The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-06-13
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS


 thin slice of a speech, causes a man to
 poks his nose into many different kinds
 of places.
 l I have spoken on street corners. I have
 orated from automobiles. I have got ten into fine forensic frenzy stand. l ing on a truck. I have harangued a
 crowd from a bargain counter. have made addresses in parks. I have de- livered my message from a buggy; in
 fact, have made use of the much abused
 "soap box" to soft soap the passers-by
 and cause their mouths to froth against
 the hated Boches.
 | have also had indoor assignments at picture shows, both white and colored. I
 have tackled the vaudeville houses and vied with the professional teams to
 arouse the audience to give me glad
 hand" 1 have been to churches of many
 denominations, both white and colored
 have done my part at school commence ments, both white and colored. I have spoken in stores and factories. l have
 made after-dinner speeches galore in
 hotels and clubs. have made the well
 kin ring in many courthouses. l But the other morning a phone mes sage came from the county jail asking me if I wouldn't come by and make a | talk at a flag raising inside the famous
 bastile which has given our Presbyterian | friends on the corner of Twenty-first street and Fourth avenue so much con- cern, and whose removal is one of the things agitated when other agitation gets How. I am talking about the prison in
 the heart of Birmingham which is tech-
 nically known among the colored breth-
 ren as the Big Rock"
 l I have been saying all along that I was willing to do anything in my power to help win the war, and it wasn't for me to refuse to go to jail to make talk, 1 especially when quite few in it were l imprisoned because they had been talk ling too much. I am sure of one thing, If every man in the county could visit the Jefferson county prison, it would be a very difficult thing to get any man to do any foolish talking against Uncle Sam, for few days solitary confinement 1 is usually enough to make a man repent for having been so unpatriotic as to "shoot off his mouth by criticizing the President.
 Tn the old days when I used to practice law was a frequent visitor to the jail, for like most young lawyers I rather liked the notoriety which comes through defending noted criminals. I made my debut in the famous Hawes case, nearly thirty years ago. Sometime I am going to find time to tell the inside story of that cause celebre, but I pass it up now, for it holds within it pathetic note of budding loyalty.
 called at the jail and found that Connie Austin was waiting for me. was promptly admitted, although it seemed to me that there was one con- tiltual procession through door after uoor, and I jumped to the conclusion if they were so particular about letting a fellow
  though it is a matter of history that some keen witted Jail birds have been able to fly out of the coop" It was only a while back that I took Frank Carpen- ter, the famous correspondent, and his daughter Frances to view the surround ings just after the famous jail delivery which ended so tragically in the woods on the outskirts of the city, neaby the home of Solicitor Tate.
 At last I got in, and lined up against the walls were several score or more of men, ranging, it seemed to me, from l6 to 60, but young men largely predominant ing. I never like to go into a place of'in- carceration unless it is on business or an errand of mercy. for somehow it embar- rasses me as t must shame the prisoners to be stared at. I have never had any sympathy with the morbid stunning parties who are piloted through the underworld or in the jails out of mere curiosity. 1t seems to me to be a poor kind of sport to feast on the misery of the fallen.
 It seems the prisoners wanted to show their loyalty, and so out of their poverty got up sum sufficient to send out and buy very pretty and substantial flag, which is three and half feet by five, and is to be raised and lowered each day to remind them that America is at war, and that although they are deprived of their liberty by law, yet they stand true to the liberty which is symbolzed by the Stars and the Stripes.
 I have been used to public speaking from my youth up, and rarely have 1 ever suffered the least stage fright for one who is a professional man is used to facing audiences as part of the days work. Believe me or not, but when Con- ne Austin, after a feeling talk. intro narrow aisle into the pale faces of men on either side, I confess that for a mo- ment I was hardly able to begin, for somehow I did not want to make con- ventional talk, and yet how to reach my hearers was a task I had to try and solve
 l knew number of them were federal prisoners and jailed because of evasion of the draft law. or because of being sus- pected as enemy aliens, or through dis loyal utterances, or having in some way violated the statutes in regard to reg istration. l made up my mind to shoot sti aight at their manhood, and to urge that if they had shown "a yellow streak" they could yet get into the fighting game