The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-20
Says He Will Insist on His
Friends Maintaining Dig
nified Attitude Dur
ing the Campaign
WILL NOT JOIN HIS
OPPONENT IN HIS
MUD BATH TACTICS
Says if Anyone Doubts His Attitude
Toward the Webb Bill, Let Them
Ask Congressman Webb
Himself
by HUGH w. ROBERTS.

cratic leader of Congress, who is
candidate for the Senate. refused yes.
terday TO yield to the opportunities
of his friends when they urged him
to apply the shorter and uglier" word
in refutation of the charges which his
opponent, Congressman Hobson, has
seen proper to bring against him.
There are two ways in which one
might deal with an opponent who says
anything with or without regard to
fact" declared Mr.. Underwood "The
one way is to call him liar and the
other is to prove that what he has said
Is untrue. In the present campaign,
will insist that my friends, howev er
great the temptation to do otherw Sc,
will act with dignity.
Whatever Captain Hobson might
say in a frenzed effort to prove that
l have not been consistent in my eff
forts in behalf of the people, L VIII
prove to be untrue"
To Gompers and Webb
leave for Dothan He repeated his
former statement to the end that he
would decline to join Captain Hobson
in a mud bath" However, it is
known that he is preparing to go still
deeper into the record of his opponent
and tell the people of Alabama just
what that opponent has accomplished,
and just what he has not accomplished
Last night" said the democratic
leader, "a number of my friends of
the labor unions inquired of me con-
cerning charges made that | had voted
against certain 'eight-hour bills
told them that I had always given to
labor what labor desired. 1 told them
also not to accept my statement or that
of my opponent, but to go to headquar-
ters. l advised them to ask Samuel
Gompers, and declared that I would
abide by any statement that he might
make in way of reply.
MIR. Hobson has stated that I voted
against the Webb bill. 1T is a matter
of fact that had l desired I could have
prevented the passage of that bill. If
there are any who doubt my friendship
to that anti-shipping measure. / refer
them to its author Congressman /. Y.
Webb of North Carolina"
Jackson and Lawrence Know
Mr.. Underwood went deeper into the
of Hobsons charges in re-
gard to the Webb bill.
mo man." he said, knew better than
Captain Hobson that his charges wera
untrue. For before the elections last
fall Hobson came to me in regard to
the bill. l told him that at that time
l was unwilling that 1t be considered
by the House. Just before the cleo
tions was an illogical time to pass an
anti shipping bill. But I told Captain
Hobson then that as soon as the cleo
tions were over, | would see that it
was introduced, and would do my best
in securing it's passage.
Fred M. Jackson. who was on the
stage at the Hobson meeting Lass
night, and the Rev. Brooks Lawrence
know what my position was in regard
to the Webb bill before its passage
and after its passage. Therefore, l
do not think that Captain Hobson will
be sustained even by his own follow
ing in an attempt to misrepresent my
position in this matter. If anybody is
in doubt, inquire of the author of the
bill, Congressman Webb, and he VIII
sustain all that l have said in this re.
gard"
Captain HobsOn Can't Dodge"
Mr.. Underwood does not intend to per-
NIT Captain Hobson to evade the equal
suffrage question by declaring that it is
not an lSSu6 DttdQSt 1DueIWOOQ StanOS
where / do In this regard, Mr.. Under
wood said:
II do not know where Captain Hobson
stands at the present time in regard to
equal suffrage. At one time however.
he made fight for female suffrage on the
floor of the House. My position is not the
position of Captain Hobson. I have al
ways contended that the matter was one
for the states to decide, and that as far
nl +
in Alabama when majority of the good
white women of Alabama declare in its
favor.
Last summer Miss Jane Adams and
a committee urged me to favor consid-
Grafton by the House of their bill provid-
ing for an amendment in regard to eoual
suffrage l told Miss Adams that | re-
GREETED my inability to espouse that
cause. I told her very plainly that | was
opposed to her idea. There is little rea
son. therefore, for Captain Hobson to in
innate that l stand where he stands in
regard to female suffrage"
Mr.. Underwood here declined to discuss
Hobson's march down PENNSYLVANIA ave-
nue. at the head of a great number of suf-
fragettes among whom We're negroes of
both sexes all clamoring for an amend
ment to the constitution permitting them
equal rights in all the states.
How Did Hobson Vote
Mr.. Underwood was smiling that calm
smile which is apparently such a torment
to his opponent He began discussing
other Hobson charges.
II understand that Captain Hobson
charged that | was not in favor of giving
publicity to and limiting campaign contri-
buttons The committee on election of q
President and a vice president, of which
Captain Hobson is a member, reported a
bill with the above provisions Together
with other democrats, 1 supported that
bill. The Jackson substitute was offered
from the republican side. L opposed that
substitute. The original bill, out of the
of which Hobson is a member,
which | supported, became law and is law
today
He declined to admit here that Hobson's
charges We're "kittenish." He declined to
agree that Hobson would make any
charge for the sake of and in the hope of
benefiting his candidacy.
Instead, he took up another of Hobson's
charges. He understood that his opponent
had charged that he opposed an amend
ment to the currency bill providing
a gainst ''interlockng directors" a ques-
tion which relates, as every well posted
congressman knows, to the matter of
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