The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-08-02
MIR. UNDERWooD's ADDRESS

the Alabama legislature is one of the forward documents that has been de- livered by any one in recent months. He evades no pertinent issue in setting forth his position with respect to the Democratic nomination for president. There is first the question as to Southern man for this position. On this point MT. Underwood declares: "Today it is said by some that it is not expedient to have the standard bearer from the South; that In the interest of expediency we must go to the doubtful states of the Union to select our candidate. Must the South forever waive the right to select one of its citizens as the chief executive of the nation, or must it weaken in its Democratic faith in order that it can have one of it's sons as the president of the United States? There may have been a day in the past when the cry of expediency may have been jus
 
 passed. The scared veterans of two wars testify to the part we have played in the Union. t. Unless the Southern states are willing to forget their birth right, the time has come when they have right to ask of their sister states, whose sons have so often been honored by the votes of the South in the electoral college, that son of the Southland should once again bear the banner of democracy and be chosen to direct the destinies of the nation. We cannot maintain the respect of others if we do not stand for reason able treatment of ourselves"
 Most significant is the statement that the South is not receiving it's pro- portionate representation on federal commissions which deal with great in- dustrial interests the administration of which may make or break any part of the country. On the Interstate Com- merce Commission, for example, there is only one Southern man, and he from the very border line between the South and the North. Whoever may be chosen for president, that is con- dition which should be remedied. Per- haps the pr'otracted disregard of the Warriors rate welfare indicates how greatly the Interstate Commerce Com missions sympathies are bounded by geographical lines. That is case of national importance that presses for a prompt adjustment, yet the commis- sion ignores it. Similarly, on the farm loan board, which has for it's especial charge the financial welfare of the farmers of the nation, there is not one member from the South. The import ance of these two commissions is in- calculable when there is the thought of their possible influence upon the prosperity of any section. The South needs to demand it's own legitimate representation on these bodies. 1 As to the persistent repetition of the charge that he is a 'wet," mis- conception of the truth that has for merly brought him much undeserved opposition even in his own state, | Senator Underwood said:
 You know, and have no desire
 to apologize for or retract the
 position have taken in the past
 When the issue of adopting the
 Eighteenth amendment to the fed
 eral constitution was before the
 American people, 1 opposed it be-
 cause I thought temperance could
 be attained better along another
 line. It was not consistent with
 my ideas of local lf-government.
 But the states of the Union have
 delegated to the federal govern
 ment the right to prohibit the
 manufacture and sale of alcoholic
 beverages. That decision by the
 people of this country foreclosed
 the issue so far as 1 was con
 cerned. In the last campaign for | senator, stated to the people of
 Alabama that, although l had op-
 posed the Eighteenth amendment,
 now that it was the supreme law
 of the land I would enforce it in
 its entire integrity.
 Alabama has no qualms about Underwood. There is no question of wide moment on which he does not ring true to the principles of his party and faithfully reflect the great majority sentiment of his constitu- ency.