The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-29


 the tremendous inroads Wilson was mak- ing on the south.
 In Texas, for instance, the conservative leaders tried to stave off direct primary because they knew it would result in Wilson victory In Mississippi Senator John Sharp Williams, who is born con servative and "reaetionary," had to de- clare for Wilson in order to keep his standing, and Major Vardaman, his op- ponent, was for Wilson from the first.
 In Virginia both the regular machine, which was headed by Senator Martin, the democratic leader in the United states Senate, and the anti-machine element have declared for Wilson.
 Georgia is the most conservative of all southern states. Yet even there Senator Hoke Smith is wabbling, though Joe Browns crowd is out for Underwood.
 North Carolina is divided between the Simmons-Overman outfit and the people who follow Claude and William Kitchin The first named crowd have been for Harmon, while the Kitchins have made complimentary references to Wilson.
 From all this it will be seen that the inroads of Wilson on the south have been so tremendous as to call for strong meas ures. Harmon was unable to check him there, and it became necessary to brlns out a southerner to do the trick. Hence Underwood.
 ], As a result of all this maneuverins 1t 1 ecomes quite obvious that for the Tirst | me since Zachary Taylor of Louisiana | ,hnt into the White House in 1S49 we are 1 .aiely to see a southern man take up his | ssidence on Pennsylvania avenue, oppo- Lite Lafayette park, in 1913.
 The south has intended to do something like this for the last 10 or b years, hut has never had the courage before. In the south the bloody shirt still waves, and it has taken long time to convince south erners that it does not wave any longer in the north
 It is hard to convince a southerner who thinks about Stonewall Jackson for five minutes every morning before he goes to work that the noytherners have forgotten who Phil Sheridan was. Consequently, when in 1903 some enthusiastic southern CTS went to Senator Bailey and urged him to become a candidate for President be crushed them by replying:
 Gentlemen, I have no doubt that I am as available as you say. But there is one thing against me which will abso- lutely prevent my being a candidate for President. On the wall of my law office in Texas there hangs a picture of Jef- ferson Davis.'
 It represented a sincere conviction. Bu, by little and little the conviction has stolen into the mind of the south that the north has forgotten the war, and it now dares 10 propose a candidate Tor President. Underwood undoubtedly will not only capture all the unsecured south ern states but make inroads on most or those which Wilson has already branded and may take them away from him The west is committed to Wilson, and Un- derwood must effect coalition between the east and south in order to stop the stampede. Nobody but Underwood can do 1t.
 Thus unexpectedly and out of a clear sky the Underwood thunderbolt of lasr week has changed the whole line up and put the ante-convention fight in the demo- cratic party on an entirely new basis.
 underwoods announcement ends he Harmon boom and leaves the fight en- tirely between himself and Wilson. with Champ Clark lurking on the outskirts and ready to seize the prize if the strug- gle between the two leading candidates becomes such that there is no other issue except a dark horse.
 Now that for the first time within the memory of two generations we are con fronted with the imminent probability of a southern President-for all the political seers agree that 1912 is to be democratic year-it is somewhat interesting to inquire what sort of a President we shall Have if Alabama beats New Jersey, if the south defeats Woodrow Wilson.
 Well, we will have a quite unusual combination of statesman. business man. and fine citizen. Underwood Is man who has never turned either to the righ, or to the left for momentary advantage. h all the years that he has been in Con- gress he has never for a second veered from principle.
 He represents manufacturing district. but the manufacturers connot control him, and the difference between himself and the creatures who are elected to rep resent the manufacturing industries of Pennsylvania is as wide as anything Dante was ever able to draw. He has been in Congress for 16 years, and in all that time no Birmingham manufacturer has ever been able to sway him one frac- tion of jot from what he thought tight.
 When the Payne-Aldrich bil for in- stance. was under consideration. the Bir mingham Commercial club notified Un- derwood that Birmingham did not want the duty on pig iron reduced below s4 a ton. The average congressman wodld lave taken that as an order. What did Underwood do?
 
 q have never been in favor of pro- , teetive tariff for protection's sake. have always believed in a tariff for "eve- nue only. I think s4 q ton on pig iron is orohihitive. and that it ought to be le- duced"
 The heathen raged. But Underwood vas unmovcd He voted for duty oi 1 s3 50 per ton. There was fight against him in consequence, but he was reelected to Congress hands down. Underwood is probably the greatest au- thofitv m the tariff ir the House of Rep resentatives, or. for that matter in Con. giess
 What do yon thlnl: of G-ndeiwood?" ! asked Senator Bailey who as nrpte iionist. Is not over well dis ooafd tow lrd Undeprood's a1ift views
 "t'nderwood, said Bailey. ''ia the ,nlp r1an in either house of Congress whf could ha locked in n hermet'eellv yea'Aa room for week and emerge from it with perfectly good tariff bill" T'Hderr'ooJ k the straneest exemple in