The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-11-04

band played and the audience cheered for
fully five minutes.
With very brief introduction. General
Bishop introduced the candidate who
spoke as follows
Judge Parker introduced.
II shall only detain you for a few min
utes during my hurried trip through your
state with few words of greeting to my
many friends whose devotion and par
TALLY have brought them here. There
are, however one or two topics which
may be dttingly dealt with in a few
words in a great manufacturing center
like that IN which you carry on your
useful work and pass your lives.
I'm our latter days the claim Is often
made, not only by practical men, but
by students of economic history, that
our rapid industrial progress is the re-
suit of development of machinery This
theory assumes that whatever our ances-
tors did In the way of building up insti-
tutons and industry, everything Is now
so changed that we have now become
dependent upon the machine and must
be content 10 remain so hereafter.
1.-THE fact however, is overlooked that
whatever machinery may have done 1t
has been devised, created and adapted
by mans ingenuity has been perfected
by human patience and industry, and
that 1t must be operated by men of mind
and bone and muscle Nobody will pre-
sumo to deny that 1t has become an i'm
portant factor in industry, but 1t IS
merely an incident, an auxiliary.
Has Been Much Exaggeration.
IN truth, in nothing of what we call
modern progress has there been so much
of exaggeration as that which relates to
the machine. This Is due entirely to the
assumption that it is something In ana OIL
ITSELF something separate from the hui
man mind and the human body We
have thrown over 1t the aegis of the law,
and for the reason that we have recog-
nized it as a form of property and thus
an expression of human thrift every
kind of protection which society could
devise has been given il.
Still the fact remains that it has been
the man behind the machine who mas
| enabled the great mass of the people OF
| our country to procure better shelter,
more food, more comfortable clothing and
| to enjoy the blessing of the world which
| God has given, not for the few, but for
all.
During the past few years an entirely
new doctrine has been preached. Its
logic is that whatever else we have done
tons may still exist, so far as the levy
of taxes is concerned we have reached
absolute perfection. The phrase stand
ing pat" used to denote this idea, may
not be elegant but it is at least express
! i've, and it would be interesting, II time
permitted, to inquire what this country
and the world would have been If at diff
ferent periods during the past few hun
bred years our ancestors had thought oil
this doctrine and had accepted it.
1T might, for instance, have been used
| a hundred and fifty years ago to perpet-
uate all the abuses of feudalism.
"a great many people In the world were
sure that the work of James Watt was
to say the least, superfiuous; some ever
thought 1t dangerous, but he refused tc
| stand pat and the world has been able
to progress by reason of his thought and
action.
so, too, many people and great inter-
ests might have been satisfied if the world
had kept to the sail boat and if Robert
Fulton never lived to disturb it, and still
we in this country do pride ourselves
somewhat on this original contribution tic
modern progress.
Stand Pat on Slavery.
1T will be in the memory of many OF
those who listen to me that there were
many people in this country who were
willing to stand pat on the question OF
slavery.
1T is no less certain that in the early
days of New England history, Roger
Williams was forced out into the wilder
ness because the people around him in
sisted on standing pat Still we do no.
recall the act with conspicuous pride, ano
as if In moekery of the doctrine that ths
great apostle TO the Indians is one OF
the commanding figures of our early ms
tory.
! I'm fact, the whole of modern pro
gress has come largely from the resui
of the world to stand pat Eacn success
sive generation has recognized the VIZ
tues and accepted the labors of its prede
cessors. but in doing so, none has ever
declined or refused to recognize new de
| mands or to correct old abuses
..There is no more reason why we should
resoiva not to revise our national revenu'
laws than there would have been at othel
periods of history to stop all progress
| This is especially true of abuses which
become rooted in our human life.
1T is easy enough for ~le favorite whit
in this case is the predominant partner
with the government to resist any sug
gestion Of change. But the farmer tn,
laborer the man or woman of fixed in
come, the student struggling for an edu
cation; the poor girl supporting hel
mothers famly-these are entitled t.
know whether this policy using law t
give favors to the few while the man,
are left to nurse a series of injustice.
should become permanently fixed, me1el,
because power or corruption or a short
sighted economic policy has brought i
to us as a heritage"
|