The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-05-17

New York World: The men opposed to Oscar Underwood's reelection as United States senator in Alabama at- tackled him as an enemy of labor be- cause he had not always seen eye to eye with the unions, and as one who aoetted the misuse of strong drink be- cause he had argued against the adop- ton of the eighteenth amendment. In all this welter of spite and spleen there was no recognition of his distinction as democrat and sagacious legislator.
 With unerring perception and in keeping with the habit of a lifetime, l William J. Bryan was moved to hos tihty by the very considerations which MT. underwood's enemies at home ig- nored. democrat who had made a mo- table record in the House of Represen- tatives by his successful assaults upon monopolistic taxation, who in the other chamber had been unanimously elected Iesder of the minority and who is fre- qUently spoken of as available for the presidency, was a shining mark, and so MT. Bryan hastened to the scene and aded his vituperation to that of the Iccal chorus.
 | Alabama itself has taken different View of its ablest son and of the situa- tion at large. Whatever it's opinions as | to labor or prohibition may be, it is not disposed to deprive itself of MT. I Underwood's public services, as the re- I gI.1fc If q ri, | vincingly show. He will be returned to | the Senate. and Mr. Bryan may find 1 comfort in the Anti-Saloon League pay roll
 Baltimore American: Notwithstand- ing the long and bitter war waged on Senator Underwood, Alabama has wise- , Bryan went into the state and told the voters of Alabama-a dry" common wealth-that Underwood was the great est foe of prohibition in the Senate. La Tor leaders have been laying wires for months to keep him home. The effort has failed, even though the Senator's attention to his duties in Washington permitted him to give little time to looking after his fences.
 It would be foolish to quarrel with these attacks. The wet" or the dry" voter has right to know where a can didate stands since the liquor issue has been injected into politics. When labor wants certain laws, it. has a right to know whether the candidate is for them or against them. But there is a very serious danger that a persistent and energetic minority may capture votes enough to enact legislation that is inimical to the interests of the peo- pie as a whole and that is meant to of the electorate arg indifferent and fail to stand back of the candidate who cannot be bulldozed or cajoled by prom ise of votes into yielding to the selfish demands of certain classes.
 By common consent MT. Underwood is ranged as one of the ablest, most conscientious men in the Senate. He is outspoken, fair and in no sense a trim mer. He has political courage. These are attributes the Senate and the coun- try never more needed, and it is a wei come sign of sanity in the political life of the nation when the rank and file of any party stands ready to recognize them and refuses to punish capacity and intellectual honesty in public of- flee by following those who would pro- Scriha tbasa rhara
 Philadelphia Inquirer: Unitad States Senator Underwood has won the nomi- nation for the long term in Alabama. Under normal conditions there would have been no doubt of the result, but factional differences and the opposition of William Jennings Bryan caused com p-lcations which made the outcome problematical. As asdemocratic mem Der of the Senate is bound to be chosen from Alabama, there will be much sat- isfaction in knowing that the man is to be one who has had long training in legislation and whose record, on the whole, is satisfactory to the country at large. It must be confessed that the direct primaries have not always been what has been claimed for them by