The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-03
CONVENTION HISTORY

flected in. the consistent course of the Alabama delegation to the Democratic national convention when, regardless of individual judgment, the members of the delegation voted on all occasions to sus- tain MT. Underwood's position before the convention, was unprecedented in con- vention history. The passing of the days since the epochal events marking the assembling of Democracy in New York permits a clearer interpretation of the failure of the Underwood cause and brings into bold relief how many mem bers of the delegation completely sub ordinated their personal convictions be- cause they felt such was their duty to the state of Alabama. These members kept always before them that the legis- lature of Alabama, by formal action, in- vited Senator Underwood to become a candidate for the presidential nomina- tion, and that, in presidential primary election, at which all the voters of the state had opportunity to register their views, the people overwhelmingly rati- fled the invitation thus extended by the legislature.
 The members of the Alabama delegation who did not share the views of Senator Underwood on many public issues felt that their first duty was to recognize the legislative and primary election expressions of the people of Ala bama to do everything to help Senator Underwood win the nomination. When Senator Underwood gave assurances that, on certain vital matters, the delegation should vote affirmattvely to help him win, the delegation voted as Mir. Under wood desired, even though, in doing so, they voted contrary to their own views and individual judgment.
 How the situation with respect to the candidacy of Alabama's choice finally de- veloped is evidenced by the history of the convention itself. While there came to MT. Underwood promised portion of the Eastern vote, if only one for brief ballot, yet not single vote came to him from any Southern state save Alabama. Our neighbors to the north, the east and the west-Tennessee Georgia and Mis- sissippi-refused single vote to Ala bama's candidate. Not alone these ad- joining neighbors, but Arkansas, Lou isiana, Florida, Virginia, the Caro- linas, and even Underwood's birth state, Kentucky, gave no evidence of sympathy, and refused to support the Underwood cause.
 This refusal of Southern states to be even helpfully sympathetic with the can didacy of a Southern man clearly evil denced that MT. Underwood had placed himself out of harmony with the people of the section, for, undoubtedly, they rec ognized, as did Alabama, the high ca- pacity of the man. Close observers knew and understood that this was not solely because of the unfortunate injection of the religious issue into the convention through the Klan resolution MT. Under wood insisted upon, but because, beyond that, delegates from other states felt MT. Underwood did not reflect in sympathetic understanding the progressive views of the South, and they believed he allied himself with those out of sympathy with similar policies in the East to prevent a progressive expression of the conven- tion. For instance, the choice of Forney Johnston, representative in Washington of a large group of railroad owners, to present his name and assume position of floor leader, appeared to emphasize this sentiment among members of the South ern delegations, whose minds were not attuned in principle to follow floor lead ership of corporate utilization.
 Therefore, both this sentiment, as well as the Klan issue, acted adversely to Mir. Underwood, a statement confirmed when, on the roll calls of all the states, no Southern standard was raised in support of the Southern candidate from Alabama. This fact, observed by other sections of the country in the convention, created the impression that Mir. Underwood was out of sympathy with the people of his own section of the United States.
 It was such an eventuality The Age Herald feared and protested against many months ago, when certain corpo- rate spokesmen in Alabama and The Bir- mingham News and it's allied newspaper, The Montgomery Advertiser, were lead ing a chorus of v:tuperation against Mir McAdoo, who had gathered large sup port through the pronouncement of pro- gressive ideas, and who was making his fight for the nomination, based on very progressive policies. It appeared in- evitable then that MT. McAdoo would gain large following in the convention, and events proved that, from the South ern states particularly, did he gather such strength.
 It appeared to The Age-Herald then, and has been proved by events since, that