1912 letter from lawyer and politician Oscar Underwood

Sixty-Second Congress OSCAR W. UNDERWOOD. Chain CHOICE B. RANDELL . FRANCIS BURTON HARRISON. WILLIAM G BRANTLEY. DORSEY W. SHACKLEFORD. CLAUDE KITCHIN. OLLIE M. JAMES. HENRY T. RAINEY. LINCOLN OIXON. WILLIAM HUGHES. COROELL HULL. W. S. HAMMOND. ANDREW J. PETERS. A MITCHELL PALMER. SERENO E. PAYNE. JOHN OALZELL. SAMUEL W. MCCALL . EBENEZER J. HILL . JAMES CARSON NEEOHAr. JOSEPH W. FORDNEv. NICHOLAS LONGWORYH. DANIEL C. ROPER. Clenh COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS, House of Representatives , Washington, D.C., June 10, 1912, . Hon. Henry B. Gray, Birmingham, Alabama. My dear Henry: - Yours of the sixth instant reached me this morn¬ ing. I appreciate your congratulations on my securing the degree from Columbia University. I appreciated the honor very highly especially as Columbia is rather careful in disposing of her honorary degrees. In reference to your being National Committeeman, I have not written you about it as I knew you were sure that I was for you. Of course, I did not think it was advisable for me at this time to get out in a prominent way about the matter, hut some time ago Hugh Dent came to see me and stated that he understood that j^ou were a candidate and Mr. Hushton of Montgomery, also wanted the place, and asked me if Mr. Rushton's candidacy would meet with my approval. I told him to say to Mr. Rushton that I had no objection to him personally at all, hut that I was interested in having you selected as National Committeeman and that if I was nominated for Presi¬ dent I felt you could he of great service to me in that position, and although I did not intend to take any active part in the matter, I desired to have you selected for the