The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-05
BOWIE WRITES ON
 PRIMARY EXTENSION
If Extended to Minor and Honorary Offices It Is Sure to Become
 Unpopular

Yesterdays Montgomery Advertiser con- tained letter from Sydney J. Bowie, which will be read with keen interest by many Alabamians The letter follows
 Birmingham. January 3, 1912.
 Editor The Advertiser
 As one who served as a colleague for six years with Congressman Underwood, I wish to express my appreciation of the cordial support which the Advertiser is giving to the suggestion that he be nom- mated for the presidency.
 There seems to be an impression that Mir. Undcrwood's distinction in Congress is a matter of very recent date. Quite the contrary is true MT. Underwood has been a members of more of the leading committees of the House of Representa-. tives than probably any other man on either side in Congress. He has served on the public lands committee, irrigation
 committee, the judiciary. the ways and means the rules and the appropriation
 committees, to say nothing of some Of the smaller committees of the House. In addition 10 this in 1898 he was the demo- cratic whip and was the deputy leader uu1lnE blt loui StdiS WHSh iiSh ps 1. Richardson was titular leader.
 His ability was recognized not only by MT Bailey when he was the leader of the minority in the House, but also by Speakers Reed, Henderson and Cannon, as well as by Speaker Clark His growth
 has not been sudden, but steady and persistent. No man with the possible ex-
 ception of MT. Mckinley in public in this generation has ever had better
 preparation for the high duties of the
 presidential office, and there is no man today in this country with a better equip
 ment for public life.
 It is matter of great regret that some newspapers, as well as some in-
 dividuals of prominence in this state, have seen fit to criticise the state execu- tive committee for it's action in providing for the selection of delegates to the next democratic national convention by state convention This action was taken by the committee because any other method of
 the selection of delegates would porb- ably have resulted in contest in which
 many men would have been candidates
 nominally for Underwood but really in fa- vor of some second choice.
 It is true that by calling a conference of Underwoods friends throughout the state and putting out a list of delegates as Underwood candidates, composed of
 men who were known to be absolutely loyal to him any man who was pretend ing to be for Underwood but who se- oretely had Knife up his sleeve for him 1 could have been defeated, but such a l conference, if representative, would have | been nothing less or more than state convention itself, and would have been
 subject to all the objections which have
 been raised by the opponents of the com
 mittee's action.
 | The action of the last state conyen-
 tion in calling for convention for the
 nomination of candidates for the judiciary | is clearly not subject to the construc-
 ton sought to be placed upon it by the
 critics of the committees action. This
 action was an implied, although not an | express, instruction to the committee.
 as to the method of nominating candidatse
 for state offices other than the judiciary,
 but it is preposterous it seems to me to | contend that d uelegate to idtioldi
 convention is an officer within the mean | ing of the action of the state conven-
 tion, or of any other definition of that | term.
 l The true friends of MT. Underwood in this state, and they are in the overwhelm- ing majority, want ana ,ntend to have a | delegation to the national convention who are real Underwood men; men who arS l for him positively, aggressively and with | out any reservation. Of course, it would
 be the past fwisdom on the part of the | state convention to name men who look with favor upon Governor Wilson of New l Jersey, aud Governor Harmon of Ohio | and others who have been mentioned as presidential possibilities. with view .oi harmony in the national convention, and with view of securing support, if pos | sble, for cur candidate from the follow
 CTS of all of the distinguished candi- dates for nomination.. A true policy will suggest carefulness in the selection Of | the delegation with these ends in view and there is no reason to doubt that this | rolicy will be adopted, but we should moi have, if we can help it. any half-hearted ' or apologetic' Underwood men, we should