UNDERWOOD 74 UNGULATA his youth on a farm, and was graduated at Syracuse University in 1877. He was instructor in several colleges in Illinois in 1879-1883; at Syracuse University in 1883-1891, and at De Pauw University in 1891-1895. He was made Professor of Botany at Columbia University in 1896. He was the author of "Descriptive Cata- logue of North America Hepaticae" (1884) ; "Moulds, Mildews and Mush- rooms" (1899) ; and "Our Native Ferns and How to Study Them" (1900) ; etc. He edited the Torrey Botanical Club ♦•Bulletin." He died Nov. 16, 1907. UNDERWOOD, OSCAR WILDER, a United States Senator from Alabama, born in Louisville, Ky., in 1862. He was educated at the Rugby School and at the University of Virginia, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1884, and engaged in practice in Birmingham, Ala. Taking an active part in politics, he served in 1894 as chairman of the Democratic dis- trict executive committee, was later elected to the 54th Congress, and was successively re-elected up to and includ- ing the 63d Congress. During his serv- ice in the House of Representatives he made a careful study of financial and economic subjects and became one of the leading authorities on all matters re- lating to the tariff. He was chairman of the Ways and Means Committee of the 63d Congress. In 1914 he was elected to the Senate for the term ending 1921. UNDERWRITER, one who writes his name at the foot of a policy of insurance. On some policies, only one such name ap- pears ; on others several names are added, when each party thus entering his name, is said to "take a line." The system still prevails abroad, but there are also nu- merous companies whose business it is to grant marine insurances. The under- writers of American cities do not con- fine their business to marine insurance, but fire-risks, etc., are now taken. UNDUE INFLUENCE, in lav/, a phrase used specially in connection with voting or the making of a will. In the first case it consists of bribery or any force, violence, restraint, threat to inflict in- jury or intimidation, designed to coerce a person into voting for a particular can- didate, or abstaining from voting at all, or as an infliction because of his having done so. The perpetrator exposes him- self to a legal penalty. In case of a con- tested election the principal may be de- clared, by the court, not elected. In the case of a will, undue influence is exerted when one acquires such an ascendancy over the testator's mind as to prevent the latter from being a free agent. If he spontaneously bequeath money to one whom he esteems or loves, the esteem or affection does not constitute undue in- fluence. Importunity does. When un- due influence is proved the will becomes void. UNEMPLOYMENT, a social problem which had its origin in the institution of the factory system of industry. While the commodities used for general con- sumption could be manufactured or pre- pared by hand workers, each possessing his own hand tools, each worker was at least sure of continual employment, whatever the remuneration for his labor might be. With the invention of steam- driven machinery, however, production was so enormously increased that the same amount of commodities could be produced by a much smaller number of workers. This brought about competition among the workers themselves, with the consequence that wages dropped, and though commodities were much cheap- ened by machinery production, a growing portion of the masses could acquire a much smaller amount of the commodi- ties produced, v/hich again tended to de- crease the output of the factories. Work- ing in cycles, it was found that every few years would come a period of overpro- duction, when the markets would be over- stocked, and the factories would be com- pelled to cease production until the sur- plus should be consumed. The closing down of the factories, however, would cause unemployment and still further reduce the consuming power of the work- ing classes. These two conditions, work- ing together, would produce those acute periods of unemployment among the in- dustrial classes which have at times threatened the stability of the capitalistic system itself. Many remedies have been proposed, the most prominent of which have been social insurance {q. v.) and the proposal that governments should initiate large public works when the period of unemployment threatened. One of the worst periods of this kind experienced in this country was during 1893-1894, and again, to a lesser degree, in 1914. In the winter of 1920- 1921 another period of unemployment ap- peared; this, however, was not caused by overproduction, but by the readjustment of the prices of commodities, manufac- tures in general hesitating to produce on a falling market. UNGULATA, in zoology, a provisional group of mammals, the living members of which correspond to the Pecora and Bellum of Linnseus, and the Ruviinantia and Pachydermata of Cuvier. The denti- tion is heterodont and diphyodont, the milk-teeth not being completely changed
