The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-16
"AIN,r IT AWFUL, MABLELre

From the Atlanta Constitution.
 The latest campaign to undermine Os- car Underwood's growing strength is one of those lovely, iridescent, house of cards, hypothetical campaigns that does not at any point challenge his brilliant states manship and his signal individual achieve ments It is based upon the idea that Underwood might have been" all sorts of things-that he is not.
 For instance: Underwood "might" have been born in the north. but wasn't. Un- derwood might" have grown up rabid republican, but was thoughtless enough not to do so. Underwood came near being son of man who himself might have been in the Union army, but who, sadly, wasn't. Every promise is a might have been;" every quibble a nearly was" Every man jack of Us could be read out into the wilderness if the nebular hypoth- esis theory were brought up for damna- ton.
 Fortunately for the democratic party and the nation men do not think in milky way terms nowadays. Whatever Under wood might have been, but wasn't" this things stands out about him: A southern- CT born and bred, imbibing southern tra- ditions during his educational course at the southern boys school of Rugby, at Louisville and later at the University of Virginia, he is identified in every par tfcular with the southern thought and the southern viewpoint; for years he has represented Alabama. Georgias sister state, in Congress with wonderful ability; ,l,a of 10 mittee and as House leader, he has writ ten the name Underwood" upon every tariff bill comprising that paramount is- sue upon which the party will go to the country. It Is southern man who Is virtually writing the platform by which the democracy stands or falls in the forthcoming presidential election.
 That to one side. We live, think, act to- day not upon the dictates of the memories of our remote political ancestors, but upon the initiative and needs of the twen- tieth century ,as construed by the four sections of a common country. And that viewpoint expresses Underwoods per sonality. He is a representative Amer ican, proud of the people and section he represents so faithfully and in whose con- fidence he regns supreme, but not letting geography delimt his patriotism or his statesmanship. He lives and thinks in the necessities of today, not those of yes- terday As .McClure's magazine testifies of him: Tt was not the old south that beckoned to Underwood; 1t was the new south.'
 Precisely. It is the new south, remem- bering yet the better glories of the old south, with which the constitution has been pleading to forget the fetich worship that even in this nebular hypothesis at tack on Underwood measures it's own pres idential possibilities by civil war phan- toms It is this hidebound political pro vincialism that has kept the south in po- litical shaclxles these 30 years.
 But-why take milky way reasoning se- rlously? The fact that it Is leveled against statesman who typifies most vividly the new south and the new America Is the strongest argument that could be made in his behalf.
 But while quoting McClures article on Underwood, it is just as well to get it correct He was born in Kentucky, as a child went to Minnesota and came again south at 13, not 90 years of age.
 By the way, have you read that article in full? If not, it will pay you to do SO.