The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-29
NORTH WILL VOTE FOR SOUTHERNER
D. H. Riddle Points Out Why Alabama Should Be
 True to Underwood
To the Editor of The Age-Herald.

To the Editor of The Age Herald. have noticed with considerable inter- est the discussion being indulged in by the press of Alabama in reference to the propriety of the Hon. Oscar w. Under woods being nominated by the demo- cratic party for President.
 It seems to be conceded in every sec tion of the country that MT. Underwood, from a standpoint of national reputation of ability, courage, honesty and expe- rience. Is the logical candidate for the democratic party to nominate. And there seems to be no question raised as to his availability, except in the south, and that very largely in Alabama, and that ques- ton is that he is from the south. I have not seen. any such sentiment being dis played in the north or west and I dare say you will not see it. I notice some of the Alabama papers, as we'll as other southern papers, say that the time. has not yet come to nominate a southern man for President.
 May l ask, when will that time come It has been more than half a century | since the south has furnished the gov ernment President. A vast number of the northern voters were born and reared since the war and very large percent age of those northern voters are for eign born and know nothing about the war and care less. It certainly has been humiliating to the proud Anglo-Saxon manhood and womanhood in the south to l,ox IvpJ for pA tn ba the south treated as a kind of conquered province. rather than as component part of the government of the United States. The south has had to bear more than it's share of the burdens and has received a great deal less than It's pro rata share of the benefits. And southern people and southern newspapers have been responsible for the souths not oc- cupying the position in the government that it should occupy.
 The north fought four years to keep the south in the union and let us insist that we are backing the union, not only in theory, but in fact
 Tt certainly must be humiliating to MT. Underwood to see anybody in Alabama advocating instructlng a delegation to the national nvention-"Underwoo first choice and somebody else second choice." AS a matter of fact we ought to send a delegation from Alabama-"Un- derwood first, last and all times'-with- out any second choice. And even if Mr. Underwood was not to be considered, such an instructed delegation to the na- A. 1,1, l1I., first state on the roll call in the national convention, occupies a very advantageous position, and properly managed, we ought to nominate MT. Underwood, and if he were nominated and defeated he would have done more for the south than any hundred men in it has done since the civil war. sz sT~
 But I, by no means, mean to be under stood as conceding that Mir. Underwood will be defeated. I believe he is the strongest man in the United States be- fore the people today, and so far as the north and west not voting for him is concerned because he is from the south is absolute folly. And really a southern paper that prints such stuff as that is to be pitied for knowing so little about northern sentiment
 In the national campaign in 1908 made few speeches for the ticket in the north and east, and observed as best I could the sentiment of those people and how they felt towards the south. And I remember that in Philadelphia-the hot bed of Yankeedon-I had an audience of some 10000 or 15,0OO people, and it was there that I made the greatest hit that I ever made in my life in a public speech, and it was this statement which did 1t:
 "The south, with its pure Anglo-Saxon blood, it's fair women and noble sons, constituted such q glorious part of the United States that the north for four years fought to keep it in the union. And after the south decided of it's own volition to return to Uncle Sams houses hold and be a member of his family fin good standing and to help keep house and eat at the first table. some of the southern people were of the opinion that the north had fought ever since the war to keep us out of the union. And if ever have the pleasure of making an- other speech to a Philadelphia audience in behalf of a democratic nominee for President I hope it will be for south eIn man."
 If all of Alabama could have seen that vast audience yell round and round of applause for Dixie and for Alabama they would never again be heard to say that southern man could not be elected Pres ident
 You have my word for it, Underwood as the nominee of the party can get more votes in New York than either Wilson or Harmon, or any other man that has been mentioned for President.
 Let us get together and nominate Un- derwood D. H. RIDDLE.
 Goodwater, october 2S. 1911