The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-13

people who indorsed Mir. Bryan by their presence, we offer this pro- test and we beg to enclose with it resolution signed by the repre- sentative pastors of the leading Protestant Christian churches Of the city, which we request that you publish with this statement. Very sincerely yours,
 GEORGE R. STUART,
 W. $. STALLINGS.
 The News Reply ! In justice to the Birmingham News The Age Herald reproduces that news papers editorial reply to the 'commu of Dr. Stuart and MT. w. Stallings and the resolutions adopte by the Birmingham pastors, appearin ia its issue of Tuesday, February 12, a follows:
 In the Voice of the People col umn on this page today is printed a letter signed by Rev. Dr. George R. Stuart, pastor of the First Meth odist chufch, and Mir. W. s. Stall ings, general secretary of the Y. M. c. A, taking the Birmingham News sharply to task for an edi- torial of last Friday, the editorial in question being a reply Go a statement given out by William J. Bryan, attacking Underwood, in the course of his recent visit to Birmingham. Appended to the let ter is resolution passed by the Pastors union at it's meeting on Monday and signed by several rep . resentative Protestant ministers. This letter condemns the News for it's attack upon Bryan, defends that eminent would-be Warwick of democratic politics and assumes that the News attack upon Bryan was an insult to the religious or ganizations and persons who brought him to Birmingham and who were his official hosts during his stay here.
 The News, following its policy ! of giving all sides of every issue hearing in court, is glad to print even so caustic an attack upon it. self and so unjust a characteriZa- tion of its motives and intentions. For its views of Mir. Bryan's polit- ical activities the News has no apologies to offer now or hereaf- ter; for the expression of those views, the News has no apologies to offer. However, if the expres- sion of the News opinion of Mir. Bryan, made at a particular time and on a particular occasion, can be legitimately construed as in any way a reflection upon the minis ters, the churches, or the church. going people of Birmingham, or as an insult" to them, as some of them apparently have construed such an expression of opinion, then the News does offer its sincere apologies.
 The News is confident that Dr. Stuart is emincntly correct when he says fiatfootedly that neither he, his church, nor the Y. NJ. c. A. had any but religious purpose in bringing Bryan to Birmingham. That IS not open to question. The News admits, too, that until after his lecture was delivered, Bryan commercially avoided poli tics. Had he continued in that course, the News would have had no comment to make that could possibly have been construed as of fensive to the ministers and or ganizations affected. The News has nothing but the highest regard and respect for the gentlemen whose sentiments are given voice on this page today. It has coop erated with them and with the or ganizations they so ably represent on every possible occasion. It even co-operated with them in obtaining large crowds to hear MIe Bryan. It gave liberaly of it's space to that end. This paper certainly had no desire or intention of re- flectipg in the slightest degree upon any of them, or even upon Mir. Bryan in the capacity of their guest.
 However, when Mir. Bryan on Thursday night issued statement attacking Underwood making Gs-