The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-10-25
UNDE ERWOOD OPENS TEXAS CAMP PAIGN
Declares Time Has Come When South Again Should
 Elect President

WICHITA FALLS, Tex, Oct. 24.- The statement that it is inexpedient for the south to nominate and have elected 8 President of the United States is a battle cry and shibbolth used by some politicians in the north because he wanted to take the of flee himself, Senator Oscar w. Un- derwood said here tonight at ban quet in his honor.
 He announced his candidacy for the democratic nomination for Pres ident and said the determining fac tor which caused him to accept the invitation of the Alabama legisla- ture to be a candidate was that the southland, south of the Potomac and Ohio rivers, had not had the presi- dency for so years. During that period, he asserted, the south had support in electing democratic can didates who went to the White House.
 It may have been inexpedient once to select a President from this ter ritory, the senator declared, but the part the southern soldiers took in the World war had demonstrated to take in the nation.
 For anyone to say now it is in- expedient to select a President from the south is to dishonor our sons and dishonor the dead on the battle fields of the nation," the senator de- clared.
 "This has become largely a gov ernment of commissions" he said. These commissions go to the very vitals of the business interests, the homes and the firesides of the na- tion. Yet because the south yielded to the cry of expediency today we have on these commissions more than 100 men and only four or five from the south. There should be about one-third of the commissioners southern men," he said.
 The senator asserted only few members of the interstate commerce commission since it was created had been from the south.
 In conclusion he said the hour had come when the delegation to the democratic convention from Texas should take the stand that the south land should be represented in the councils of the nation.
 O O O
 "Conference Passed Buck"
 Referring to the conferNnce of gov ernors with President Coolidge re- gently upon the question of law en- foroement as a travesty, Senator Os- car Underwood said that in the language of the street the conference was passing the buck He derided the meeting, saying the President called the governors to ask why they had not enforced the laws and if they would do so, to which the gov ernors replied by asking the Presi- dent eff he would enforce the law"
 Four years since law prohibit ing the smuggling of liquor into the country the present administration has awakened to the fact that some body is smuggling liquor into the United States, and sent for the gov ernors to say they should try and stop it." the senator said.
 He declared that the revenue cut ters which were armed and under fed eral control should be used to stop the smuggling and if necessary they should shoot into the ships vigorously the laws of the land regardless of the nations flag the ships carried.
 "That would have happened if the ships had been smuggling tobacco. But when the ship lays off New York harbor, three miles out with a cargo of rum. we are still discussing with the British government whether the ship should stay out three miles or twelve miles," he added.