The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-06-03

seek to increase the opposition vote at the general election on June 2.
 A prohibitive tariff levied at this time will encompass the destruction of our foreign trade and will prevent debtor nations paying their war debts to this country, amounting to about 0,000. 100000, Senator Underwood ayers; and this will mean gigantic loss to the southern cotton planter, as half of the American cotton crop must find a market in Europe and Asia. T there- fore regard the policy of the republi- can party in favoring taxation at the customs house that will prevent i'm portations from abroad as peculiarly disastrous to the farmers of the south." the senator continues. His letter in full is as follows:
 UnderNood's Letter
 United States Senate, May 2s, 1921. Mai Lamar Jeffers, Anniston, Ala.
 My dear Major Jeffers: I write to express my regret that l am unable to come to Alabama and take the stump in your behalf in the coming congressional election in the Fourth Alabama district. but as you know it Is always difficult for a floor leader in Congress to get away from the capital, and the legislative status is such that 1 will not be able to leave here before election day; so l am writing this letter that you may pub fish it, if you will, expressing my earnest desire that you may carry your district by handsome majority, and pointing some of the reasons why the democratic faith should prevail.
 The old time cleavage between the two great political parties has not changed. We can expect that when the republican tariff bill is written in the summer, prohibitive taxes at the customs house will again be enacted for the benefit of special interests, and the masses of American people must bear them in the price they pay for what they buy. In the days when we were/a debtor nation, this was only a question. of taxation. and did not prevent the export of the surplus products of American toll reaching the foreign markets: but today when we have become the great creditor nation of the world, when the surplus gold of the world is in our vaults, when American securities that were formerly owned abroad are no longer there to exchange for our commodities there is no way that the foreign buyer can pay us for our export products except by exchange of his commodi- ties and to close the door of the GUS toms house to the importations of foreign products must mean, and will mean, the destruction of our foreign trade and the inability of our foreign debtors to pay us tte debt they owe to our government and our citizens, aggregating approximately 20,000,- 100000. Half oe our cotton crop must find markets abroad, or it will re- main in this country to stagnate the American market and prevent the American producer from receiving a fair price for the product of his toll.
 Regards Policy as Disastrous
 T therefore regard the policy of the republican party in favoring taxae tion at the customs house that will prevent importations from abroad as peculiarly disastrous to the farmers of the south.
 "The republican party was returned to power last fall by overwhelming majorities, on the promise that they would reduce taxation and retrench public expenditures. They were en- tirely in control of the Senate and the House of Representatives when the last appropriation bills were passed but failed to accomplish any substan- tial reduction in the cost of running the government, they are now in the control of every branch of the govern ment, and yet no substantial effort has been made that will reduce the gov ernment budget of war expenditures to a peace basis. No legislative pro ] gramme has yet been announced looking to reduction of war taxation We have merely promises and no re- suits, notwithstanding the war was over more than two years ago.
 The last democratic administration successfully fought a great war ano | maiptained prosperity in the land American labor received high wages and opportunity fdr employment; the producers on the farms and in the fac tories had ample markets and higt prices for the product of their indus try; but with the coming of the lasi