The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-17
 Not Since The War Has A
 President Been Selected
 From Below The So-CaIled
 Mason And Dixon Line BIGGEST DIFFICULTY THE. ALABAMA S0L0N FACES Southerner Has Also h.
 jeCted The KIan Issue Into
 His Contest, And This Meets
 Favor In Some Sections
By ROBERT J. BENDER Geased Wire to The Age-Hcrald)

l NEW YORK, Nov. 16.-Not since | 1865, when Andrew Johnson, son Of | the village sexton and constable in | Greenville, Tenn, was inaugurated
 President following the assassina- I1 :, 1 tion of Lincoln. has the so-called
 south" been represented in the l White House.
 So it has come to be said that any candidate raising his head from be- How the Mason and Dixon line, with presidential aspirations, ''is not To- 1 cated right geographically This probably had it's foundation imnedi- lately after the Civil war in the cry
 that a southern President might re- turn slavery In all events the slo- gan has passed on down through the
 years until it has become more or 1 less automatic that d Southerner should not be President.
 1 That is probably the biggest diff culty that Senator Oscar Underwood able leader for years in both h. of Congress, has to contend with, first in seeking the democratic nomi- nation and, second, in winning the election should he be nominated
 Virginia Supplied Five.
 He might point to the fact that Virginia has seen five of it's home Washington, Jefferson, Madi- son. Monroe and Taylor-hold the
 reins of government in Washington
 He might point to the fact that, in addition to Johnson. the state of Ten nessee was drawn upon for two l Presidents-Jackson and Polk. He
 might even recall that Tn 1s43 Fhe | American people went as far south
 as Baton Rouge, La, to select their 1 leader in the person of Zachary Tay- | Tor. Nevertheless, since the war And ] on until pow. a. southern candidate
 has been discounted in advance if he comes from the south.
 The further, and perhaps actually | the dominating reason for discount ing a southerner for the democratic nomination has been the argument that the south is always democratic anyhow and it wouldn't strengthen the party any to name man rom that section.'
 stacle in his race for party leader ship. The chances of his winning the nomination are all against him. He has, however, raised one issue-he IS the only one to have raised the Issue and probably will be the only out standing presidential candldate who
 will raise it-and that Is the hu Klux Klan.
 Underwood has come out bag ar% baggage against the klan. And on that issue may rest the biggest, 1T not his only chance of success. All of the candidates so far mentioned or their personal packers, are Tn duandary what to do about the klan. Most of them favor ignoring 1t as an issue The Missouri state democ- racy recently handled it by what was tantamount to mere declaration or the first clause in the constl tutlon espousing political and religious freedom. That is how most of the candidates in both parties-and the party platforms themselves-w1ll probably dispose of the troublesome
 issue.
 Issue May Grow.
 But there is a possibility that in the coming months the klan issue may grow in scope and political inn portance. Underwood, for one, may be expected to make fight for an anti -klan clause in the democratic platform. If the issue has reached a dominating position in the body polite by early next spring, under we Is position will be strengthened As friends of candidates opposing Underwood put it, it might be that the feeling against the klan was such that Underwood would draw the solid anti-klan support"
 Already one klan periodical-May- fields weekly in Texas-has come out against Underwood and had good words to say for McAdoo and others' McAdoo's friends acknowledge that publicity such as this will hurt him in sections where feeling is strong against the klan. In other words, a majority of the candidates will wish to be known neither as Kan nor anti-klan. Underwood has taken a positive stand on the issue and It will help him in many sections.
 Underwood also has a record Tor being opposed to prohibition He may not make this an issue. IF IS more likely that he will conflne himself to domestic issues largely such as tariff and taxes.