse. nallil' It was an unusual spectacle winch at- ffffltl I tended the completion of a legislative Sffill i reform that had boon sevon months in IImIJJi congress and embraced a tariff revi- fBnll siou of a most far-reaching character. fm' Guests Jubilant. Happy and jubilant, the invited 111 I guests came to the executive offices. Ij H They chatted and jested with tho pres- Ifil! ident in an anteroom while waiting for II ml i J the full group to appear. When the Wi members of the Benatc finance commit- iWn I tee and house waj'S and means com- mitteo finally arrived, Vico Presidont tjffljj II Marshall was ushered into tho presi- uJMj Ij dent's office, followed by Speaker nil 11 1 Clark, Hcprcsentalive Underwood and tBfiil 1 If members of the cabinet and congrcs- HJ II suonnl committoos and their friends. No ifil 1 photographers wcro admitted, as the Wajiiil presidont regarded tho occasion as too ImhIIiII solemn to be disturbed by flashlight Swill apparatus. . The guests crowded about the prosi- Qui l dent's desk, over which an electric WXm light threw a bright glow. Hmffjll "I choso 0 o'clock," explained tho MfflliU president slowlv, "on tho advice of MEII j tho attorney general in order that the ufflll f bill might be signed aftor business H$f5 I transactions evorywhere, including San lilsli Francisco, had closed for tho day. mini "I will not nay anything about the Kjffifj II bill," he added with a smile, "until lOMl r havo Bigned it. T do not want it to (Still yet awny from me." B$jil Signs the Bill. Promptly at 9:09 o'clock the presi- J dent began writing, and at 9:10 he Hfllil bad written tho words, "Approved 9:10 Kjaflfl p m October 3, 1913. Woodrow Wil- IH3IIU son," on tho llltli page of pnrchmont rfjHljM containing the engrossed bill. Ml As the president Tose and handed the ftBlllf two pons to tho men who had steered jJM tho measure successfully through both lmn houses of congress there was an enthu- Ml! 31 siastic outburst of applause Tho pros- HUjlU ident hud not intended to mako a long Wm speech, and had not evon prepared a Mai statomont, but was moved on tho spur Hlftflj of tho moment to express his gTatlfica. Hmfj tl(Tho small but distinguished audience ffl that heard the president's speech Wt crowded about him afterwards with MU congratulations. Loading figures or the MM Democratic party Spcakor Clark, Sec- MiM rotary "Bryan, Representative Undor- jtiS Iff 1 wood stood together sponsors with iSfJ the president for tho first big piece of IB legislation that had been accomplished MiM t in the Democratic programmo of re- H j form. They gave the president their VflK personal congratulations and reiterated !Jf promises of support. Shh!t Bryan's Prediction. jJlj "We'll bo coming horo again ln a Iffrlfl short time to eo tho currency bill trill? signed," Secrctar3' Bryan said and See- Vlijtf rotary McAdoo spoke with equal confl- . Jujvjjl 1 Svhilo the president was surrounded Ifl! (Continued on Page Two.) jj 0 TARIFF M IS SIEWED Bf MM (Continued from Pago One.) by members of his official family, there was none happier than Joseph R. Wilson, Wil-son, younger brother of the chief ox-ccutivc, ox-ccutivc, who came here from Baltimore Balti-more tonight to witness the signing, rrs. Wilson and daughters are still at Cornish, N. H., the summer capital. Bo-sides Bo-sides tho officials, a large number of newspaper men crowded into tho president's pres-ident's office. There was an informal reception for a few minutes and then the Underwood-Simmons tariff law was carried away to tho department of state and deposited in the archives along with other historic pieces of legislation. leg-islation. Quick Work at End. The speed with which congress disposed of tho last work on the tariff bill and sent the measure to the Whlto house demonstrated the anxiety of house and senate to get through with the burden that had held them in continuous session since April. Clerks of the senate were at work throughout the morning correcting proof on the engrossed copy of the bill and making sure It contained no errors or inlsnlflpnrl nun(ttin.t Inn marks. TIia bill. accompanied by the conference report as agreed on by the senate last night, came to the house as soon as that body met. For more than an hour the house debated as to what action It should take, somo of the parliamentary experts arguing argu-ing that no further action was necessary, while others insisted tho house must recede re-cede from Its compromise cotton futures tax. Speaker Clark finally, upheld the latter contention and the house quickly voted the cotton tax out of tho tariff bill. Sent to White House. The last vote was reached at 1:23; at 2.15 the speaker had affixed his name to the completed bill and within ten minutes Chief Clerk Jerry South had carried it to the senate and it had been signed by Vice President Marshall. Clerks of the senate then took charge of the bill and conveyed It to tho Whlto house. Tho relief re-lief of both houses at tho end of the long fight was apparent. Scores of members of senate and houso had left the city yesterday and there was less than a quorum present in the hou3o when final action was taken on the bill. Only extraordinary ex-traordinary efforts of senate leaders kept enough senators In town to enable that body to work today on the urgent deficiency defi-ciency appropriation bill. Many members left Washington tonight, although both houses of congress will remain constructively construc-tively in session. Both Sides Agree. The final steps taken by the houso today to-day to comploto the tariff bill did not Involve the rates or principles of that bill. Republicans and Democrats concurred con-curred in the action of receding from the cotton futures tax, agreeing that no questions of parliamentary procedure should be left open to future attack in the courts. It Is generally understood that a determined effort will be made, as soon as the new congress convenes for the regular session In December, if not before that time, to take up cotton futures tax legislation and to endeavor to pass a separate bill to regulate cotton cot-ton exchange trading and to lay a heavy tax on that branch of cotton trading, which members of tho house and senate characterize as "gambling." First Trade Arrangement. Germany will be the first nation to tako advantage of that section of the new tariff act which provides for the negotiation of reciprocity arrangements embodying mutual concessions In customs cus-toms taxes. Already the Initial steps have been taken to secure such an arrangement, arrange-ment, In anticipation of the signing of tho bill by the president tonight. The chancellor of the German embassy, acting act-ing In the absence of Embassador Bern-storff, Bern-storff, ha3 been in communication with the state department and it is expected a rough outline draft of such an arrangement arrange-ment as is referred to in that section soon will be ready for consideration. As It emerged from conference this section no longer contains the retaliatory provi-vlsions provi-vlsions inserted in the senate, and is now nothing more than an authorization to the executive to "negotiate trade agreements with foreign nations wherein mutual concessions are made looking toward freer trade relations and further reciprocal expansion of trade and commerce." |
