The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-28

eral stand toward the legitimate busi- ness enterprises of the country, but to distinguish between honest business ev- anywhere and those criminal concerns which plunder through political pull and pay for political protection.
 Good wine needs no bush and honest business needs no bribe. Honest business and prosperity are almost synonymous terms. AS one de- velops, the other increases; when one is unduly disturbed the other fails. Reforms must be made as the country develops, and the people progress, but those reforms should be carried out by those in authority without spite or prej- udice, without egotism or sensationalism, without brass band or big stick.
 Not all who ask to be let alone really want to be let alone.
 '"The thief may we'll ask to be let alone in his thievery, but the legitimate busi- ness man should ask for all the en- couragement that an intelligent business administration can properly provide. It . Is a fundamental function of government to keep the peace, and to keep the peace | it must interfere to prevent fraud and violence and extortion and oppression.
 'It is a fundamental function of gov ernment to maintain morality, and to 1 maintain morality it must interfere to secure a business morality as well as I personal morality.
 l Business Morality.
 Tt is a legitimate and proper function of government to promote conditions that will increase wealth and bring about just distribution of wealth; that will secure increased profits for honest business men and insure a fair division of profits for honest workingmen. we all want prosperity, and what is more, we want prosperity for all q urge our party, therefore, to be in i telligently and courageously construc- i tive not merely obstructive like the re- : publican party, nor destructive like the democratic party.
 "The republican platform says all ! things and means nothing.
 "It is platform of statistical inven- 1. tons and political evasions..
 "It is obviously the product of party whose sole purpose is to stand pat and whose sole desire is to stay put.
 'The democratic platform contains some good and original things, but, as has been said, the original things are not good and the good things are not original.
 "It was built by political jackdaws who feathered their nests with the
 
 of their significance or intention as to their performance.
 Tt is the habitation of a hermit crab which has no shell of it's own, and in vades the first convenient one without regard to property or propriety
 Mixed Platform.
 "It is platform too, of reconciliation and retraction, of atonement and apol- ogy, of harmony and hypocrisy, for in compliance with a former compact, Par ker has pronounced peace, Bill Bailey has poured Standard Oil upon the trou- bled waters, and Bryan has killed not only the fatted calf but the goose that laid the golden egg
 No man can serve two masters and no man can conciliate the conflicting ele- ments of the democratic party.
 He who tries must serve one and de- ceive the other; must make public pre- tense to the people and private compact with the trusts
 "Our party is not party of faction or sections, or cliques, or classes We have no warning wings to pacfy, no contra dictory declarations to modify no cor rupt bosses to satisfy
 Let us act boldly and speak plainly.
 Let us make platform so clear and so sincere that every citizen will under stand our position and have confidence in our intention
 Let us nominate candidates from among the many men here present whose lives and deeds are a guarantee of the genuineness of their attitude-a pledge of the sincerity of our profess sion.
 Then let us go forth to an honorable one for righteous cause, to battle and to victory"