The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-11
Underwood the Asset

/
has a tangible asset of immeasurable
value.
This is not simply because he has
proved his worth as leader, as
general who keeps his men inspired
with patriotic zeal and hurls them
victorious into the citadels of the en-
emy; not true simply because he wrote
the tariff bill and thereby redeemed
the pledges and fulfilled the promises
made by the party to the people But
it is true in that his talent, his worth,
his sincerity, his honesty of purpose,
his tenacity, his indomitable courage,
his love of toll, and regard for the
call of duty have brought to his stan
dard such strength, such power, that
he has become a statesman who can
achieve great things for the future.
The democrats during the admins
tration of President Cleveland divided
among themselves and went out of
power without material accomplish
ment. From that moment until the be-
ginning of the administration of Pres
ident Wilson, the republicans, holding
the democrats in absolute disdane,
charged, not without certain apparent
proof, that the party standing for the
masses of the people, was incapable
of constructive legislation.
In the beginning of the current
regime, the powerful forces of diverg-
ent and selfish interests, and greed of
gold, and lust of office which during
the Cleveland administration pre-
vented concerted action and unity of
purpose, were at work. But their sue
cess in producing disruption in the
Cleveland administration was not re-
peated. AS result, the democrats
passed the tariff bill removing bur-
den of $125, 100000 in taxation from
the back of the poor; and the currency
bill opening the vaults of the treasury
and pouring into channels Of circula-
ton an idle surplus of $400, ,000.-
guarantee against the recurrence of
the pestilence of bankers panics.
Therefore, the party, in standing
firm under fire and in enacting con-
structive legislation in the interests
of the masses of the people, has final
| ly, by concrete results, proven to be
false the long standing charge of the
republicans.
To all Alabamians who love their
state and glory in it's accomplishments
it is source of intimate satisfaction
that son of the family was the leader
in the fight; that this son is respon-
sible for that maintenance of peace in
the ranks which made great achieve
ment possible; that this son on ac-
count of his faith in and love for the
people was assigned the duty of writ
ing the measure-the basis of the
pledge on which the great party of
nation was swept into power-the
measure embodying the lowest rate of
taxation levied since the days of the
civil war
The worth of man is not neces-
sarily dependent on an achievement,
but on his ability to repeat his
achievement. In Mr.. Underwood, Ala
bama has son who has stood forth
in the wars of the people of nation
and successfully struggled for their
good, for their comfort and progress;
and a son who in virtue of those sue
cesses, holds out a glorious promise
of other great things for the morrow.
1t is an indisputable fact that no
man of the south-of the nation-has
done more in recent years for the
people of America and reflected
greater lustre on his state than Mr..
Underwood. Therein is Mr. Under
wood an asset of great value, one
which the state would no more in
sanity neglect or destroy, than man
in possession of his mental faculties,
would tie his right arm behind him,
and proceed, thus handicapped, to en-
gage in the struggle of life.
|