The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1918-03-25
|HEFL|N MAILED HIS
25OOLETTERSUN
GOVERNMENT FRANK
Will Reach no Decision on
Senatorship Until After
Trip to Alabama
lBANKHEAD GETS
| NUMBER OF LETTERS
Helm Says Few Replies Are Adverse
But Great Majority Urge Him
to Enter Race-Heflin
Discusses Cotton
Bx HUGH w. ROBERTS

washington, March 24-(Special)
Twenty-Five hundred letters mailed to
citizens of Alabama by Representative
Helm for the purpose of obtaining ad-
vice as to whether he should offer for
the Senate against Senator Bankhead
or remain at his present post in the
the government at the expense of the
government
If anyone makes charge to that effect,
Mr.. Heflin will admit that 1t is true.
However, he declares his letter was
"frankable"
1t is his contention that whereas the
letter was written for the purpose of
obtaining advice as to whether or not he
should enter the senatorial campaign,
and whereas the letter did contrast the
record of Senator Bankhead with that OF
his own, it contained a discussion of
several vital public questions, namely,
the ship purchase act, the attempt of
certain interests to fix the price of cot
ton, and the necessity of every citizen,
| in the present crisis, standing Loyalty in
support of the President of the United
| States.
Furthermore, Mr.. Heflin makes the
point that in his letter was an excerpt
from the Congressional Record contain
ing criticism by Senator Simmons OF
North Carolina Of taxation policy adj
vocated at that time by certain other
senators, among them Senator Bank
head.
HELM DISCUSSES COTTON
| When interviewed this morning by the
correspondent of The Age-Herald Mr.
Heflin was reticent in respect to the
possibility Of his becoming candidate
for the Senate. Regarding the fact that
| his letter was mailed at the expense OF
the government he spoke with greater
| freedom and in effect as outlined above
| He expressed opinion, in addition. that
Senator Bankhead would find little COM
| fort in considering or discussing that
matter. He declared that once upon q
| time he heard r. p. Hobson, then a
| candidate for the House against Sen
ator Bankhead, read political letter
written and franked by Senator Bank
head-a letter in which the writer is al
legged to have urged activity in his be-
| half and which contained saving CLAUSE
| to the effect that a farm demonstration
agent had been sent into the Sixth dis
trict. Mr.. Heflin was of the opinion
that Senator Bankhead would hardly re-
fer to the letter which he has just
franked into Alabama inasmuch as he
states 1t is possible that 'his memory
Is good or even that he is In possession
! of the Bankhead Letter"
| At the present time, there is moth.
ing to indicate positively that Mr. Hef
| lin will get into the race or that he
will refrain from doing So 1t is known
| however, that he will not make an
announcement in the present or within g
very short while. He intends visiting
| Alabama again before reaching definite
| conclusion, and If he should determine
| that his psychological hour had chimed
the chances are that he would announce
at such time that the campaign woule
be one Of only 80 days. In discussing
this point, Mr.. Heflin referred to the
| facr that Senator Mcclellan OF Tennes
seq as a House member. fought 90-day
campaign to successful issue, and tha
Senator James of Kentucky, under iden
ticai circumstances, Jared equally al
| well. He promises, however that thu
| 80 days will be exceedingly interesting
and predicts that as result of his mi
4 tial tour of the state--a tour in which
he will speak several times each day
and attempt to prove his point that Ala
bama would be better represented IL
! the Senate with him commissioned thar
with Senator Bankhead continued II
(, charge-an irresistible sentiment for hi
election will be- created
RETURNED TO BANKHEAD
Mr.. Heflins campaign letter was ad
dressed March 8 to 300 people situate,
/ in many sections of the state. TIL
first general knowledge that he had en-
tered the letter writing stage resulted
from the return of several copies Of thi
letter to Senator Bankhead. Since then
the Senator has received maryland
has frequently happened that the writer
enclosed copies of their reply to Mr.. Hef
lin. The representative. on the othe
hand. received a great many response
in answer to his request for frank ad
vice. His daily average, he estimated
was so. The great majority. he added
contained advice that he run and prom
lises OF support. He stated that letter
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