The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-15

P Three score years and ten'" It
 Is so long since I was only 70 years old that I scarcely remember the time. Thirteen years, as we look back on them, are many.
 After fifty years of public service am not conscious of having done or omitted to do anything of which feel ashamed. It pains me, however, to note the small ness of politics of today. Instead of ask ing each other, What kind of man shall we name for the presdency7" too Whom shall we nominate? It is men, not politics, they are considering.
 The politics in which Roosevelt, Hughes, Taft, Bryan, Hearst and the others we hear mentioned are engaged are puppy politics, unworthy the name of politics in the large sense in which the word should be used. I do not want to appear censorious about men so many years my junior, but it does seem to me our pol ltlCS are OH d lOW pldNe.
 The thought comes to me that if there were more men of 70 years and upward in public life there would be less thought of self and more of the well being uf the people of the country. Men who have reached 70 are not easily influenced by the purely personal ambitions.
 
 There is only one parallel between the government of this country and anything in history that I can think of. I'll cail your attention to it. You remember when Jesus Christ went up to the temple and drove out the money changers? Why did he drive them out? They were doing to the Jewish people what this government has authorized and assisted class of financial LeVites to do to the people of | this land.
 The Levites ordained that sacrifices for the temple could be bought only with a certain kind of money-a limited coinage issued by them. Deyout persons coming to the temple from afar of could not bring the sacrificial animals with them. They had to buy from dealers near the temple. They were compelled to exchange the ordinary money of the land for the Levitical coinage. This they did at ex- l orbitant rates of exchange. After the an imals had been bought the money chang CTS and the priests arrived at an under standing for an exchange between the dealers and the money changers in the temple.
 When Christ drove them from the tenn pie he broke up the most magnificent money making machine this world knew before this government organized it's financial system-the national bank sys. tenn. We have pride in 1t. Its notes are based on the bonds of the national gov ernment, and yet l have seen the bonds of this government sell for thirty-seven cents on the dollar.
 Any man who has ,0O0 can buy bonds if he will but organize national bank. Having bought bonds, the government is- sues to him notes which he lends to the people at from IS to 15 per cent profit every year. To still further favor him, the government, exacting more money in the form of taxes than 1t needs, deposits those taxes in any of the banks that de- posit bonds. Bonds of the United Stateso Yes, if the bank has them. If not, tho bonds of a railroad will do. Upon that capital of s25,0O0 the man who has organ ized himself into a national bank may do a business of millions, at the expense of the people who must borrow money from him. It is a magnificent money making machine; about as good as that which Christ destroyed and for which he was crucified without authority of-any law be- cause he had offended the Levites
 There appears to be popular idea that Jesus was crucified as the result of an apparently lawful decree issued by a com potent court but that is an erroneous impression.
 At my age 1t is a satisfaction to mo that I have been spared so long to achieve the good of life--to make the friendships