The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-02-22
WALKER PERCY ON
 SENATORIAL RACE Warmly Resents Knox's Two
 Recent Utterances. TO VOTE FOR BANKHEAD Praises White and Refers to "Elephan- tine Egotism and FuIsome Self Lau- datiou Which Characterized
 VoIuminous Address"
TO VOTE FOR BANKHEAD

Walker Percy, one of Birmingham 8 most prominent attorneys, has written from Jackson, Miss, vigorous letter to The Age Herald bearing on the Alabama senatorial situation. It Is as follows:
 To the Editor of The Age-Herald.
 While the elephantine egotism and ful- some laudation which characterized he
 voluminous address of Hon. John B.
 Knox may have surprised some of the people of Alabama unacquainted with the way in which that distinguished gen tleman recommends himself, neither he length nor conceit of the address would
 have aroused passing comment among
 those familiar with MT. Knox but l nm
 frankly astounded by his unwarranted and ungenerous efforts to gain the lime light by belittling the merits of John H.
 Banl1head and Frank S. White.
 MT. Knox apparently would intimate that neither the services rendered to their county by these two men nor their ability entitle them to enter the senatorial race against him. Whatever a mans sena- torial preferences may be he must be foolish or blind to assail the eligibility of Bankhead or White for any office in the gift of the people of Alabama. Both gave their youth and risked their lives on bloody battle fields in defense of our southern country. In the period of negro and carpetbag domination and misrule which followed the Civil war, the period when the very existence of the white peo- pie of the south was at stake, the period which required more courage, patriotism, wisdom and patience than even the arduous days of the Revolutionary war; both of these men sneered at by MT. Knox, were in the forefront of the struggle to save the homes and rehab- ilitate the government of southern states both have consistently and unwavernsly served in every possible manner the democratic party of Alabama.
 l shall personally support John H. Bankhead for reelection to the United orator as MT. Knox, but as business agent of the state of Alabama in the Sem ate of the United States, his long service in Congress, his position on important committees and his wise and intelligent devotion to the interests of his consti- tutents would seem to me to render him peculiarly valuable. The customs and traditions of the United States Senate and the fact that business Is transacted largely by committees, necessitate keep ing the same man in the Senate for many years if the state is to realize the full value of his services. New England has for many years wielded in Congress an influence disproportionate to it's popu- lation, largely because Aldrich, Hale and other senators have been kept in officS long enough to become the heads of iul- portant committees For this reason Sem ator Aldrich, as chairman of the finance committee of the Senate, exercised con trolling influence in shaping our present tariff law which reduced the duties cn practically all of the raw materials which New England was to buy. and maintained the exorbitant duties on her manufactured product.
 Without any reflection on the other Senator Bankhead's position on the committee. having charge Of rivers and harbors, will enable him to accomplish more for the improvement Of the Tennessee, Coosa, Warrior, Tombig- bee and Alabama rivers and the harbor of Mobile in the next six years, than any man. however able, who could be sent in his place. sro the state of Alabama and especially to the coal and iron in dustries of our district, the value of water transportation and water competi- tion cannot be easily exaggerated. Chief ly for this reason I shall support Senator Bankhead against my friend and fellow townsman, Frank S. White.
 But warmly resent the intimation that his services to his country in war and to the party in peace, fail to give Frank S. White claims on the people of Alabama equal to those of MT. Knox. As a beard less boy. Frank White shouldered mus ket while John Knox was making mud pies; as a young lawyer White bore distinguished part in that great legisla- ture which forced from office in Mis- sissippi a carpet bag governor and negro lieutenant governor. How does this work with presiding over constitu- tional convention in piping times of peace? A persuasive convincing speaker, with a rare fund of humor and anecdote, manly, candid and fearless Captain White would not seem to suffer by comparison with MT. Knox.
 Mr. Knox must have been advised by his friends that his last campaign lacked aggressiveness, for he now seems bent on running amuck In Sundays Age Herald he complains bitterly of the in- gratitude of Judge Thomas W. Coleman, likening that patriot and distinguished jurist to the snake which bit the farmer who warmed 1t, because Judge Coleman sees proper to support Senator Bankhead the fact that Knox, when president of the constitution al convention appointed Judge Cole man as chairman of the committee on Base ingratitude! Perhaps Judge Coleman imagined that he was se- ected for that responsible chairmanship because of his wisdom. legal ability and judicial experience. MT. Knox would seem to make 1t plain that he regarded the appointments of chairmen of impor- tant committees in a great constitutional as personal patronage to be