The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-15

His attitude is well illustrated by
the splendid part he has just taken
| in working, voting and arguing for the
| passage of the splendid i5S-page i'm
mi ration bill that passed the House
yesterday. 1T took five legislative days
u get the bill to final vote and the
right was one of the fiercest known,
| the big interests and influences in OPP
position being desperate. As you know
| the cotton gamblers, the mill men and
| certain other selfish interests have
| been endeavoring to flood the south
with any and all kinds Of foreigners
| in order to increase the cotton acreage
and keep down the price of the staple.
\ carload of them came on from New
Orleans and many were here from 9TH
| er points, including the agents and a6-
torneys of the foreign steamship com
panies and other corporations, button
holeing congressman to vote again.;
this needed legislation demanded Ey
people and the farmers in particular.
| When the fight in the House was at a
white heat Underwood took the floor
| and ably argued for the legislation and
| settled its fate, if there was ever any
doubt about it. Every congressman
| from Alabama, except Richardson, who
| is ill and could not be present to work
and vote for this bill he did pre-
viously, Blackmon, who has been con-
| fined to his rooms with serious blood
nOlSOnlnS, ana fiODSOfl, WHO Was pres
| ent in the House the last two days of
the fight but would not say word
f! or take part in any of the voting fol-
| lowed Underwood and Burnett in their
patriotic and successful effort to put
this needed legislation through the
| House.
THE attitude of Underwood and Hob
! son upon this occasion is quite typical
of the attitude of each toward legisla-
| ton demanded by and i'll the interest of
| the farmers. Underwood is always on
/ the job doing what he can to get our
/ bills out of committee and through Con-
| gress, while I1obson never seems to take
any interest active part in furthering
| our legislative demands. He is seldom
present when our measures come up, and
| il he is he is apt to do as he did yester-
| day and the day before fail to say a
1 word in their behalf, fail to vote on the
| division and tellers votes, which can be
| done even though paired. and then be re-
corded as mot voting on the final votes,
| having general pair with Fairchild
| of New York He might have at least
4 been paired specifically for the bill. But
1 more important. he might have voted Tor
| the bill, because a pair does not apply
| where both parties would vote the same
way and the question is nonpartisan-
Word From Barrett
Some time ago President c. S. Barrett
| VI TIE uIiOn Sd1u Soiiletnliis
| one of his epistles to the brethren that
/ seems to ME to be very appropriate in
| this connection: 'If you want your con-
| gresham to be what he really wants tc
be, your friend, your defender. your ad-
| vocate, you should prove your loyalty to
him for his devotion to your cause, If
he proves himself worthy. and stand by
him in every conflict. This will give
| him courage.
"It will make him determined And i;
| will encourage young men, who really
| want to do something for their fellow
men, to enter politics and be among thost
who We're described by the poet as
Large Drained, clear eyed, of sucl
Shall freedoms young apostles be-
Trusting that this will give you my
opinion of Congressman underwoods leg
isative record on matters of particular
interest to the organized farmers, and as
surfing you of my readiness to answer fur
ther in detail and questions pertaining
either to his or the record Of Congress
man Hobson, or any other member of the
House or Senate. am, with fraterna
a. H. PATTEN."
Underwood and Webb Bill
"P. S. 1 was personally much interested
in the passage Of the Webb kenyon bill
Living in South Carolina a part of tn,
| year. / know the need of such legisla
ton and other similar laws to keep liquo
away from the negro in particular o.
: that occasion Underwood was towe
of strength as was Hobson also, but i
, 1t had not been for Tnderwoods assist
ance and his great influence the fate o
that bill over the veto might have beer
different. in the House, in my opinion.