The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-01-24

l make satisfactory answer to that oues- ton.
 That is not all, however. that this smoke screen was designed 10 conceal Reports reached me in Jasper lats Tues day that movement was under way in Tuscaloosa to raise a slush fund of slOO,- 900 for the defense of these men With fe lawyers already retained, and probably more to follow, and the expense of pro- curing witnesses and their transportation to place of trial, all taken into considera- tion, l should say that this amount would be entirely adequate, and then some. Every indication points to the prob ability of the biggest slush fund the state of Alabama has ever seen being collected and used in the defense of these men. and there must be some way of getting it in motion.
 CREDIT TO INGENUITY "It would not do for few wealthy in- ldividuals, even if they were so disposed, to go into their pockets and foot the bill of this expense. The scheme is to take up a public subscription, under the assump- tion that the men are men of ordinary circumstances When the committee gets in action it will be easy for them to ob- tair a few dollars from some citizens and turn over s100,000, If necessary. without saying from whence it came or how it shall be expended. There is no duty on
  or in what amount. If this scheme is followed no person, interest will be- come active in the defense. It will be a proposition by and for the people to those who do not otherwise understand. Such a scheme is a credit to the ingenuity of Tuscaloosa county.
 '"The resolution adopted at the mass meeting makes feeling reference to the age of the men involved in the inofcr- merits. It fails to say that several of them are overseas soldiers of experience That an overseas man g or B years of age, with year or twos experience over seas. has the experience of a man of 3o and the training and discipline that man> neIt never experience. These men are no infants as the resolution would seem to imply This appeal for sympathy for the boys is ingeniously injected into this mat ter as a fitting corally for this campaign to get the money, boys in an effort to save somebody's neck.
 There is another paragraph in the res oluton that is not characteristic of the usual fairness of the Tuscaloosa people. That is the one that reflects the law officers in their alleged attempt to "ex- tort confessions from the men
 NO PRAYER MEETINGS
 'No officer ever held prayer meeting with the men, so far as l can learn. NO officer ever exhorted them in the name of religion to say that national guards
 men or any one else lynched Baird.
 Every man in the detachment has been
 urged and cautioned to tell the truth and nothing but the truth The state wants the innocent men of that detachment ex- oi.orated and the guilty punished. As 1t
 it the entire detachment is under more or less suspicion, and in justice to the inno-
 cent they should speak and let the truth come to light. The idea of the mass meet t..x tr,I Itra honest enough to talk, and to take the position that it is far better for every , body to keep their mouth shut and let entire detachment suffer rather than tell the truth about it. and let the guilty take their medicine.
 ''Every statement by or to these men
 has been stenographically reported. There
 has been no third degree methods or any thing of that kind. This attempt to in ject prejudice is unworthy of the sub stantial citizenship of Tuscaloosa county. This smoke screen of resolutions and
 mass meetings is too thin to conceal any thing. 1 do not believe there is enough
 money in the state to cause the substan- tial citizenship of Marion county to
 the guilty and acquit the innocent, if
 any there be. and the state will not ask
 them to do anything else.
 'T am as much interested in seeing the innocent men of Company M exhonerated
 as are the lawyers or citizens of Tusca- loosa. Every mothers son will be given the benefit of every reasonable doubt.
 But it is unfair, unprecedented. and un- called for to see an effort made to be- fuddle the press and public with cry that some one is being railroaded 10 cover the raising of the most gigantic
 slush fund the state has ever seen to defeat the ends of justice.
 "Whenever the time comes that eight
 Tuscaloosa lawyers, two Hamilton law yers one Jasper lawyer and one Bir- mingham lawyer will all work for noth- 1 ing, the people will be willing to pay some attention to resolutions protesting against railroading.