The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-30
CONTEST BECOMES
ISSUE OF FITNESS
Weak Points in Hobsons Armor Ex-
posing Him to Full Effects of
Underwood's Telling
Shots
BY HUGH w. ROBERTS

dreadful" guns which r. P. Hobson
sought to train upon him.
BY q statement obtained from e. Y
Webb, North Carolina congressman
father of the famous Webb anti-ship-
ping bill. Mr.. Underwood proved that
Mr. Hobson erred in his statement that
Mr. Underwoods support of that anti
shipping bill was insincere. By a state
ment from Samuel Gompers, president
of the American Federation of Labor,
Mr. Underwood proved that Mr. Hob
sons charge that he had been unfriend-
ly to labor was unfounded, and proved
that Mr., Hobson had failed to support
certain measures looked upon with ia
vor by labor organizations.
In regard to Mr. Hobson's charge
that he is reactionary, Mr.. Under
wood declared: IF I am reactionary,
the democratic party is a reactionary,
for have always stood with the party
and my opponent has not been so
faithful"
Just how Mr.. Underwood could have
made tariff bill relieving the con-
suming public of s125, 5,O0O,OOO in taxes
and assessing, through an income tax
NAifs eit wealthy 9lAD,UOu,UUO ana DC
at the same time a reactionary. the
people have been unable to understand,
despite the repeated utterances of his
opponent.
Issues IngeniOusly Injected
AS result of the conclusive an
swers to the charges of Mr. Hobson
the campaign has simmered down into
one in which intelligent Alabama ms
who are honest with themselves have
outlined a very simple issue-the rec
ord of the two contestants 1t Is be-
coming apparent to practically every
voter that eXtraneous issues were in
geniously injected to becloud records
The effect has been that the injec-
ton of fictitious issues has not in
Jured Mr.. Underwood, but, If anything,
has cast his opponent "in the hole"
and has not beclouded issues When
Mr.. Underwood proved that he sup
ported the Webb anti shipping bill and
when he proved by a statement of the
author of that bill that 1T would have
been practically impossible to have se-
cured its passage against the opposi-
| ton of Mr.. Underwood and when on
| the other hand, he proved that in the
| last senatorial campaign in Alabama
Mr. Hobson supported Senator Bank
head, an avowed local optionist as
against Capt Frank S. White, an
avowed prohibitionist, the prohibition
element of the state realized that Mr.
Underwood was not an enemy to tenn
perance and that Mr.. Hobson's effort
TO make prohibition the predominant
issue was an effort born of his idea
of political eXpediency.
AS concerns Mr.. Hobson's charges
that Underwood stands for red LIQUOR
liquor stra' ght," and that Underwood
is stepped in liquor" and that "the
liquor interest is eXpending $4,000 O0G
in Alabama" to encompass his defeat
very few Alabamians have given them
serious consideration.
The Prohibition Question
In regard to prohibition, Mr.. I'm
derWood, in his campaign, showed that
while he believes in each county regu-
lating its own internal affairs, he sun
ported anti-shipping bills before his
opponent went to Congress and that he
could have killed the Webb anti-shin-
ping bill had he desired-which dec
laration was sustained by a statement
of the author of that bill.
He showed that Congressman Hob-
son introduced a bill by proxy pro-
viding for nationwide prohibition at
such recent period that the idea oh
tained that it was introduced for the
purpose of enhancing his chances OF
making prohibition an issue.
He showed that Hobson in the last
senatorial campaign did not think ma
tion-wide prohibition an issue and thai,
after having encompassed the defeat of
Senator Bankhead In a congressional
campaign in which he preferred serious
charges against him. Hobson, in the
senatorial fight which followed imme-
diately afterward, supported Senator
Bankhead a local optionist, as against
Captain White. prohibitionist, declar-
ing at the same time that the retire
ment of Senator Bankhead would be
calamitous.
He also showed that nation wide
prohibition would be enforced by Unit
ed States marshals and that violators
of the law would be sent. on conyic-
ton, to the federal penitentiary at At
lanta
GOmpers Sends Record
| Following Hobson's charges that I'M
derwood was unfriendly to labor. 4
committee of members of-a local labor
union visited Mr.. Underwood The lead
er told the committee to write to Com
pers. The committee did
Gompers replied that Underwood was
a friend of labor He declared in 4
signed statement that Underwood sun
ported the Hughes amendment provid
Ing for the application of the "efght-
hour day in naval construction and
| that Bobson "straddled the fence" by
voting present.
When Hobson declared that woman
suffrage" was not an issue because
Underwood stands where I do" Mr..
Underwood acted as boldly as he did in
regard to the anti labor" charge. He
declared that he hac informed Miss
Jane Adams that he could not support
an amendment to the constitution pro-
viding for female suffrage" and that
Mr.. Hobson had supported such a bill
on the floor Of the House. He did not
| refer to the fact that Mr.. Hobson rode
at the head of the suffrage parade In
Washington in which were included ne
groes of both sexes
Comparing the Records
And thus the issues have simmered
down until but one remains--the rec
| ords of the men and the ability of each
to accomplish.
Mr.. Underwood charged that Mr.
Hobson has, first OF ALL been inat-
tentive to duty; that he has not been
present at his post when the democrats
were striving to produce remedial Leg
| islation. He charged also that on four
occasions Mr.. Hobson supported re-
, orbitant taxation on the poor and thar
he voted to maintain the republican
tariff on lumber, the shelter of the
| poor
| The people of Alabama are familiar
with the record of Mr.. Underwood with
the fact that he isnconsidered by the
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