The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-14
ROBSON IS MAKING HARD FIGHT AND HE IS NOT HES|TAT|NG AT PERSONALITIES Fighting for His Political
 Life' Is Way Campaign
 Is Now Sized Up
BANKHEAD MAJORITY IS NOW PUT AT 800 BY MURRAY CANNON
Many Prominent Men Who Have AL ways Supported Hobson Unable to Follow Him This
 Time
By LEON c. BRADLEY

When Capt. Richmond Pearson Hobson, writing from his home at Tuxedo park, to a ''constituent'' in Walker county, de- clared that he had so much confidence in the people of the Tenth district that he did not intend to come to Alabama and make campaign he reckoned with out his hosts
 1 Likewise, it appears, the captain erred when he declared that he would not in dulge in any personalities. he would make no personal attacks on his opponent nor the members of his family, nor. would he deign to mention so small and trivial matter as the redistricting bill and the manner in which it was brought about But the captain has awakened with a rather severe jerk from his sweet slum- bers. He finds that his confidence in his ''consttuents' was entirely mis- placed.
 Likewise has he undergone change of heart regarding the injection of per sonalities into the campaign. It appears that he was only joking when he made his rather grandiloquent remarks about con- ducting a campaign without personalities. No Hobson campaign-and there nave been quite a few of them-has ever been conducted without the injection of per sonalities of the bitterest and meanest kind
 OPPONENTS ALWAYS BAD Nor has the captain ever waged a cam paign when his opponent was not paid agent of the corporations" a hired tool of the trusts, ''steeped in red liquor," or something else equally as pernlcious and as repugnant to the people of the country, as well as dangerous to the welfare Of the nation Other candidates are sometimes opposed by men of high character and in- tegrity, but Captain Hobson, according to his campaign statements, has never been faced by man of this class.
 Finding his confidence iE his constitu- ents misplaced, Captain Hobson is fight ing for his political life. In order to in crease the number of speeches which he can make daily, the captain has even cut down the length of his speeches an hour or two each. He has only failed to live up to the expectations of the people of the district by making personal attacks on his opponent and the members of his family, nor has he overlooked that insignificant and trivial thing, the redistricting bill. In fact, the captain, with nearly four weeks remaining before the campaign closes, has played every card in his hand. Whether he has played them in such way as 10 win seat in Congress from district in which he does not live, and in which, ac- cording to his own letters, he has no in tention of living in in the near future, is matter which will be decided by the voters of the Tenth district on May g. That the issue will be settled in a way that will not be pleasing to Captaln Hop- son. and which will convince him that his confidence in the people of the Tenth was entirely misplaced, is the report which is
 4 r,f a 6 G. trict.
 MURRAY CANYONS VIEWS
 Murray Cannon, one of the best known merchants and business men of the Tenth district who operates stores at Oakman, Carbon Hill and Tuscaloosa, and who travels over the entire Tenth district ire ouently in connection with his business interests, is of the opinion that Hopson has lost the fight, and that each day IS only adding to the majority Which VIII pc cast against the captain.
 s.4obson will be defeated for Congress in the Tenth district, by Will Bandhead by not less than 800 votes' declared MT. Cannon. who was at the Morris yesterday. Each day will probably add to the lead Eankhead has on his opponent, but con slider majority of 800 for Bankhead as most conservative.
 some people have been deceived by the figures of the Underwood-Hopson race in the counties now in the Tenth district into believing that Hobson had a big lead But the situation is quite different from that in 1914. At that time Hobson was the congressman rom those counties, he was the nome man. and Underwood was an outsider. The people of the counties in the Tenth district are generally loyal to their home men. You will note that Walker county. in the race between Bankhead and Oliver, gave their home man, Bankhead. majority of about 1500. In the same primary, they gave their home man and congressman, Hobson, ma jority of about 115O.
 SITUATION IS DIFFERENT
 But the situation is different this time. Bankhead is the home man and Hobson is the outsider. There are countless former Hobson leaders. men who have supported Hobson in every race he has ever made. who have de- clared that they cannot follow him in this fight. They are not against Hob son, they say they would support him for any office from the state and would look with favor upon his candidacy, but they cannot support a man who is not a resident of their district. Not that we love Hobson less, but home rule more is the way they express their attitude.
 'I have talked within the past two weeks to vast number of the leading men in the district, many of whom had always Loyalty supported Hobson. They feel that the captain has made a mis- take in this race. They do not think he was called on to make the fight and they are unwilling to say to the world by their vote that there is no a man in lthe entire district capable or honest enough to represent them in Congress-. "They feel very keenly their right to
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