The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-07
Is Getting More High Class Publicity Than Any
 Living Man
PERSONAL TRAITS OF
 ALABAMA'S CHOICE
Rise Has Not Been Spectacular, But Rather the Result of Hard Work and Close
 Application
BY WALTER HARPER

BY WALTER HARPER
 Washington, January 6--(speoiaD-oscar w. Underwood Is truly the Man of the Hour"
 He is getting more high class publicity just now than any other living mans And it Is all pure reading matter. Not one line of 1t is publicity agent stuff He has no publicity agent. Even his private sec- retary is modest about giving out any thing about him. MT. Underwood will not talk about himself
 Yet the magazines and the newspapers are full of Underwood. People of all classes and degrees of citizenship are talking about him. No really big metro politan paper in New York has neglected to feature him with page or more In a special personal story. Some of them have featured him more than once.
 The magazines have hurried to devote leaders to this new general of the demo- cratic hosts.
 And yet, all this sudden publicity has not had the least effect on MT. Under wood, the man. He is today the same quiet, modest. unassumlng person that In the old days moved to and fro among his friends and associates at Birmnghan,. Conoeit and self advertisement are for elgn to his nature. A publicity agent at his elbow would make him as awkward as a bachelor trying to nurse an infant.
 He unconsciousy disarms newspaper men who call on him and arc really ds- posed to boost him. He never, to use modern phrase, has line of dope to hand out to them" He receives them with even courtesy just as he would the humblest constituent from hls district.
 He answers all questions briefly and directly, but never extends his remarks for publication unless there Is an abso- lute demand for a formal statement, and he invariably makes that brief.
 He never rushes Into print with opin- ions. He usually has convictions on most subjects and is willing to express them if the occasion seems to demand 1t or if he Is solicited If he has no settled con- vioton on a subject he frankly con- fesses it.
 He is not deluded with the idea that because he is q public man and in the public eye that he should have settled convictions on all subjects and should seek every opportunity to give the public the benefit of those opinions.
 He often asks as many questions as his interviewer asks him. He is always eager for information and appreciates the opin- ions of others.
 He has the happy faculty of raising his interviewer up to his level in intelli- gence and making him feel that he is an equal He adjusts himself happily 10 every condition. He allows no man to feel that he Is in the presence of his superior.
 No public man in Washington is easier to approach, Every caller is made to feel perfectly at ease while in his presence. He never terminates an interview. He possesses mysterious power of leading the interviewer to terminate the visit.
 Though he may be. and probably often is, he never appears to be bored He rids himself of an unwecome visitor with diplomacy that anyone might envy.
 Though he is one of the busiest men in Washington he Is never in d hurry. No visitor ever found a pile of accumulated unfinished work on his desk. His manner and his office appear to be ready for the reception of visitors at any hour of the day. When he finds time to accomplish all the work he has to perform no man Is able to say. Yet there is nothing unrn- ished in his office.
 Yes. have seen him at work. But there was no effort or strain. l fingered one day not long ago at his desk while he signed his name to a great stack of les- ters It was monotonous task that would cramp the arm and break the nerve of most men, but he moved about it with such ease and absolute control that it seemed a pleasure. Tt was pleasure. Every signature was perfect. There was no break in the even stroke of the pen denotng fatigue or hurry. His mind and his hand were faithful to every single stroke and the last signature was as~ per- feet and as even as the first.
 In that signature (have you ever seen it?) there is not one unnecessary flourish. Every letter is perfect round and dis tinct.
 Mr. Underwood's signatU [, Is striking index to the character of the man. It is rounded out. It is complete. Every de- tail is finished. There is no slurrlng over of a letter There is no suspicion of haste or weariness. There Is not one superhuous stroke, dot or dash. There is nothing hidden or obscure.
 The signature is as plain and open as the face of the man. IL Is as bold as the man. It is as firm as the character be- hind it. II Is as true as the purpose or the man who honors it. It is as clean as the life 1t identifies.
 There is no lost motion in the career of Mr, Underwood Every act means some- thing. Every time he moves a stake for ward the ground has been carefully sur yeyed. The move is permanent.
 Yes, he makes mistakes. All men of ae- tlon do. But hs mistakes are few. He does nothing before looking well ahead. He is never impetuous. He can think on his feet He can analyze and weigh re- suits while under fire His smile dlsarms panic. His prepardedness and his sure confidence dsarms his antagonist,
 He is q rapid fire gun in debate. Here he is a master He anticipates conflicts and is always prepared. He is equally powerful on the aggressive and the de- fensive He is smilingly generous to d foe He never strikes when his antagon- ist is down. He is more than generous to the man who differs with him in opin- ion.
 He draws rather than compels. He leads by persuasion and logic, not by any force. Yet he can use force gloved with satin when it Is necessary.
 Mr Underwood's name has been put for ward rthe presidential nomination. The